CAUSES AND MECHANISMS OF INJURY IN MOTORCYCLISTS

AN ANALYSIS IS MADE OF INJURIES TO 113 MOTORCYCLISTS AND PILLION RIDERS. BLAME FOR THE ACCIDENT LAY WITH THE OTHER PERSON INVOLVED IN THE COLLISION IN 75 PERCENT OF THE MOTORCYCLISTS, WHEREAS 73.3 PERCENT OF MOFA (GERMAN LOW SPEED MOPED) RIDERS WERE TO BLAME FOR ACCIDENTS IN WHICH THEY WERE INVOLVED. EVEN SO, TECHNICAL CAUSES COULD BE ESTABLISHED WITH MANY MOTORCYCLISTS. A LEGAL REDUCTION OF THE ACCELERATION CAPACITY OF MOTORCYCLES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND HELMETS WERE FREQUENTLY WORN BY MOTORCYCLISTS, BUT RARELY BY MOFA RIDERS. THE INJURY PATTERNS FOR THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TWO WHEELERS ARE GIVEN. THE FREQUENCY OF INJURIES CAUSED BY A RIDER'S OWN CYCLE, BY THE FOOTRESTS (20.7 PERCENT), IS NOTICEABLE. THESE INJURIES ARE HOWEVER RELATIVELY MILD. IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE CONSEQUENCES OF ACCIDENTS TO MOTORCYCLISTS DETAILED INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDIES ARE TO BE CARRIED OUT, AS SUFFICIENTLY DIFFERENTIATED DATA CANNOT BE OBTAINED FROM BROAD STATISTICS. THE COVERING ABSTRACT FOR THE CONFERENCE IS IRRD NO 311057.