Bicycle-related injuries
S. M. Selbst, D. Alexander and R. Ruddy
To obtain epidemiologic data and information on the probable causes and
severity of bicycle-related injuries, we interviewed all patients with such
trauma. Between April 1 and Oct 1, 1983, 520 children presented to the
Emergency Department of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia with trauma
related to two-wheeled nonmotorized bicycles. The ages of the patients
ranged from 1 to 18 years (mean, 8.7 years), and most (72%) were males.
Most accidents (84%) occurred less than five blocks from home, and 49%
occurred in the street. Thirty-six percent of the patients admitted to
stunt riding or going too fast when the accident occurred, and 36% claimed
there was a problem with the surface on which they were riding. The
accidents occurred when a patient lost control of the bike (45%), a patient
on a bicycle was hit by a car (17%), or a pedestrian was hit by a bicyclist
(10%). Only three patients were wearing protective equipment at the time of
the accident. Most (54%) had received no specific safety instructions about
bicycling. The extremities were injured in 53% of the accidents, but head
and neck injuries accounted for 31%. Six percent required hospital
admission. Males and children over 12 years of age were more likely to have
multiple injuries. Accidents that occurred in the street or involved cars
were associated with a greater number of serious and multiple injuries. The
infrequent use of protective equipment and minimal safety instructions
received by the patients in this study suggest that many bicycle-related
injuries are preventable. Education of parents and children is recommended
to improve bicycle safety.
