Exploring Factors Associated with Cyclist Injury Severity in Vehicle-Electric Bicycle Crashes Based on a Random Parameter Logit Model

Electric bicyclists are vulnerable road users and play an important role in traffic safety. The focus of this research is on analyzing cyclists’ injury severity in vehicle-electric bicycle collisions. It is an exploratory analysis that was conducted based on samples obtained from video data provided by the police of Xi’an China. Three types of severity include fatal, injury, and property-damage-only (PDO). A random parameter logit (RPL) model was specified to gain more insights into factors related to the injury severity level, including human behaviors, vehicle characteristics, roadway attributes, and environmental conditions. Some factors not included in previous research were introduced into this study, especially precrash behaviors of drivers and cyclists. The direct pseudo-elasticity effects of variables were compared to investigate the stability of individual parameter estimates on the severity categories. The results indicated that variables that significantly increment the probability of fatal accidents were as follows: driver violation behaviors (speeding, red-light violation, driving in the opposite direction), cyclist violation behaviors (speeding, red-light violation), day of time (nighttime), visibility restrictions (fixed obstacles), and vehicle type (larger bus, small truck, and larger truck). Based on these findings, we suggested measures such as strengthening law enforcement by installing cameras, implementing zero tolerance for cyclist violations, promoting education by completing training courses for cyclists, and enhancing traffic safety awareness through educational activities. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for formulating strategies to improve cyclist safety.