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MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS AND CASUALTIES IN SCOTLAND 1992 - 2002
CHAPTER THREE: EXPOSURE DATA
3.1 Exposure data have been extracted from Scottish Transport Statistics publications. They are helpful in putting the recent increase in motorcycle accidents and casualties into context.
Licensed motorcycles
3.2 The number of vehicles licensed at 31 December for each year are published in "Scottish Transport Statistics No 22 for 2003" Table 1.2. The number of motorcycles (as defined by taxation class) are shown in Figure 3.1. The estimate for 1992 was based on data from the DVLA annual census, while the estimates from 1993 onwards are taken from the Department for Transport Vehicle Information Database. Strictly the 1992 figure is not directly comparable with the 1993 to 2002 figures, but has been included in the figure and used in calculations of the casualty rate per 1,000 licensed motorcycles discussed in a later chapter.
Figure 3.1. Licensed motorcycles in Scotland at December
3.3 Figure 3.1 clearly shows the increase in motorcycles licensed from 1995. The number of licensed bikes in 2002 is approaching double the number licensed in 1995.
Motorcycle traffic
3.4 The traffic on major roads and minor roads for each vehicle type by year are published in "Scottish Transport Statistics No 22 for 2003". The traffic in million vehicle kilometres are shown in Figure 3.2. The figures for 1993 to 2002 differ from those available previously, since DfT have revised their method of estimating traffic volume. The figures for minor roads have been greatly revised from those previously published following DfT's introduction of a new and improved method of estimating the volume of traffic on those roads. For this reason the 1992 figure is not available, and so Figure 3.2 only shows the traffic for the years 1993 to 2002.
Figure 3.2. Travel data by road type
3.5 Figure 3.2 shows the increase in motorcycle traffic from 1996. The rate of growth is very similar for both major and minor roads with growth of nearly 47% and 40%, respectively, from 1996 to 2002. There was an overall growth for all road types of nearly 45% between 1996 and 2002.
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