Oct 19, 2009
Bike Injuries Becoming More Severe
The severity of injuries and time spent in
hospitalized for bicycle injuries tended to increase in the past decade,
according to the findings of a study from the University of Colorado, Denver.
The number of chest injuries rose by 15 percent, while abdominal injuries
increased threefold over the last 5 years.
The findings stem from a study of 329 bicycle injuries treated at the Rocky
Mountain Regional Trauma Center at Denver Health Medical Center from 1996 to
2006.
Emergency room documentation of helmet use improved during the study period, yet
actual use did not change significantly, the researchers found. Roughly
one-third of patients studied had a significant head injury.
The rise in injury severity likely reflects an increased rate of "motor vehicle
associated injuries, which might suggest, along with a trend toward older age,
that the injuries occurred in commuters more frequently than the past, as
opposed to recreational riders," lead researcher Dr. Jeffry Kashuk, from the
University of Colorado, Denver, told Reuters Health.
The findings, Kashuk believes, could have important implications for cycling
infrastructure in the US.
"Although the public is very enthusiastic about bicycle use as a means of
transportation, we think that infrastructure has lagged behind in the US," he
explained. "The government is pushing bike days, and rebates for bike use.
Communities are putting in bicycle kiosks." However, there is only limited data
to show that "we have bikeways to support this increase in bike use."
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