News

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation 100-Motorcyclist Naturalistic Study Fact Sheet

By Motorcyclist Staff

May 11, 2012

Study Sponsor

Motorcycle Safety Foundation
First large-scale instrumented-motorcycle study.
An unobtrusive method for investigating the normal and safety critical situations in real riding.
Riders are given no special instructions – ride as you normally ride.
Data collection equipment is unobtrusive.
Riders participate for their entire riding season.
100 motorcycle riders
Multiple age groups
Three bike types: Cruisers, Sport, Touring
Three locations: Florida, Virginia and California
Up to 12 month collection per rider depending on their riding season
100 rider years, or approximately 400,000-500,000 miles expected.

100-Motorcyclist Study Features:

Study Parameters

100 motorcycle riders
Multiple age groups
Three bike types: Cruisers, Sport, Touring
Three locations: Florida, Virginia and California
Up to 12 month collection per rider depending on their riding season
100 rider years, or approximately 400,000-500,000 miles expected.

Anticipated Instrumentation

Up to five video views (e.g., forward, sides including riders hands, rider's face, rearward)
Accelerometers
Gyros
GPS
Vehicle speed
Brake use
Machine vision-based lane tracker
Forward radar

Description of Data

[As crash rates for most road users in the United States are decreasing over time, motorcyclist injuries and fatalities have been increasing. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute are seeking your participation in a ground-breaking study that will advance our understanding of key issues facing motorcyclists. If you ride, we need you. To learn how you can make a difference, please visit: motorcycle.vtti.vt.edu or call 800.997.7836 Some compensation provided. Data kept confidential. Participants must be at least 18 years of age.