Social, Transport and Tourism Solutions

Using Task Difficulty to Understand PTW Crashes

The goal of most riders is to enjoy the riding experience with the enjoyment being found in a combination of two ways: ‘Rush Based Enjoyment’ and ‘Challenge Based Enjoyment’.  Riders who are seeking one of these enjoyment types will be riding in a corresponding manner, therefore the types of PTW crashes that occur are likely to reflect the type of enjoyment being sought. 

Bends are a major factor for ‘Challenge Based Enjoyment’, and as this type of enjoyment is flow based, riders will be attempting to match their skill level with the demands presented by the environment (C≈D).  If the rider makes even a small mistake in assessing either the skill level required or the demand level of the task, then loss of control will result.  A similar loss of control may occur where an event increases task demand, such as a reduction in traction between tyres and the road surface, or where a rider’s capability reduces, for example being distracted.

‘Rush Based Enjoyment’ is not skill/challenge based, however task demand must still exceed rider capability for loss of control to result.  Speed is an enhancer of task difficulty, and also a major element of this type of enjoyment.  As PTWs can generally accelerate significantly quicker than cars, task difficulty can rapidly increase to a point where task demand exceeds rider capability.  The resulting loss of control can occur before the rider is aware of what is happening or has time to reduce task demand.  Less experienced riders are more likely to be seeking ‘Rush Based Enjoyment’ and these riders may be less able to quickly interpret the signs that they are heading towards a situation where demand exceeds capability (C<D) and therefore are unlikely to take corrective action before they are out of control.