RISKY RIDING AMONG NOVICE MOTORCYCLE RIDERS IN UDUPI, KARNATAKA, INDIA: A PSYCHOSOCIAL STUDY TO IDENTIFY TARGETS FOR EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS (R-9899)

Motorcycles are one of the most commonly used modes of commutation in low and middle-income countries. Motorized two-wheelers consist of 70 % of the vehicle population in India and they are considered to be the most vulnerable road users. The purpose of the current study is to determine and analyze the risky riding behaviours among the motorcyclists and to design future intervention programmes to promote safe riding behavior and reduce accident involvement of motorcyclists in India. The study will be situated in Udupi district, in Karnataka province, India. Accident data (2011-2016) will be obtained from the district police authorities. Systematic and in-depth analysis of the accident data will be conducted to have a thorough understanding of the human-vehicle environment interface which caused road traffic crashes. This will be followed by two cross-sectional surveys to determine the risky riding behaviours among the motorcyclists and the underlying socio-cognitive determinants that drive these behaviours. In-depth interviews will be conducted among the traffic police personnel to get a comprehensive understanding of their views about the current road traffic scenario and probable solutions to mitigate the challenges associated with it. Lastly, focus group discussions will be done among the motorcyclists in the age group of 18-29 years to explore more on risk awareness, determinants of risky riding behaviours, and views on riding situations, behavioural strategies when interacting with other vehicles on road, and suggestions for the improvement of riding safety.

Keywords:road user behavior, traffic safety

Disciplines:Traffic psychology