title: Statewide assessment of injury and death rates among riders of off-road vehicles treated at trauma centers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Injuries and deaths among riders of off-road motorized all-terrain vehicles are increasing in the US. We hypothesized that serious injuries in Oregon have increased among riders of both four-wheel and two-wheel vehicles.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the Oregon Trauma Registry. Seriously injured patients treated in the state's designated urban and rural trauma centers were identified using E-codes (821.0 to 821.9), which indicate whether patients were riding either an off-road all-terrain four-wheel vehicle (ATV) or off-road two-wheeled motorcycle (ORMC). Second, we performed a supplemental analysis of similar patients in the trauma registry of Oregon's University-based tertiary care trauma center. Patients in earlier time periods were compared with those in later time periods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients injured riding off-road vehicles and needing treatment in Oregon's trauma centers increased 76%. Sixty percent of patients were injured riding an ATV, and 35% were injured riding an ORMC. Children (aged younger than 15 years) were 20% and 23% of patients in the earlier and later years. At Oregon's University-based Level I trauma center, in the years 2002 to 2005, more than twice as many patients needed tertiary care for severe injuries caused by off-road vehicle crashes compared with the previous 4 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There has been an alarming increase in the number of both ATV and ORMC riders requiring treatment in Oregon's trauma centers. Surgeons need to join a coalition of health care providers, citizens and public officials to implement a comprehensive injury-prevention response to this epidemic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, School of Medicine, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Mullins
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lenfesty
authors.forename: Craig D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Newgard
authors.forename: Jerris R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Hedges
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ham
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015541:Off-Road Motor Vehicles / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009922:Oregon / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control