Crash characteristics and patterns of injury among hospitalized motorised two-wheeled vehicle users in urban India
2009

Injuries from Motorcycle Crashes in Urban India

Sample size: 378 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Fitzharris Michael, Dandona Rakhi, Kumar G Anil, Dandona Lalit

Primary Institution: George Institute for International Health

Hypothesis

What are the crash characteristics and injury patterns among motorised two-wheeled vehicle users in urban India?

Conclusion

Head injuries were the most common type of injury sustained by motorised two-wheeled vehicle users, and not wearing a helmet significantly increased the risk of serious head injuries.

Supporting Evidence

  • 59% of MTV users were injured in multi-vehicle crashes.
  • Only 19.6% of MTV users wore a helmet correctly.
  • Non-helmet use was associated with a five times greater risk of intracranial injury.

Takeaway

This study shows that many people get hurt in motorcycle accidents in India, especially if they don't wear helmets.

Methodology

Consecutive MTV riders and pillions injured in road traffic crashes were recruited from emergency departments of hospitals in urban Hyderabad.

Potential Biases

Potential bias exists in the coding of injuries and the assessment of head injury severity.

Limitations

Injuries were coded from study questionnaires rather than directly from medical records, which may introduce bias.

Participant Demographics

Of the 378 MTV users, 333 (88.1%) were male, with a median age of 31.3 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Confidence Interval

95% CI 0.08–0.81

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-9-11

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