title: Quad bike related injury in Victoria, Australia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To enumerate and describe fatal and hospital-treated injury associated with quad bike use in Victoria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective descriptive analysis of coronial records and hospital-treated injury data (2002-03 to 2010-11).
  
  
  METHODS
  Number of quad bike-related fatalities, hospital admissions, emergency department (ED) presentations, and results of a trend and severity analysis (International Classification of Disease-based Injury Severity Score; ICISS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 19 fatalities, 766 hospital admissions and 816 ED presentations. The peak age group for fatalities and admissions was 15-29 years (26.3% and 27.9%, respectively), with children 0-14 years being the most common group presenting to EDs (32.2%). Males were strongly overrepresented (84.2% of fatalities, 73.8% of admissions and 71.2% of ED presentations). Intracranial injury (26.3%), fractures (15.8%) and traumatic asphyxiation (15.8%) were the most common injuries among fatal cases. Fractures accounted for half all admissions. Twenty-eight per cent of admissions were classified as "serious" (ICISS, ≤ 0.941) and, over the 9-year study period, the frequency of admissions increased significantly by an estimated 41.4% (95% CI, 9.6%-78.9%). This was significant for males (53.2%; 95% CI, 11.5%-104.4%) and people aged 15-29 years (163.1%; 95% CI, 75.2%-253.7%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quad bikes are imposing a significant injury burden in Victoria. Fatalities are frequent, while the number of admissions, often serious, increased over the study period. Children were involved across all levels of severity. A range of prevention approaches, such as mandatory fitting of crush protection devices to protect riders in the event of a roll over, are required.
authors.affiliation: Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit, Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, M angela.clapperton@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Angela J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Clapperton
authors.forename: Emily L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Herde
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lower
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015541:Off-Road Motor Vehicles / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult