Motorcyclist traffic accidents and risk factors: a Singapore study

Motorcyclist accidents cause significant morbidity and mortality in Singapore. To elucidate personal and environmental factors associated with such accidents, we studied 198 motorcyclists who were hospitalized in Singapore General Hospital between April 1986 and June 1987. The patients were mostly young and almost exclusively male with a high proportion of Malays. Most accidents occurred on Sundays and at night. Ten percent of the victims took alcohol before the accident. Most had low injury severity scores (ISS). Less experienced drivers had a significantly higher ISS than those with one year or longer of driving experience. Vigorous control of drunken driving, through public education and intensive breath testing, should reduce the incidence of traffic accidents.