The number of patients hospitalized with bicycle injuries is increasing - A cry for better road safety

Abstract

Introduction: Norwegian authorities encourage people to commute by bicycle to improve public health, decrease rush-hour traffic jams and reduce pollution. However, increasing the number of bicyclists, especially in the rush-hour traffic, may increase the number of serious bicycle injuries.

Objective: To explore trends in hospitalized bicycle injuries at a Norwegian level I trauma centre during the last decade.

Methods: Data was extracted from the prospectively registered institutional trauma registry. We identified patients admitted after bicycle injuries between 2005 and 2016.

Results: A total of 1543 patients were identified. Median age was 40 years (range 3-91) and 73 % were males. The majority of weekday injuries occurred in the morning and during the afternoon rush-hour, peaking at 8 am. and 4 pm. The annual number of admitted bicycle injuries increased from 79 to 184 during the study period. Also, an increase in the share of bicyclists using helmets was observed. The median Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 10 remained unchanged. 63 % had serious trauma (ISS ≥ 9), while 34 % suffered severe trauma (ISS ≥ 16). The absolute number of both serious and severe trauma increased annually. 36 % had head and neck injuries, while 16 % had chest injuries graded with Abbreviated Injury Scale ≥3. Loss of consciousness with Glasgow Coma Scale score <9 was seen in 7%. Median length of hospitalization was 3 days, and 39 % had surgery in one or more body regions. The 30-day mortality was 2.3 %.

Conclusions: The number of admitted bicycle injuries to our trauma centre is increasing. Rush-hour injuries dominate during weekdays. Bicycle injuries can be devastating and deserve more public attention to promote road safety.

Keywords: Accidents; Bicycling; Health promotion; Traffic; Transportation; Wounds and injuries.