Right Turn Dangers

[seedy]

Found this on the Competition -

Right-Hand Vehicle Turns Kill Motorcyclists - How to Avoid Them

Traffic accident statistics indicate that human error contributes to the majority of road accidents. Certain types of accidents predominate. In particular, vehicles turning right to cross oncoming traffic at marked and unmarked intersections account for approximately one quarter of all accidents. It is this type of accident to which motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable.

Accident analysis has become increasingly sophisticated in the past two decades. Research has moved beyond working out what happened and increasingly analyses why an accident happened. It is this information that is useful for us motorcyclists.

Researchers in the USA and Japan equipped hundreds of cars with video and sensor recorders to record traffic conditions and driver behaviour, including driver gaze (where the driver was looking), GPS location data, vehicle speed, accelerator pedal position, steering angle, and turn signal activation. This is what they found.

A significant number of accidents, whether with oncoming vehicles or pedestrians, involved vehicles making right turns at intersections in a particular way. What is remarkable is that the researchers were able to re-create the accident scenarios on a close circuit and watch test subjects make the same mistakes. Certain driving situations produce much higher accident rates than others.

From the perspective of the motorcyclist this is interesting because it draws our attention to one of the highest risk road situations. If we can identify the problem, perhaps we can do something to avoid it.

If you look through the photographs below you can see how the typical "right hand turn" accident develops.

Notice the position of the motorcyclist in the photo "3 seconds to near miss." He is either obscured or partially obscured from view to right turning traffic by a vehicle in front ("oncoming vehicle 3").

As the "oncoming vehicle 3" makes the turn, the motorcyclist carries on into the path of the "Test vehicle." This is the point at which the accident occurs.

Let's view the accident situation from the point of view of the car driver.

One can see from the video stills above that it is only if the car driver's gaze point is close to that of the motorcycle when he emerges from behind the oncoming car that the turning car driver might stop in time. The research found that if the car driver had already begun the turn (in other words their foot was on the accelerator and not the brake) they would take more than twice as long to stop. The average reaction time in this case was 1.7s. How far will the bike have travelled across the junction in 1.7s? It would be safe to assume the worse.

That the researchers were able to reproduce the accident reliably indicates the right hand turn can be a remarkably efficient, and lethal, trap for both car and motorcycle drivers.

As a motorcyclist, to avoid this type of accident it is essential one recognizes and anticipates the danger and adjusts one's speed so the motorcycle can be brought to a halt safely. Do NOT trust that drivers making a turn have either seen you or that they have correctly estimated your speed.

A separate research study in Malaysia concluded that an increase in approach speed of the motorcycle is associated with an increase in motorcycle crashes. It is self-evident that approach speed is important in the right hand turn crash.

So, how to avoid right hand vehicle turns that kill motorcyclists?

(1) Anticipate that a vehicle that can not be seen might appear from an obstructed view-point on an intersection.

(2) Position one's motorcycle to maximize visibility both of the intersection and so that the motorcycle is conspicuous to other vehicles.

(3) Don't lane-split down the side of a vehicle that is making a right hand turn ahead. There is no visibility through the vehicle, and another vehicle turning across your path would not be visible. Don't risk it.

(4) Reduce your speed so that in the worst-case scenario the motorcycle can be brought to a halt before hitting a right turning vehicle.

While not a research conclusion, one might consider circumspection when faced with the typical U-turn in Thailand where it is commonplace for drivers to creep forward to complete their manoeuvre while waiting for traffic to pass. It is not unreasonable to reduce one's speed to negotiate the area where the driver will turn (while remaining aware of the risk of being rear-ended by following traffic). One of the key research findings was that it is very difficult to estimate the speed of an oncoming motorcyclist and poor estimation by drivers initiating a turn frequently causes an accident.

Ride safe!



References
Nobuyuki Uchida, Maki Kawakoshi, Takashi Tagawa, Tsutomu Mochida, An investigation of factors contributing to major crash types in Japan based on naturalistic driving data, 2010, IATSS Research

V.L. Neale, T.A. Dingus, S.G. Klauer, J. Sudweeks, M. Goodman, An Overview of the 100-Car Naturalistic Study and Findings, 2005 ESV Paper Number 05-0400.

S.Harnen, R.S.Radin Umar, S.V.Wong, W.I.Wan Hashim, Motorcycle Crash Prediction Model for Non-Signalized Intersections, 2003, IATSS Research Vol 27, No 2.

[ttakata]

Good info.

I think people in the US don't remember the bike exists so a single headlight doesn't register in the subconscious.

I feel safer here because bikes are more common.

Still, I am always thinking the other traffic is not paying attention and try to ride that way.

Look for red light runners and assume people are driving drunk or on phones.

A big fear is a taxi door opening when I split lanes because I swung one open fast when I was new here because my subconscious was not trained to think of bikers.

Never think paper laws will protect you anywhere, only the laws of physics should be priorities on a bike.

[Garry]

Nice stats, but they won't change the attitude to road craft education in Thailand. The Thai no look left, right turn and no look right, left turn scenarios come to mind.

If anything, for me a major priority is the police to start hammering red light runners with hefty fines, points demerits, loss of license. Wishful thinking, as it won't matter one iota to most road users. I have never come across such cretin like behaviour with red lights until I came to Thailand. I play the 3-4 second rule before advancing through a green after being stopped, even then it can be a crap shoot in some areas and this is just my experience in Chiang Rai.

[papa al]

tt, yes agree 100%.

RE OP,

I think imona mount a 1 meter whip and conspicuous pennant atop my box.

Maybe one of those yellow Buddha flags.

[ttakata]

Haha, I like the idea of a flag.

Rolling diplomat flags on a bike would be funny.

[Shurup]

@papa al - These sort of pole flags often used off-road on dirtbikes so you're visible from behind the hill before you come up the hill.

[Torrens54]

Many of these accidents when road users are doing Right Hand Turns or indeed "U" Turns could be avoided very simply.

Introduce ROUNDABOUTS and enforce a "Give-way to your Right," rule. This would save lives and money.

[DLang]

Many of these accidents when road users are doing Right Hand Turns or indeed "U" Turns could be avoided very simply.

Introduce ROUNDABOUTS and enforce a "Give-way to your Right," rule. This would save lives and money.

They have roundabouts in Udon Thani.

It is 'interesting' to see the Thais try to use them. It's like watching 50 people trying to eat spaghetti with spoons.

[nikster]

Many of these accidents when road users are doing Right Hand Turns or indeed "U" Turns could be avoided very simply.

Introduce ROUNDABOUTS and enforce a "Give-way to your Right," rule. This would save lives and money.

They have roundabouts in Udon Thani.

It is 'interesting' to see the Thais try to use them. It's like watching 50 people trying to eat spaghetti with spoons.

LOL

Roundabouts are fantastic, but only if done right. The approach lanes must make it very clear what you're supposed to do. Then there's some education needed - nothing to do with Thai of course, roundabouts confuse all drivers that aren't used to them.

Was just in Europe, and on these roundabouts its hard to go wrong. They've very clearly marked approaches, so you know where you're supposed to go. Entry and exit are separate, and kind of bend into the roundabout. Impossible to go the wrong way but more importantly it's so clear what you have to do that you can focus on other things. They were only one lane so there is no changing lanes inside the roundabout.

Compared to one roundabout in BKK that I used many times, it couldn't be more different. The one in BKK has several multi-lane roads going into it, it's about 5 lanes wide, and it's always utter mayhem as people improvise in the face of the chaos. It's more like a destruction derby without touching (mostly).

[wantan]

But you know that here people do not use the lanes markings. Why should they use them on a roundabout? Some people would go were they want and create chaos for all. In my area there are several crossings and roundabouts with clear markings. No one follows them. All go like its "natural" for them (cut corners, going straight, going fast, overtaking while turning, etc.). And to be honest, the markings often are stupid. They are just color on the street. No one ever took the time for a serious planning of the markings (width, course, etc.). And all suggestions to ease thai traffic wont work until there is no police enforcing rules seriously imo.

[JonnyF]

Yeah roundabouts don't really work in Thailand as nobody respects the rules or anyone else's right of way. There's one in BangSaoThong I used to use a lot in rush hour, you had to fight your way onto it by blocking the cars on the roundabout, and then fight your way back off it by blocking the cars that were trying to get on. Absolute mayhem, if you weren't constantly within 12 inches of the car in front you had zero chance of making progress. The whole thing was reduced to a snails pace despite relatively little traffic on the roads approaching and leaving the roundabout. Just people blocking each others exits (even though it didn't benefit them) and getting stuck.

Took an Australian colleague through it one time as he was briefly visiting from Sydney, he was in hysterics at the whole scene - literally astounded.

[Garry]

From what I can gather in Chiang Rai, unlike the rest of the planet, you don't have right of way when on the roundabout. Nutz.!