BICYCLE ACCIDENTS: AN EXAMINATION OF HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM REPORTS AND COMPARISON WITH POLICE ACCIDENT DATA

Bicycle accident data collected by 10 North Carolina hospital emergency rooms during the summer of 1985 and 15 hospital emergency rooms during the summer of 1986 are analyzed and compared with North Carolina state police-reported data. Two-thirds of those treated in the hospital emergency rooms were children younger than age 15 and 70 percent were male. Only a fifth of the emergency room bicycle accident cases involved collisions with a motor vehicle, and only 10 percent appeared on state accident files. Results confirm that in addition to not providing any information on bicycle-nonmotor-vehicle accidents, police accident files miss a substantial portion of the bicycle-motor-vehicle accidents. Combining the emergency room data with information available statewide on hospital discharges, it was estimated that 800 children ages 0 to 19 are hospitalized annually in North Carolina for bicycle-related injuries, and 13,300 children receive emergency room treatment. Recommendations are given for continued research activities in the area and implementation of programs for reducing the frequency and severity of bicycle-related injuries.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1988/1168/1168-010.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=BICYCLE+ACCIDENTS%3A+AN+EXAMINATION+OF+HOSPITAL+EMERGENCY+ROOM+REPORTS+AND+COMPARISON+WITH+POLICE+ACCIDENT+DATA&author=J.+Stutts&author=J.+Williamson&author=F.+Sheldon&publication_year=1988
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309047048
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1168, Driver Performance, Pedestrian Planning, and Bicycle Facilities. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
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• Authors:
  • Stutts, Jane C
  • Williamson, Joseph E
  • Sheldon, Frank C
• Publication Date: 1988

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 60-71
• Monograph Title: DRIVER PERFORMANCE, PEDESTRIAN PLANNING, AND BICYCLE FACILITIES
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1168
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Crashes; Cyclists; Data analysis; Data collection; Gender; Injuries; Mathematical analysis; Recommendations; Research
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I80: Accident Studies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00483809
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0-309-04704-8
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: May 31 1989 12:00AM