Bicycle-related injuries among children and adolescents in the United States

The objective was to comprehensively examine bicycle-related injuries among children and adolescents <18 years on a national level.

Data regarding bicycle-related injuries treated in US Emergency Departments (EDs) from 1990 - 2005 were extracted from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). The data collection methods allow researchers to make nationally representative estimates of the incidence and epidemiology of injury events.

An estimated 6,228,700 children < 18 years were treated in US EDs for bicycle-related injuries during the 16-year study period; yielding an average of 389,300 cases annually (injury rate = 5.24 per 1000 population per year). Bicycle-related injuries were highest for children between the ages of 5 - 14 years; however, children 15-18 years old were approximately four times more likely than younger children to sustain fatal injuries (RR = 3.92). Children with head injuries were more than three times as likely to require hospitalization (RR = 3.63) and almost six times more likely to have their injuries result in death (RR = 5.77). An overwhelming majority (88.1%) of fatalities, with a location recorded, took place on the street.

Bicycle-related injuries continue to be a serious problem for children in the U.S. The prevention of head injuries should remain an important area of bicycle safety research and practice. A multi-prong approach to reducing the number of bicycle-related injuries among children is vital, and includes increasing bicycle helmet use, improvements in bicycle design, and primary prevention efforts to reduce bicycle crashes through construction of bicycle paths and educational campaigns.