The Effect of Entry-Level Motorcycle Rider Training on Motorcycle Crashes

OMB Control No. 2127-XXXX

Expiration Date xx-xx-2011

ATTACHMENT E

QUESTION-BY-QUESTION JUSTIFICATION

Item	Explanation
1	This question identifies how much overall riding experience respondents have, in years and mileage. This information will be used to match trained and untrained riders.
2	This item determines how many miles respondents have ridden in the past year. This information will be used to calculate crash and citation rates per mile ridden.
3-4	Information on what kind of motorcycle respondents ride, and their primary riding purpose, will be available for matching trained and untrained riders.
5b, 5f	Self-reported information in how often respondents engage in the potentially unsafe behaviors of speeding and lane splitting will be used to match trained and untrained riders on safety behaviors. The purpose of matching riders on safety behaviors is to control for the possibility that riders that are more safety-conscious self-select into taking rider training classes. These behaviors were chosen for matching because past research have found them to be distinct from the safety behaviors we want to compare between the groups (helmet use, protective gear use, and drinking and riding); that is, riders that speed and ride between lanes in heavy traffic do not also necessarily engage in the unsafe behaviors of not wearing a helmet, not wearing protective gear, and drinking and riding (Elliot, Baughan, & Sexton, 2007)1. Speeding and lane splitting reflect risky choices that riders make when they are on the road, while drinking, helmet use, and protective gear use reflect choices that riders make prior to getting on the road.
5a, 5c, 5e	Information on how often respondents ride within 2 hours of drinking an alcoholic beverage, wear a DOT-compliant helmet, and wear a protective jacket and heavy boots when riding a motorcycle will be compared between trained and untrained riders. The MSF BRC training curriculum emphasizes that riders should wear a helmet and protective gear while riding, and that riders should not ride a motorcycle while impaired by alcohol.
5d	The purpose of this item is to reduce the demand characteristics of this section of questions. Questions 5a-c and 5e-f ask about behaviors that would be considered unsafe, but riding with an organized group is a behavior that would not be considered inherently safe or unsafe.
6	This question will be used to identify respondents that abstain from drinking alcohol. The behavior of individuals that never drink alcohol cannot be affected by messages in rider training courses advising them not to ride impaired.
7-9	These questions identify crashes, minor incidents, and close calls that respondents have had that might not have been reported to law enforcement and thus may not appear in archival records.
10, 10a	These items identify if the respondent has taken a rider training course, and if the respondent has tried to enroll in a rider training course. Item 10a will be used to monitor if a substantial number of untrained riders that are screened had attempted to receive training.
11-13	Questions on age and gender will be used to match trained and untrained riders. Date of birth, gender, and driver’s license number will be used to identify archival crash and violation records.
14-15	Unlicensed riders are overrepresented in fatal crashes. In 2008, 25% of motorcycle riders in fatal crashes were not properly licensed, as compared to 12% of fatally injured drivers of passenger cars (NHTSA, 2009)2. Licensing status will be monitored and reported for trained and untrained riders.
Contact Information	We are collecting contact information from respondents so that we can contact them at a later date to distribute follow-up surveys.

1 Elliott, M. A., Baughan, C. J., & Sexton, B. F. (2007). Errors and violations in relation to motorcyclists’ crash risk. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 39, 491-499.

2 NHTSA. (2009). Traffic Safety Facts, 2008 Data: Motorcycles. Publication No. DOT HS 811 159. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA Form 1131 Page 1