The relationship between the travelling speed and motorcycle styles in urban settings: A case study in Belgrade

This report examines the difference in the distribution of the speeds of different motorcycle styles and the difference in the distribution of speeds of particular motorcycle styles and cars. The relationship between the speed of motorcycles that possess and those that do not possess vehicle registration plates was also explored. The speed was measured at six different locations on main roads in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. The study confirmed that, on average, motorcyclists drive faster than drivers of cars, but extreme speeding is recorded 2.3 times more often by motorcyclists than by car drivers. In this research, the styles of motorcycles were divided into three different groups according to their average speeds. The first group consists of sport motorcycles, which were faster than the other styles. The second group consists of scooter motorcycles, which were slower. The third group consists of conventional, touring, enduro, and chopper motorcycles with speeds that were statistically not significantly different. According to the differences of the mean speed of motorcyclists who use and do not use vehicle registration plates, the use of the registration plates can be considered a significant indicator of traffic safety. By classifying motorcycles in the three different groups, the issue of “generalizing” motorcyclists as a unique group is avoided and can be taken into consideration for future studies of motorcyclist safety.