Crash Types

Bicycle

According to BicyclingInfo.Org, the three most frequent categories of bicycle crashes when motorists and bicyclists are on parallel paths are:

• Motorist turning or merging into the path of a bicyclist (12.1 percent of all crashes). Almost half (48.8 percent) of these crashes involved a motorist making a left turn in front of a bicyclist approaching from the opposite direction.
• Motorist overtaking a bicyclist (8.6 percent of all crashes). Of these crashes, 23 percent appeared to involve a motorist who misjudged the space required to safely pass the bicyclist.
• Bicyclist turning or merging into the path of a motorist (7.3 percent of all crashes). Within this category, 60 percent involved a bicyclist making a left turn in front of a motorist traveling in the same direction.

When the motorists and bicyclists are on initial crossing paths, the three most frequent categories of crashes are:

• Motorist failed to yield right-of-way at a junction (21.7 percent of all crashes). Of these crashes, more than a third (37.3 percent) involved a motorist violating the sign or signal and drove into the crosswalk or intersection and struck the bicyclist.
• Bicyclist failed to yield right-of-way at an intersection (16.8 percent of all crashes). Within this category, 38 percent involved a bicyclist who had stopped for a sign or flashing signal and then drove into the intersection and was struck by the motor vehicle.
• Bicyclist failed to yield right-of-way at a midblock location (11.7 percent of all crashes). Almost half of these crashes (43.4 percent) involved a bicyclist riding out into the roadway from a residential driveway.

Pedestrian

In the early 1990s, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration refined a methodology developed in the 1970s to determine crash types. As summarized in WalkingInfo.org,

• Nearly one-third (32.2 percent) of all crashes occurred in or near (within 50 ft) of an intersection. Of these, 30 percent involved a turning vehicle. Another 22 percent involved a pedestrian either running across the intersection or darting out in front of a vehicle whose view was blocked just prior to the impact. And finally, 16 percent of these intersection-related crashes occurred because of a driver violation.
• Midblock events was the second major grouping of crash types and accounted for 26.5 percent of all crashes. The crash type most commonly found among this group was the midblock dash in which the pedestrian ran into the street and the motorist's view was not obstructed; this type accounted for one-third of all midblock events. Another 17 percent of these crashes were dart-outs, i.e., the pedestrian ran or walked into the street, but the motorist view was obstructed until just before the impact.
• Just over 7 percent of the crashes involved a pedestrian walking along the roadway and not on a sidewalk. Of these events, 72 percent involved a pedestrian walking with traffic and being struck from behind.

Resources

Bicycle Crash Types - A 1990s Informational Guide
Updates an earlier research report on crash typing and countermeasure selection for bicyclists.

Bicycle Safer Journey
A virtual journey designed to increase our awareness of bicycle safety. Its use is intended for the general public, road user, safety advocates, and safety.

Good Practices Guide for Bicycle Safety Education
A guide to developing your own bicycle education program or selecting the most effective program for your needs.

National Strategies for Advancing Bicycle Safety Report
A joint report of several federal agencies, is a call to action for policy makers, educators, advocates, transportation experts, health and injury professionals, and others with an interest in safe bicycling. The strategies encompassed in the document are those that, over the next three to five years, are capable of enhancing bicycle safety for riders of all ages. The specific goals and strategies are summarized below.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool (PBCAT)
PBCAT Is intended to assist state and local bicycle coordinators, planners, and engineers with enhancing bicycle safety. PBCAT accomplishes this goal through the development and analysis of a data base containing details associated with crashes between motor vehicles and pedestrians or bicyclists, including the crash type that describes the pre-crash actions of the parties involved. With the data base developed, the software can then be used to produce reports and select countermeasures to address the problems identified.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Types of the Early 1990s.
A technical summary of a study updating crash categorization methodology.