All-Terrain Vehicle-Related Orthopaedic Trauma in North Central West Virginia

Abstract

This trauma center is in a unique position to highlight a national problem. Over half (52%) of the patients had an orthopaedic injury defined as a fracture or dislocation. Before measures can be implemented to effect change, we must first be aware of the exact nature and spectrum of injuries associated with ATV use.

Pediatric all-terrain vehicle (ATV) injuries: An epidemic of cost and grief

“… 12 Dietz et al (2012), reported that the percentage of riders under age 18 in West Virginia wearing helmets actually decreased from 67% to 55% after the enactment of a helmet law there. 15 Our findings further support previous studies reporting abysmally low helmet use rates among ATV riders ranging from 5% to 50%. 8 , 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 …”

“…Proper helmet use is estimated to reduce the risk of head injury by 64% and the risk of death by 42%. 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 Helkamp in 2001 showed a two-fold increase in ATV-related mortalities in states without helmet laws. 17 Despite this evidence in support of helmet use, lack of acceptance and highly variable, poorly enforced policy intervention still results in low helmet use among ATV riders.…”

“…Rollover or “flipping” was the most common mechanism of injury in our cohort, similar to previous published reports. 3 , 13 , 15 , 19 , 26 , 28 , 32 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 Brandenburg, Brown, Archer et al (2007) reported that ATV rollover crashes were significantly more likely to involve more than one rider, and most occurred when the ATV was traveling on flat or uneven terrain as opposed to a slope. 13 A child's inability to maneuver an ATV due to low body mass and/or strength in combination with lack of experience and vehicle-related factors (i.e.…”

All-terrain vehicle–related injuries and deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador between 2003 and 2013: a retrospective trauma registry review

“…Similar to other studies in which no more than 34% of subjects wore helmets, 6,7,[13][14][15] we found that 38.6% of patients were confirmed to be wearing a helmet at the time of their injury. Although legislation is believed to be a contributing factor to helmet use, our results suggest that there was no significant change in helmet use among injured riders following the introduction of more stringent legislation.…”

“…The ineffectiveness of legislation alone has been found in other studies. 6,7,[13][14][15][16][17] There could be several reasons for this finding.…”