The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) published an observational study on the use of safety equipment by vulnerable road users when they travel around the city by bicycle, personal mobility vehicle (VMP), moped or motorcycle.
The work has been carried out in all provincial capitals during the past year and 32,872 observations have been made of users of these types of vehicles.
Based on the results obtained, the DGT’s Road Safety Observatory has carried out an analysis of the correlations between the use of different safety equipment and various observed variables, such as: vehicle ownership (private/shared/rental), the reason for the trip (individual, distribution), the thermal sensation or the lighting, among others. Furthermore, these data have been complemented with the figures for the use of protective devices by vulnerable users who are victims of incidents (from the ONSV accident records), in all cases in which they are available in situations similar to those of the observational study.
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Bicycle Users
7,718 bicycle users have been observed, of which 6,784 were drivers and 934 passengers.
Regarding the use of helmets by the cyclists observed, less than half (41.4%) of bicycle drivers used this safety device while riding in cities. It must be remembered that its use is mandatory in the city for those under 16 years of age and recommended for those over 16. In the case of passengers, the use of helmets barely exceeded ten percent (10.5%).
Professional drivers exceeded the average in their use, reaching 56.9%, while “sharing” or rental bicycle drivers were below the average, with 26.8%.
In 2022, incident data revealed that helmet use among victims exceeded the observed average, with 69% of those killed and 62% of those seriously injured wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
Cyclists show a low adoption of the use of reflective vests, an important garment to improve their visibility on public roads. Only 22% of cyclists used them during the night sections, being more common among men (23.6%) than among women (13.5%). Furthermore, its use is more frequent on weekends (25.2%) compared to weekdays (19.3%). Likewise, it is more prevalent among users of pedal-assisted (electric) bicycles (45.7%) than among users of conventional bicycles (19.9%).
As with helmets, it is professional users (37.6%) and drivers of sharing or rental bicycles (32.9%) who have higher than average usage rates.
In this context, incident data reveal that the use of reflective vests among victims was notably lower than the general average observed. For various categories of victims and during the years 2016 to 2022, the highest figure of use of the reflective vest reached only 9%.
With regard to the bicycle’s own lighting at night, it is the users of pedal-assisted (electric) bicycles, whether as professional or private drivers, who make greater use of bicycle lighting than private cyclists with their own bikes.
Personal Mobility Vehicles (VMP)
Regarding the VMP users analysed, the study was carried out on 5,146 users, of which 4,838 were drivers and 308 passengers included in the observation, despite the fact that traffic regulations expressly establish that they are single-person-use vehicles and therefore circulation is prohibited if more than one person is on said vehicle.
The behaviour of these users in relation to the use of helmets, reflective vests and lighting during nighttime periods does not show major differences with respect to the practice carried out by bicycle users.
At a general level, it is observed that 49% of all VMP users used helmets, with a significant difference between drivers (49.3%) and passengers (16.3%). Likewise, a greater use of helmets is observed among female drivers (53.2%) compared to male drivers (47.7%).
Its use is significant if the age of the users is taken into account. Drivers over 16 years of age show greater helmet use (51.2%) compared to drivers under 16 years of age (24.6%). The lower perception of risk among younger people can lead them to experience more intense sensations and not be aware of the consequences that certain attitudes they adopt may have.
As with bicycle users, professional drivers use helmets more often (73.4%), compared to the average. However, incident data for 2022 reveal that its use among victims was lower than the observed average, with 20% of deaths and 38% of seriously injured people carrying it.
Regarding the use of the reflective vest, 21.9% of the observed users used a reflective vest during the nighttime sections. As with the helmet, drivers over 16 years of age show greater use of reflective vests (22.4%) compared to drivers under 16 years of age (12.8%). Likewise, professional drivers use it more (39.1%) compared to the observed average.
These data contrast with incident data which reveal that the use of reflective vests among victims was notably lower than the observed average, that is, very few fatalities or seriously injured victims were wearing reflective vests at the time of the incident. This disparity between incident incidence and reflective vest use suggests possible underutilisation of this safety equipment among VMP users.
In relation to the use of lighting in the nighttime sections, 72.2% of the observed users used lighting, with greater use by drivers over 16 years of age (74.7%) compared to those under 16 years of age. 16 years old (36.1%) and among professional drivers (84.6%), whose use is higher than average.
It must be remembered that, as of January 22, 2023, the VMPs that are marketed must be certified, which means that they must meet a series of specific technical requirements included in the manual of characteristics of personal mobility vehicles, published by the DGT. In this manual there is a section dedicated exclusively to the lighting of both VMPs intended for the transport of people and goods or other services.
Motorcycles
In the case of motorcycle and moped users, 20,008 users were observed, of which 16,178 were drivers and 3,830 passengers.
Almost all drivers (99.11%) and a smaller percentage of passengers (61.36%) used helmets. Among drivers, no notable differences were detected in helmet use according to the other variables, remaining consistently above 94% in all observed categories.
According to records of incidents on urban roads between 2013 and 2021, it was observed that between 84% and 93% of motorcycle fatalities were wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
The use of gloves shows variability within the observed sample, being more common among men (58.8%) than among women (49.1%). In addition, significant differences were observed depending on the ambient temperature. In cold conditions (less than 10ºC), 85.2% of users wore gloves, while in hot conditions (more than 30ºC) this percentage decreased to 49.2%. For its part, incident data in urban areas between 2014 and 2021 revealed that between 33% and 45% of deceased motorcycle drivers were wearing gloves at the time of the incident.
Regarding lighting during night sections, almost all of the users observed (95.59%) had them on.
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