Risk Factors for Motorcycle Accident Probability and Severity: Evidence From Taiwan’s National Insurance Data

Abstract

Motorcycles account for more than half of traffic-related deaths and injuries in Taiwan. The objective of this paper is to explore the impacts of risk factors, including sex, age, motorcycle features, and region of residence, on the probability and severity of motorcycle accidents. The authors used nationwide compulsory motorcycle liability insurance data and voluntary motorcycle liability insurance data for both bodily injury liability and property damage liability for the policy year 2017. The authors’ results showed that compared with male insureds aged 31–60, young policyholders, especially males aged under 25, have a 2- to 4-fold higher risk of accidents with a slightly lower degree of severity. Older male policyholders have slightly lower accident risk but higher risk of severity. Large heavy-duty motorcycles are associated with lower accident risk but much higher risk severity. Motorcycles insured in six major cities are associated with slightly higher accident risk for all three types of insurance policies with claim severity higher for property damage coverage and lower for bodily injury coverage. This study fills the gap in risk analysis of motorcyclists in terms of data source and can serve as a reference for the government to promote road safety to high risk groups of motorcyclists.