Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors associated with the increase of the injury severity of powered two wheelers (PTW) riders when involved in a road accident in Portugal.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of 37769 PTW accidents that occurred in Portugal between 2010 and 2015 was performed. Injury severity was classified into 3 levels: minor injury, severe injury and fatal injury. An ordered logistic regression was applied to identify the potential risk factors that can affect PTW accidents severity.
Results: The following factors increase the chances of more severe injuries: motorcycle in PTW category, rest days, 20 h to 5h59, clean and dry roads, Braga and Viana do Castelo regions, rural areas, bended roads, national roads, male rider, no helmet worn, blood alcohol content between 0.5 g/L and 0.8 g/L, truck involvement and other vehicle driver injured.
Conclusions: Special attention should be given to PTW accidents as they represent a large safety problem in Portugal. Understanding the risk factors that influence PTW accident severity is essential to develop safety countermeasures to improve road safety. Prevention plans should be promoted to improve the PTW riders safety. More control of the speed and of the alcohol blood content should be done by the authorities. PTW occupants should be alerted as well to use protective clothing and helmet. These results are important for the consideration of further measures to reduce the injury severity of PTW accidents in Portugal.
Keywords: Portugal; Powered two wheelers; injury severity; ordered logistic regression; risk factors; road safety.