Motorcycle Rider Trajectory in Pitch-Over Brake Applications and Impacts

摘要

Pitch-over events are common in motorcycle accidents, and can be caused by impact to the front wheel and occasionally by hard brake application. In either case, the rider of the motorcycle can be propelled over the handlebars as the motorcycle pitches rear-end up. In accidents caused by pitch-over braking, the accident investigator may be faced with limited evidence and then must rely on analyzing the throw distance of the rider in attempting to reconstruct the pre-accident speed of the motorcycle. This analysis can be complicated by the presence of a second rider (the passenger) on the motorcycle. Pitch-over caused by front wheel impact can be similarly complex. Although motorcycle deformation as a result of front wheel impact has been studied, circumstances surrounding the nature of the deformation, or the impact itself, may require that the trajectory of the rider be analyzed in order to determine the pre-impact motorcycle speed.