Surge in Bicycle Injuries to Riders Over 45

UCSF News reports on the significant increase of bicycle accidents in riders over age 45 as discussed in a study, published in the Sept. 1st edition of JAMA and co-authored by Rachael Callcut, M.D., M.S.P.H., Assistant Professor of Surgery at the UCSF Department of Surgery at SFGH. 

The incidence of bicycle accidents has increased significantly in the U.S. in recent years, with many serious injuries occurring among riders older than 45, according to a new study led by UC San Francisco.

The researchers used a national injury surveillance database to study trends in bicycle injuries from 1998 to 2013. They found that the rate of hospital admissions associated with bicycle injuries more than doubled during that timeframe, especially with head and torso injuries.

Altogether, the proportion of injuries occurring to riders above age 45 rose 81 percent, from 23 percent to 42 percent, the authors said, and similarly the proportion of hospital admissions to older riders increased 66 percent, from 39 percent to 65 percent.

“These injuries were not only bad enough to bring riders to the emergency room, but the patients had to be admitted for further care,” said senior author Benjamin Breyer, M.D., MAS, associate professor of urology at UCSF and chief of urology at UCSF partner hospital San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. “If you take typical 25-year-olds and 60-year-olds, if they have a similar crash, it’s more likely the older person will have more severe injuries.”

Urban cycling has become increasingly popular in recent years for both recreation and work, and this trend has occurred while the U.S. shifts to an older demographic.