Motorcycle accident injury profiles in Jamaica: an audit from the University Hospital of the West Indies

Abstract

There is little data available on the prevalence of motorcycle accidents, their resultant injuries and the demand on the health care services in Jamaica. We performed a descriptive, analytical study to evaluate the extent of this problem and the need for preventative national policy measures. Between 1 January 2000 and 1 January 2007, demographic and clinical data on all motorcycle accident victims admitted to the University Hospital of the West Indies were collected in a prospective database. The data were analysed using the SPSS version 12.0. Of 270 motorcycle accident victims, there were 257 (95.2%) males and 13 (4.8%) females. Overall, 134 (49.6%) victims wore helmets at the time of their accident. The more common injuries were as follows: soft tissue trauma 270 (100%); head injuries 143 (53.0%); long bone fractures 126 (46.7%); abdominal injuries 38 (14.1%); thoracic injuries 71 (26.3%); vascular injuries 11 (4.1%). The mean injury severity score was 9.0 (SD 9.4; Median 8; Mode 4). There were 195 patients needing surgical intervention in the form of orthopaedic operations (94), neurosurgical operations (43), abdominal operations (49) and vascular operations (14). The mean duration of hospitalisation was 10 days (SD 11.2; Range 0-115; Median 6; Mode 3). There were 12 (4.4%) deaths, 9 (75%) due to traumatic brain injuries. Fatal injuries were more common in males (11) and un-helmeted patients (10). Motorcycle accidents take a heavy toll on this health care facility in Jamaica. Measures to prevent motorcycle accidents and reduce consequent injuries may be one way in which legislators can preserve precious resources that are spent during these incidents. This can be achieved through active measures such as educational campaigns, adherence to traffic regulations and enforcement of helmet laws.

Motorcycle accidents: morbidity and associated factors in a city of northeast of Brazil

“…However, the high proportion of bone fractures showed by the majority of motorcyclists involved in accidents attracts attention, demonstrating that they are eight times more likely to be injured in case of accidents. Consistent with these findings, the presence of fractures in different body parts has been reported in other studies (Sirathranont & Kasantikul, 2003;Crandon et al, 2009;Oluwadiyaa et al, 2009;Talving et al, 2010). Due to the bone involvement, victims of fractures require longer hospital stays, as they need intervention procedures that require longer follow-up and recovery time (Amin et al, 2011).…”

Craniocerebral trauma in motorcyclists: relation of helmet use and trauma severity

“…(12) A surprising aspect of this research refers to the fact that although in Brazil the legal minimum age for obtaining a motorcycle license is 18 years, five of the drivers were aged between 16 and 17 years. (13) The profile of the study sample was of 84.6% male, mostly aged between 18 and 28 years, which is in line with other studies showing high rates of accidents involving male motorcyclists, (4,5,14,15) and their involvement in traffic accidents for being drivers of vehicles in possession of a license, who have learned to drive when underage. (16) The age between 18 and 28 years is primarily related with driving permission, making this a high-risk population by the inexperience in driving, the impulsive characteristic of the age, and other factors such as consumption of alcohol and other drugs, together with poor supervision by the State.…”

“…In a Brazilian study carried out in Pernambuco, 80.1% were using the helmet; (14) half the drivers in Kenya, and 20% of the backseat passengers wore helmets; (5) in Jamaica 49.9% were wearing helmets at the time of the accident. (4) As Brazil is a country with great cultural differences, it is observed that the percentages found in the present study, carried out in a city in the southern region, were different from the percentages found in another study held in the northeast region; the rates found in this study are more similar to numbers found in Kenya and Jamaica.…”

“…(1) In this context of expansion, the increase in the production of cars and motorcycles is found not only in Brazil but worldwide. (2)(3)(4)(5) The use of motorcycle as a means of transportation and labor is a phenomenon caused by the easiness in purchasing and maintaining it, combined with its agility, what explains the growth of sales in this market. (6) The increasing number of vehicles, especially motorcycles, traveling in cities and highways of the country brought negative consequences, as increased occurrences and a large number of accident victims.…”

Trends in fatal motorcycle injuries in the Americas, 1998–2010

“…A couple of studies from Brazil have documented increases in motorcycle injuries at a national level (Chandran, Sousa, Guo, Bishai, & Pechansky, 2012;Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada, 2006) or described motorcycle injuries in more detail in Sao Paulo state (Gawryszewski et al, 2009;Silva, Cardoso, & Santos, 2011). Another study from Cali, Colombia documented increases in motorcycle mortality and estimated changes associated to the implementation of a helmet law (Espitia-Hardeman, V et al, 2008), and one from Jamaica documented associated morbidity and mortality among people seen at a large hospital (Crandon, Harding, Cawich, McDonald, & Fearron-Boothe, 2009). …”