Changes to Puerto Rico's motorcycle rider law.

Fell, James C.; Ramirez, Anthony; McKnight, A. Scott; Yao, Jie; Auld-Owens, Amy · 2017 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This report evaluates the impact of Puerto Rico’s Law No. 107, enacted in October 2007, which introduced comprehensive motorcycle safety regulations. The legislation was motivated by a sharp increase in motorcycle fatalities, which rose from 54 in 2003 to 111 in 2006. Key provisions included mandatory use of protective gear (gloves, long pants, ankle-covering footwear, and eye protection), reflective vests at night, daytime running lights, lane discipline, and a reduction of the illegal per se blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for riders from 0.08 g/dL to 0.02 g/dL. The study aimed to assess rider compliance, enforcement efforts, and the law’s effect on crashes and fatalities. The research, conducted in 2011, utilized multiple methods: observational surveys of 424 riders, focus groups with riders and law enforcement officers, analysis of checkpoint BAC data, and review of citation and Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) records. Observations measured helmet and protective gear usage. Checkpoint data compared BAC levels and citation rates between motorcycle riders and passenger car drivers. FARS data analyzed fatal crash trends from 2000 to 2009. Findings indicated high compliance with safety gear requirements. Among observed riders, 86.3% wore DOT-compliant helmets, and over 80% wore protective gear, including 98.1% wearing long pants and 93.6% wearing eye protection. Riders generally accepted the law but perceived enforcement as uneven. Law enforcement officers noted increased gear usage post-enactment but reported difficulty detecting impairment at the 0.02 g/dL threshold. Checkpoint data revealed that 29.1% of motorcycle riders had positive BACs, compared to 6.5% of passenger car drivers. Crucially, over 50% of cited motorcycle riders had BACs between 0.01 and 0.07 g/dL, suggesting enforcement of the lower limit. Motorcycle fatalities decreased steadily from 111 in 2006 to 47 in 2012. However, statistical analysis of FARS data did not show significant changes in alcohol involvement in fatal crashes between pre- and post-law periods. The study concludes that Law No. 107 successfully increased the use of DOT-compliant helmets and protective clothing, contributing to a reduction in motorcycle fatalities. While the lower BAC limit appeared to be enforced at checkpoints, the difficulty in detecting low-level impairment and the lack of statistically significant changes in alcohol-related fatality rates suggest mixed outcomes for the alcohol provisions. The findings provide evidence for the effectiveness of comprehensive safety laws and highlight challenges in enforcing low BAC limits for motorcycle operators.

Key finding

Motorcycle fatalities in Puerto Rico decreased from 111 in 2006 to 47 in 2012 following the enactment of the safety law, while rider compliance with helmet and protective gear requirements increased significantly.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 424

Provenance

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Topics

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• motorcycle conspicuity