Injuries as a result of two-wheeler accidents and its relationship with the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Aims: The numbers of two-wheeled vehicle (TWV) accidents are rising continually. Social isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic affected the frequency of such accidents. This study was conducted in order to examine the general characteristics of victims presenting to the emergency department due to TWV accidents and to investigate the effect of the pandemic on such incidents. Methods: This retrospective study involved patients involved in TWV accidents. Presentations made prior to 11 March, 2020, were classified as the pre-pandemic period and those made subsequently as the pandemic period. The type of TWV, the accident mechanism, victims’ demographic characteristics, possession of a driver’s license, crash helmet use, injuries observed in victims, trauma severity scores (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS]; injury severity score [ISS]; and revised trauma score [RTS]), laboratory test and imaging results, victims’ clinical outcomes (discharge, admission, or exitus), and the daily numbers of presentations to the emergency department due to TWV accidents before and after the pandemic were recorded. Results: A-349 patients were included in the study, 77.3% involved in motorcycle accidents and 22.7% in bicycle accidents. The mean age of the entire victim group was 24.48±13.52 years, and 93.1% were male. Riders comprised 93.7% of the victims and passengers 6.3%. Driver’s licenses were possessed by 16.6% of the victims, and 9.5% wore crash helmets. Motorcycle accidents were most frequently due to ‘falls associated with loss of balance,’ and bicycle accidents as a results of ‘collision with another vehicle or object.’ The three most commonly injured regions were the extremities, head, and thorax. RTS levels were 10.13±3.51 before the pandemic and 11.98±0.20 during it(p=0.046). ISS levels were 16.07±21.27 before the pandemic and 13.29±17.28 during it(p=0.259). The pre-pandemic mortality rate was 3.9%, while no fatal accidents occurred during the pandemic(p=0.068). Daily numbers of presentations to the emergency department due to TWV accidents were 0.09 before the pandemic and 0.17 during it. Conclusion: TWV accidents are frequently observed among young/middle-aged men. The great majority do not hold driver’s licenses, and crash helmet use is low. The extremities are the most frequently injured regions in such accidents. The number of accident victims presenting to the emergency department due to TWV accidents during the pandemic was almost twice as high as in the pre-pandemic period. The trauma energy of accidents occurring during the pandemic was lower than that in the pre-pandemic period, victims suffered less harm from trauma, and mortality decreased.