Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Orange County Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis | 5 <br /> <br />way stops, and T-intersections can be treacherous locations for bicyclists, particularly in rural areas <br />where drivers may not be expecting non-motorized users, most bicycle crashes in rural Orange County <br />(62 percent) occur along areas of roadway with no special features. In fact, the character of the roadway <br />is more often straight and level (41 percent of crashes) or straight and at a grade (32 percent of crashes), <br />than curved at a grade, curved and level, or curved and at a hillcrest (total 26 percent). This would <br />indicate that, at least in a <br />rural context, situations <br />involving the interaction of <br />motorists and bicyclists at <br />speed along sections of <br />open road are more <br />dangerous for bicyclists than <br />at intersections, where <br />traffic is slower. <br />Light Conditions <br />In terms of the light <br />conditions at the time of a <br />bicycle-motor vehicle crash, <br />more than 80 percent of <br />crashes (28) occurred during daylight, with one (1) crash, or 3 percent, occurring at dusk, and five (5) <br />crashes, or 15 percent, occurring at night on an unlighted roadway. This is likely due the lower number <br />of trips made by bicycle at night in rural Orange County. Each of the crashes that occurred under dark <br />conditions was a <br />“Motorist Overtaking <br />Bicyclist” crash, of <br />which two (2) <br />resulted in a fatality. <br />The remaining four <br />(4) crashes all <br />resulted in an injury. <br />Crashes occurring <br />away from <br />intersections in dark <br />conditions were <br />particularly likely to <br />result in a more <br />severe injury. <br />Time of Crash <br />Bicycle crashes in Orange County occurred predominantly in the afternoon hours with only six (6) <br />crashes occurring during the morning hours. Two Crashes occurred between 12:00 AM and 1:00 AM, <br />0.0% <br />5.0% <br />10.0% <br />15.0% <br />20.0% <br />25.0% <br />30.0% <br />35.0% <br />40.0% <br />45.0% <br />Straight - <br />Grade <br />Straight - <br />Level <br />Straight - <br />Hillcrest <br />Curve - <br />Grade <br />Curve - <br />Level <br />Curve - <br />Hillcrest <br />11 (32.4%) <br />14 (41.2%) <br />3 (8.8%) <br />1 (2.9%) <br />3 (8.8%) 2 (5.9%) <br />Roadway Character <br />0.0% <br />20.0% <br />40.0% <br />60.0% <br />80.0% <br />100.0% <br />Daylight Dusk Dark - Roadway <br />Not Lighted <br />28 (82.4%) <br />1 (2.9%) <br />5 (14.7%) <br />Light Condition <br />Daylight Dusk Dark - Roadway Not Lighted <br /> 45