Moped and Motorcycle Trauma: Injury Prevention and an Opportunity to Intervene

• Published in: The American surgeon Vol. 86; no. 3; pp. 113 - 115
• Main Authors: Wentzel, Jennifer, Taylor, Ryan, Zino, Christen, Avery, Michael, Muertos, Keely, Sciarretta, Jason D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2020; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic - mortality; Accidents, Traffic - statistics & numerical data; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alcohol use; Brain; Coma; Compliance; Demographics; Demography; Female; Glasgow Coma Scale; Government Regulation; Head; Head injuries; Head Protective Devices - statistics & numerical data; Health risks; Helmets; Hospitals; Humans; Injuries; Injury analysis; Injury prevention; Injury Severity Score; Legislation; Male; Middle Aged; Morbidity; Mortality; Motor vehicles; Motorcycles; Motorcycles - legislation & jurisprudence; Patients; Population; Protective equipment; Resource utilization; Retrospective Studies; Risk-Taking; South Carolina - epidemiology; Trauma; Traumatic brain injury; Vehicles; Ventilators; Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology; Wounds and Injuries - mortality; Wounds and Injuries - prevention & control; Young Adult; South Carolina; United States > US
• ISSN: 0003-1348; 1555-9823
• DOI: 10.1177/000313482008600303

Patient demographics, alcohol use, loss of consciousness, helmet use, Glasgow Coma Scale score, Injury Severity Score (ISS), Abbreviated Injury Scale, hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU LOS, ventilator days, traumatic brain injury, and mortality were recorded. In a pool of MC trauma data from 11 states over five years, rates of head and facial trauma, traumatic brain injuries, and death were significantly higher in partial law states than universal law states.4 Given the significant injuries associated with operating MCs and MPs and the aforementioned laxity regarding helmet laws, a tangible and cost-effective solution to decrease resource utilization and mortality in all two-wheeled motorized vehicle trauma could be a universal helmet law. [...]although MPs have lower speeds with subsequent lax regulations and high-risk vulnerable riders, traumatic injuries are similar to those associated with MC use, in particular with regard to head injuries and overall mortality.