In the Netherlands, 47 motorcyclists without safety vest died in traffic in 2016. The number of serious road injuries among motorcyclists has not been reliably determined since 2009, when there were around 1,300, due to poor registration. In the Netherlands, 1.4 million people have a motorcycle license, but with only 656,000 registered engines, less than half have an engine.
These motorcyclists drive on average 1,200 to 3,400 km per year, so most do not really build up routine. The risk of dying in traffic (per distance traveled) was 30 times greater for motorcyclists between 2010 and 2014 than for motorists. Of the deceased motorcyclists in 2016, almost 30% were between 40 and 49 years and 98% were men. Of all serious and fatal motor accidents in the Netherlands, 40% is a single accident (an accident in which no other road user is involved). In the case of the other serious motor accidents, motorists in particular are the counterparty.
The state of the engine and of the road only plays an identifiable role in a small part of the motor accidents. It has not been investigated how big the role of speed is in the origin and impact of motor accidents in the Netherlands. Foreign studies suggest that speed is a more important accident factor in motor accidents than in car accidents. The visibility and prominence of motorcyclists also plays a role in motorcycle accidents. Fluorescent clothing and lighting can improve the visibility of motorcyclists, but mainly the contrast with the environment that increases the safety of motorcyclists.
Clothing also plays a role in the outcome of motor accidents. In the event of a motorcycle accident, the motorcycle helmet and proper motorcycle clothing protect the motorcyclist from injuries. In the Netherlands, almost all motorcyclists wear helmets and motorcycle reflective clothing.
In order to further improve the safety of motorcyclists, the technical / intelligent vehicle developments for the car are followed with interest. However, it is not yet easy to adapt ITS systems for the car to the engine. The use of ABS (anti-lock braking system) on engines probably reduced the number of motor accidents. Education can also have a positive effect: research into the one-day advanced driving course (VRO) of the Dutch motorcyclist association (KNMV) has shown that this has a positive effect on safe driving and hazard perception of motorcyclists. However, in the majority of the evaluations of (continued) driving training for motorcyclists, no effect is found on crash involvement and offenses.