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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Reshma R. Mahendra, MPH, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, DVP, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, N.E., MS K60, Atlanta, GA 30341, 770-488-1207, zep0@cdc.gov and Richard A. Schieber, MD, MPH, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, DUIP, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, NE, Mailstop K63, Atlanta, GA 30341.
Introduction: Two studies, based on police crash reports, indicate that fewer than 5% of all bicycle injuries or fatalities resulted from motorists not sharing the road (NSR). However, bicyclists claim that this occurs frequently. To help elucidate this important matter, we conducted two pilot studies.
Methods: NSR was defined as motorists who did not provide sufficient space or speed allowance for bicyclists in traffic. We developed two case series to characterize this problem: (1) an internet search for personal anecdotes of any bicyclist injured or killed in this manner, and (2) a review of narratives of injured bicyclists recorded in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a nationally-representative sample of people injured from all causes who received emergency department treatment between June and December 2000.
Results: The internet search yielded 35 cases in which bicyclists, age 4-71 years, attributed their injuries to motorists NSR. Of these, 37% died. NEISS disclosed an annualized estimate of 7,160 such persons, accounting for 10% of all bicyclists injured in bicycle-motor vehicle collisions. Among the NEISS-NSR cases, 19% were hospitalized and 17% sustained a traumatic brain injury, compared with 10% and 11%, respectively, of traffic-related bicyclists injured in a motor vehicle crash by other causes.
Conclusion: Motorists not sharing the road could be an underappreciated cause of bicycling injury and death. As bicycling is encouraged for its health benefits, more such injuries could occur. A better understanding of the nature of this problem and appropriate methods for documenting it are urgently needed.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.