Citation

Boufous S, de Rome L, Senserrick TM, Ivers RQ. Inj. Prev. 2013; 19(5): 358-362.

Affiliation

Transport and Road Safety (TARS) Research, The University of NSW, , Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/injuryprev-2012-040630

PMID

23435306

Abstract

The aim of the study is to compare trends, circumstances and outcomes of single- versus multi-vehicle bicycle on-road crashes in Victoria, Australia, through the analysis of police records and hospital admissions between January 2004 and December 2008. The results show that over 80% of on-road single-vehicle bicycle crashes occurred as a result of the cyclist losing control of the bicycle with the remainder involving collisions with objects. Compared with multi-vehicle crashes, single-vehicle crashes were more likely to occur in the dark, in wet conditions and in rural areas. Over half of the cyclists hospitalised as result of on-road crashes were injured in single-vehicle crashes and this proportion seems to be increasing over time. Single-vehicle crashes were associated with hospitalised injuries as severe as those resulting from multivehicle crashes. The findings highlight the significant burden of serious injury associated with single-vehicle bicycle road crashes. Further research is needed to investigate in greater detail the risk factors of these crashes and the effectiveness of countermeasures to reduce their burden.

Language: en