The Aetiology and Long-Term Effects of Injuries Due to Bicycle Accidents in Persons Aged Fifty Years and Older

Abstract

This retrospective study concerns the aetiology and psychological long-term effects of injuries due to bicycle accidents in 329 patients 50 years and older who attended the Emergency Unit of the University Hospital at Groningen during the period 1990 through 1992. Long-term effects were assessed three years after hospital discharge. The one-sided bicycle accident (with no other traffic involved) was the major (63.2%) cause, mostly due to loss of balance or to a foot slipping from the pedal. The main category of the second major cause was collision with other traffic. Of the bicycle accidents 66% occurred within 15 minutes after departure; 80% of the accidents happened in good weather conditions and daylight, and 7.6% of the patients had taken tranquilizers before biking. The majority of the injuries were observed at the upper extremities (28.8%) and head or face (25.8%). The percentage of clinically treated patients increased across ages from 25% in the 50- to 54-yr.-old category to 45% in the category 75-yr. and older. Three years after the incident, long-term psychological effects were still observed in 29% of the patients.

Comparison of the serious injury pattern of adult bicyclists, between South-West Netherlands and the State of Victoria, Australia 2001–2009

“…In contrast a study by Kingma et al in the Netherlands on the etiology and long-term effects of bicycle accidents in persons aged 50 years and older showed the majority of injuries were observed in the upper extremities (28.8%) and head/face regions (25.8%) 1 .…”

“…In the Netherlands, there has been an increase in the number of hospital admissions from bicycle injuries, despite high levels of road safety and possibly a decreasing incidence of traffic fatalities 1 . The Netherlands…”

“…A third of these patients are diagnosed with head injuries and approximately 190 deaths occur per year 3 . Head injury is the leading cause of death and long-term disability from bicycle injury 1,4 . Both the Netherlands and Australia are witnessing a significant number of traffic deaths due to bicycle injuries each year (185 vs 31 in 2009) 5,6, .…”

Trauma injuries sustained by cyclists

“…Those who were injured whilst mountain biking showed a peak incidence at the age of 30-39 years (see Figures 1 and 2). In contrast, the percentage of hospital admissions after a cycling accident increases with age (25% in patients 50-54 years old and 45% for persons 70 years and older) (Kingma et al, 1997). In a Finnish study the risk of persistant disability is 11% in children and 47% in adults.…”

Facial fractures in road cyclists

“…7,11 Falls frequently occur due to loss of balance or foot slipping from the pedal. 12 Patients in this study were predominantly young males between their first to third decade of life. Similar series have identified young age as the main risk factor, 3,11 possibly due to higher risk-taking behaviours as well as cycling being a more common form of transportation in this age group.…”