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Motorcycle‐related major trauma: On‐road versus off‐road incidence and profile of cases
Author(s) -
MikockaWalus Antonina,
Gabbe Belinda,
Cameron Peter
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
emergency medicine australasia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.602
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1742-6723
pISSN - 1742-6731
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-6723.2010.01337.x
Subject(s) - medicine , poisson regression , incidence (geometry) , population , rate ratio , injury prevention , confidence interval , poison control , occupational safety and health , road traffic , major trauma , demography , emergency medicine , medical emergency , environmental health , physics , pathology , sociology , transport engineering , optics , engineering
Objective: To describe and compare the incidence and profile of on‐ and off‐road motorcycle‐related major trauma (including death) cases across a statewide population. Methods: A review of prospectively collected data on adult, motorcycle‐related major trauma cases from 2001 to 2008 was conducted. Major trauma survivors were identified from the population‐based Victorian State Trauma Registry, and deaths were extracted from the National Coroners Information System. Poisson regression was used to test for increasing incidence using two measures of exposure: population of Victoria aged ≥16 years, and registered motorcycles. Results: There were 1157 major trauma survivors and 344 deaths with motorcycle‐related injuries over the study period. There was no change in the incidence of motorcycle‐related major trauma (both survivors plus deaths) (Incident Rate ratio [IRR]= 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.94–1.37) over the study period. Similarly, there was no change over time in the incidence of on‐road motorcycle‐related injury (survivors plus deaths) per 100 000 population (IRR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.84–1.27). However, the incidence of off‐road motorcycle‐related injury (survivors plus deaths) increased over the study period (IRR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.10–2.60). Among survivors and deaths, 882 (76%) and 301 (87.5%) cases, respectively, occurred on road. Conclusions: Off‐road motorcycle‐related major trauma has increased and this has not been targeted in injury prevention campaigns in Australia. The incidence of on‐road motorcycle‐related death in adults has decreased. Preventive strategies to address on‐road injuries have been enforced and these are expected to lead to further reduction of on‐road motorcycle crashes in the future.