title: Pattern of motorcycle-related injuries in Tehran, 1999 to 2000: a study in 6 hospitals.
abstract: We studied motorcycle-related injuries in Tehran from 23 August 1999 to 21 September 2000 in 6 hospitals. Data were obtained from the trauma registry and questionnaires completed by trained physicians. Of a total of 8500 patients with trauma injuries, 1332 were motorcyclists, with a male to female ratio of 15:1. Of these, 1226 patients were driving the motorcycle at the time of the accident and 75 were pillion passengers. Crashes involving another vehicle were the commonest kind of accident (72.5%). Helmet use was noted in only 8.6% of cases. There were 28 fatalities and head injuries were the prominent cause of death. Of those who died, none had been wearing a helmet at time of the crash. Only 2.7% of helmeted riders sustained a head injury, compared with 11.2% of riders without a helmet. The commonest musculoskeletal injury was fracture: tibial fracture with 509 cases (49.8%) comprised the largest proportion.
authors.affiliation: Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Sina General Hospital Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zargar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khaji
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karbakhsh
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009049:Motorcycles; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012042:Registries; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery