All terrain vehicle (ATV) accidents in Germany

Although all terrain vehicle (ATV) accidents account for numerous deaths in the US and Australia, the role in traffic accidents and hospital admissions in Germany is unknown. At a level I trauma centre, hospital and crash charts were analyzed for medical and technical parameters of ATV accidents. ATV drivers were 0.1 percent of emergency trauma patients. The mean total hospital stay was 15 days; there were 1.5 stays per patients with 2.0 surgical procedures needed. One patient died, only two recovered fully. 14 cases of ATV accidents out of 18,990 (0.1 percent) were documented within 10 years. The mean impact velocity was 35 km/h. Car collisions were predominant. The upper extremity was the predominant injured region (AIS 0.7). Mean maximum AIS was 1.4. ATV accidents in Germany are rare but pose high risk for severe injuries. Possible reasons are low active and passive security, limited experience and risky driving behaviour. Preventive measures are discussed. (A) Paper to the session "Injury Prevention and Mechanisms" of the 4th International Conference on ESAR "Expert Symposium on Accident Research", 16th to 18th September 2010 in Hannover. For the covering abstract of the conference, see ITRD D366702.

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