Abstract
Vulnerable road users (VRU) – pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists account for a large proportion of road fatalities and injuries. The current study identifies injury risk factors associated with the severity of injury outcomes for VRUs. A
retrospective analysis was conducted of transport injuries using linked hospitalisation and mortality records during 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2014 in New South Wales, Australia. Of the 73,314 land transport injuries identified, 37,428 (51.1%) consisted of injuries sustained by VRUs. Univariate and multi-variable logistic regression was conducted to examine factors associated with injury severity for each VRU. There were 6,007 pedestrians, 12,619 pedal cyclists, and 18,802 motorcyclists identified. All VRUs ≥65 years and those that collided with a motor-vehicle had a higher-odds of sustaining a serious
compared to a minor injury. Pedestrians with a head or neck injury had almost 9 times the odds (OR:8.87, 95%CI: 4.13-19.06) and pedestrians with a trunk injury had 10 times the odds (OR: 10.01, 95%CI: 4.55-22.03) of sustaining a serious
compared to minor injury. For pedal cyclists, the odds of sustaining a serious compared to minor injury was four times higher (OR:4.11, 95%CI: 1.70-9.93) for trunk injuries. Thirty-day mortality was higher for pedestrians (2.9%) compared
to motorcyclists (0.5%) and pedal cyclists (0.4%). The total hospital treatment cost for VRUs was AUD $349.8 million, with serious injuries accounting for 62.4% of the total cost. Injury preventive initiatives, such as improved infrastructure, educational awareness campaigns to promote safe travel are advocated to reduce injury among VRUs.
retrospective analysis was conducted of transport injuries using linked hospitalisation and mortality records during 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2014 in New South Wales, Australia. Of the 73,314 land transport injuries identified, 37,428 (51.1%) consisted of injuries sustained by VRUs. Univariate and multi-variable logistic regression was conducted to examine factors associated with injury severity for each VRU. There were 6,007 pedestrians, 12,619 pedal cyclists, and 18,802 motorcyclists identified. All VRUs ≥65 years and those that collided with a motor-vehicle had a higher-odds of sustaining a serious
compared to a minor injury. Pedestrians with a head or neck injury had almost 9 times the odds (OR:8.87, 95%CI: 4.13-19.06) and pedestrians with a trunk injury had 10 times the odds (OR: 10.01, 95%CI: 4.55-22.03) of sustaining a serious
compared to minor injury. For pedal cyclists, the odds of sustaining a serious compared to minor injury was four times higher (OR:4.11, 95%CI: 1.70-9.93) for trunk injuries. Thirty-day mortality was higher for pedestrians (2.9%) compared
to motorcyclists (0.5%) and pedal cyclists (0.4%). The total hospital treatment cost for VRUs was AUD $349.8 million, with serious injuries accounting for 62.4% of the total cost. Injury preventive initiatives, such as improved infrastructure, educational awareness campaigns to promote safe travel are advocated to reduce injury among VRUs.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 30-38 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2018 |