Cycling-Related Injuries During COVID-19 Lockdown: A North London Experience

Abstract

Objectives: There has been a notable surge in cycling injuries during the COVID-19(SARS-CoV-2 virus) pandemic. Cycling in general increased during lockdown as a leisure & fitness activity along with reduction in the use of public transport for commuting. We investigated the bicycle-related maxillofacial injuries & associations presenting through our emergency department(ED) which covers more than 1.6 million of London population. Study Design/Methods: A retrospective observational study was undertaken in the Barnet General Hospital (“hub”) which receives all maxillofacial referrals from 6 “spoke” hospitals & other urgent primary/community care practices in North London area between 16 March 2020 & 16 July 2020. All data corresponding to cycling injuries during the lockdown period was analyzed with the aid of trauma database/trust-wide electronic patient records. Results: Twenty-two patients (6.7%) with cycling-related injuries out of a total of 322 patients who attended during the 4 months study period with maxillofacial emergencies were identified. Average age of patient cohort was 35.4 years, mainly consisting of adult males (77%). Seven patients had minor head injury and 1 patient suffered traumatic brain injury. About 59% patients did not wear a protective helmet & 3 patients had heavy alcohol/recreational drug intoxication during the accidents. Four patients needed inpatient admission and treatment under general anesthesia. Conclusions: Based on our humble study, we advocate the need for robust road & personal safety measures with mandatory government legislations, policing of drug intoxication & encouragement of physical & mental health improvement measures during these unprecedented times & beyond.

Bicycle injuries presenting to the emergency department during COVID‐19 lockdown

“…In this study, we document a significant increase in bicycle‐related injuries presenting to the ED in the era of COVID. This is in keeping with a significant increase in bicycle‐related injuries found in other studies 6,15 . This increase in presentation was observed for all levels of triage acuity.…”

“…This is in keeping with a significant increase in bicycle-related injuries found in other studies. 6,15 This increase in presentation was observed for all levels of triage acuity. Basic demographics were all similar, with the exception of an increase in school aged children during COVID.…”

Bicycle-related traumatic injuries: a retrospective study during COVID-19 pandemic

“…This finding improved from a previous local study in [2004][2005], where 10.5% of the population wore helmet [12] but a recent local ED study by Kwan et al also shown low helmet use at 18.7%. [11] Recent international data cited rates of helmet use ranging mostly from 41% to 62%, [4,[20][21] with the exception of one study by Benhamed et al citing 30.7%. [22] Greater efforts are needed to increase awareness of wearing helmet as it is compulsory by law in Singapore.…”

“…Prevalence of bicycle injuries had been increasing before COVID-19 [1,2] and further increased during the COVID-19 pandemic given its soaring popularity in view of the lockdown with cancellation of all social activities. [3,4] Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, adults aged 55-69 years have the highest bicycle mortality in urban areas with a male predominance, and the younger group has the highest rate of bicycle-related injuries treated in emergency departments (EDs). [5] According to the Singapore annual traffic statistics in 2021, there were 774 casualities, including 11 mortalities.…”

COVID-19 passenger transport measures and their impacts

“…Traffic priority rules may have to be changed to avoid crowding at junctions (OECD, 2020b). Cycling injuries increased in London due to an increase in cycling (Mumtaz, Cymerman, & Komath, 2021).…”