Analysis of Crash Reports for Recumbent Bicycles and Tricycles

Author(s):  
Thomas J. Ayres

A survey collected 130 crash reports from riders of recumbent bicycles and tricycles, using questions and response categories consistent with data available for bicycle-associated injuries from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. From the results, it appears that recumbents and traditional bicycles are generally subject to the same crash contributory factors – primarily road conditions, rider behavior, and conflict with motor vehicles. Crashes with recumbent tricycles were more likely to involve riding on streets and conflicts with motor vehicles than for recumbent 2-wheelers. Comparison with data from an exposure survey suggest that 3-wheel recumbents may have considerably lower crash risk than 2-wheel recumbents.

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-308 ◽  
Author(s):  

TWO-WHEELED VEHICLES Miniature motorcycles intended for off-road use by children and adolescents have enjoyed wide popularity since the 1960s.1 Manufacture of these small two-wheeled motor vehicles is not regulated by any federal motor vehicle safety standards. Neither the rider nor the vehicle are required to be licensed. Some of these vehicles are small enough for a 4-year-old child and many are intended for use by school-aged children.2 Minibikes, weighing less than 45 kg (100 lb), are the smallest and most primitive of these vehicles. The more sophisticated minicycles are constructed to resemble miniature motorcycles. Trailcycles are larger than minicycles and have power and design characteristics that make them suitable for rough terrain. All of these vehicles have a short wheelbase and a low profile; thus, they are relatively unstable and poorly visible.3 Injuries In 1978, there were approximately 19,000 motorbike-related injuries treated in emergency rooms. Nearly half of these injuries were attributed to accidents involving the minibike (US Consumer Product Safety Commission, news release, Aug 27, 1979). In 1982, there were an estimated 12,000 children 14 years of age and younger who suffered minibike- and trailbike-related injuries (National Electronic Injury Surveillance data, National Information Clearing House, US Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1985). Since 1980, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has collected at least 24 death certificates that implicate minibikes and trailcycles. Half of those who died were children 14 years of age or younger. Children often use these vehicles illegally on roadways. Injury typically results from falls or collisions with fixed objects or other motor vehicles.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 1070-1071
Author(s):  

Skateboards are again increasing in popularity (Time, June 6, 1988, pp 90-91). Not surprisingly, the increased use of skateboards is accompanied by a resurgence in the number of related injuries. Pediatricians informed about skateboard injuries can help to prevent needless injury. In the last skateboard injury epidemic, the annual incidence of injuries peaked at 150,000 in 1977. The rate subsequently decreased to 16,000 injuries in 1983. Since that time, skateboard injuries had increased sharply: 19,000 in 1984, 37,000 in 1985, and 81,000 in 1986. According to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 1984 and 1985, 36 children are known to have died as a result of injuries sustained while riding skateboards. Analysis of Consumer Product Safety Commission data from 1984 to 1985 indicates the following salient features of the current outbreak. Of recorded skateboard injuries during this period: (1) 88% involved skateboarders less than 20 years of age, 45% involved 10- to 14-year-old children; (2) 88% involving skateboarders younger than 20 years of age involved boys or young men; (3) 74% were to the extremities, 17% to the head and neck, and 9% to the trunk; (4) severe injuries were uncommon; moderate injuries were most common in all age groups. However, the severity of injuries increased with decreasing age. Moderate or severe injuries accounted for half of the injuries to children older than 9 years, two thirds of the injuries to children 5 to 9 years, and more than three fourths of the injuries to children 0 to 4 years of age; (5) the likelihood of injury to the head and neck increased as the age of the injured decreased.


Author(s):  
Michael A. Burleson

Since 1982, at least 1,400 men, women and children have been fatally injured while operating all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Additionally, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 450,000 individuals have been injured as a result of ATV accidents. Of these deaths and injuries, approximately 40% were to children under the age of 16. The purpose of this paper is to examine the predominate ATV characteristics that are commonly related to ATV accidents.


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