Severity of injury and related factors of personal mobility vehicle accidents compared with bicycle accidents

¹Departments of Emergency Medicine, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea
²Departments of Traumatology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea

Correspondence

Jae Ho Jang ,Tel: 032-460-3901, Fax: 032-460-3019, Email: jhjang@gilhospital.com,

Received: July 4, 2019; Revised: August 17, 2019 Accepted: August 20, 2019. Published online: April 30, 2020.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
Personal mobility vehicles (PMV) have been used widely as a means of replacing bicycles in recent years because of their convenience and high economic efficiency. On the other hand, accidents related to PMV are also increasing, but there have been few studies in this area. This study examined the factors that increase the severity of damage and determine the characteristics of the PMV compared to the accidents on a bicycle.
Method:
Retrospective observational studies were performed. The variables related to the accident were collected and analyzed for patients who visited the emergency room due to a PMV and bicycle accident. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors affecting the severity of the patients. The odds ratios were calculated and compared between injuries related to PMV and bicycles.
Results:
A total of 1,124 patients (bicycles 1,017, PMV 107) were enrolled in this study. In multivariate regression analysis, the severity of PMV was higher (odds ratio [OR], 1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-2.83) than that of a bicycle. The factors affecting the severity of the patients were age (OR, 1.02, 95% CI, 1.01-1.03), alcohol use (OR, 1,70; 95% CI, 1.04-2.70), ambulance transport (OR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.78-3.40), and wearing a helmet (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.36-3.13).
Conclusion:
PMV showed higher severity of damage than a bicycle. The PMV, which is a new transportation means, is insufficient for the prevention of safety compared to bicycles where driving regulations and wearing protective equipment are common. Additional studies on the precise mechanisms of injury and damage are expected to prevent accidents and reduce their severity.

Key words: Injury severity score; Accidents; Bicycling; Off-road motor vehicles