Sex Differences in Mountain Bike Accidents in Austria from 2006 to 2018: A Retrospective Analysis

Woyke, Simon, Anja Hütter, Christopher Rugg, Willi Tröger, Bernd Wallner, Mathias Ströhle, and Peter Paal. Sex differences in mountain bike accidents in Austria from 2006 to 2018: a retrospective analysis. High Alt Med Biol. 25:89-93, 2024. Mountain biking is becoming increasingly popular, and mountain bike (MTB) accidents are on the rise. The aim of this study was to assess sex differences in mountain biking accidents in the Austrian Alps. This retrospective study includes all MTB accidents in Austria from 2006 to 2018. Data were collected by Alpine Police officers and recorded in a national digital registry. The accidents involved 5,095 mountain bikers (81% men and 19% women). The number of MTB accidents rose markedly from 208 in 2006 to 725 in 2018. Men wore a helmet more often than did women (95% vs. 92%; p = 0.001). The most common injury category was "wound/bleeding" for both sexes (men 40% and women 41%). Women were more frequently transported by helicopter or terrestrially (p > 0.001). In the Austrian Alps, the number of MTB accidents more than tripled between 2006 and 2018. Women were involved in only one fifth of all accidents. Sex differences in MTB accidents include (1) women wearing helmets less often, (2) women being less frequently injured, (3) women suffering fewer serious injuries, and (4) women being more frequently transported by helicopter or terrestrially, while men more often did not require transportation.