Bicycle-related injuries in Tehran

Herein, we reviewed the pattern and mechanisms of injuries resulting from bicycle accidents in Tehran. During one year of trauma registry in six general hospitals, 8,000 trauma patients who had sustained injuries within a week before admission and hospitalized for more than 24 hours were studied. Bicycle injuries comprised 2.1% (n=170) of all cases admitted during the studied period. Males were injured more often than females (M:F ratio=8:1). Seventy-seven point one percent of the patients were younger than 20 years. None of the patients had used helmets while being injured. A considerable proportion of accidents occurred between 6 and 8 PM. The most common season of bicycle accidents were summer (55.2%) and spring (24.8%). Seventy-six (44.7%) patients sustained injuries in collision with other vehicles (cars, motorcycles, etc). Four patients died of severe head injuries. Thirteen (8.1%) patients had injury severity score of >16 (severe injury). The mean duration of hospital stay was 5.2 (range: 1 - 52) days. Due to the fatal nature of head injuries and high incidence of fall/overturn injuries among bicycle riders, helmets should be worn by all riders, particularly young children. In addition, allocating a separate cycle path may reduce severe bicycle injuries.