The injury epidemiology of cyclists based on a road trauma registry

Amoros, Emmanuelle; Chiron, Mireille; Thélot, Bertrand; Laumon, Bernard · 2011 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-653

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Summary

This study addresses the need for accurate data on cyclist injury epidemiology, motivated by the increasing use of bicycles as a means of transport in major French cities and the significant under-reporting of cyclist crashes in police records. The authors aimed to characterize crash circumstances and injury patterns according to three distinct types of cycling: learning (children aged 0–10), sports/leisure (teenagers and adults injured outside towns), and transport (teenagers and adults injured in towns). The research utilized data from the Rhône road trauma registry, which covers a population of 1.6 million and records all casualties seeking medical care, including outpatients, inpatients, and fatalities. The study analyzed 13,684 cyclist casualties recorded between 1996 and 2008. Since the registry did not explicitly record cycling purpose, the authors used crash location as a proxy: crashes occurring in urban clusters defined “in towns” were classified as transport cycling, while those “outside towns” were classified as sports or leisure cycling. Injuries were coded using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), with severity measured by the Maximum AIS (MAIS) and impairment by the Maximum Injury Impairment Scale (MIIS). The results revealed distinct crash and injury profiles for each group. Collisions with motor vehicles were most frequent among transport cyclists (31%), compared to 17% for sports cyclists and 8% for children. However, sports cyclists sustained the highest rate of serious injuries (MAIS 3+ at 10.9%), followed by transport cyclists (7.2%) and children (4.5%). Transport cyclists had the highest hospitalization rate (18%), similar to children, while sports cyclists had the highest rate (26%). Injury patterns differed significantly by crash type; collisions with motor vehicles resulted in more internal organ injuries and lower extremity fractures compared to bicycle-only crashes, which predominantly caused upper extremity fractures. Notably, transport cyclists were less severely injured than sports cyclists despite higher exposure to motor vehicles, likely due to lower speeds in urban environments. The study concludes that cyclist type is strongly associated with specific crash and injury patterns. The findings highlight that while transport cyclists face higher risks of motor vehicle collisions, their injuries are generally less severe than those of sports cyclists, who often crash at higher speeds outside urban areas. The research underscores the value of trauma registries over police data for capturing comprehensive injury epidemiology, providing critical insights for targeted safety interventions and infrastructure planning for different cycling demographics.

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Topics

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• vru crash typology
• cyclist safety
• incidence prevalence
• motorcycle crash typology
• demographic disparities

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes