SYMbionic Duo wrote:I agree, but i can't find stats on injury rates and types of injuries in vehicular accidents.
Unfortunately, a lot of relevant research is behind scholarly journal paywalls, but there is information out there.
Starting with the
CDC:
More than half of all nonfatal injuries treated in EDs were to the leg/foot (30%) or head/neck (22%).
The Hurt Report is old, but it's one of the few comprehensive studies we have to go on:
98% of the multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of the single vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45% resulted in more than a minor injury.
Half of the injuries to the somatic regions were to the ankle-foot, lower leg, knee, and thigh- upper leg.
Groin injuries were sustained by the motorcyclist in at least 13% of the accidents, which typified by multiple vehicle collision in frontal impact at higher than average speed.
From the NHTSA, 2009:
Although the focus of this study is on head and facial injuries, several studies have addressed the high rates of lower-extremity, chest, and abdominal injuries following motorcycle crashes. Kraus et al. (2002), in a study of the incidence of thoracic and abdominal injuries among injured motorcyclists in California, reported that multiple intra-thoracic and intra-abdominal injuries were common, and that the number of rib fractures and whether they were bilateral was strongly associated with serious injuries to the thoracic and abdominal organs. In a British study of injured motorcyclists, Ankarath et al. (2002) showed that thoracic and abdominal trauma as well as pelvic ring fractures associated with long bone injuries were the major contributors to reduced survival following head injury.
<a href="
http://www.annemergmed.com/article/S019 ... 1/abstract" target="_blank">California study, 2003</a>
Facial injury was diagnosed in 24.4% of all injured riders, including 411 with one or more facial fractures. The odds of traumatic brain injury were 3.5 times greater with than without a facial injury and 6.5 times greater with a facial fracture than with no facial injury. Significantly increased odds of traumatic brain injury were observed for fracture of all bones of the face, but the highest odds of traumatic brain injury were found in riders with fractures to bones of the upper face. Helmet use status and the presence of skull fracture were found to be significant effect modifiers.
A review of risk factors and patterns of motorcycle injuries, 2008:
Head injuries are most frequent in fatal motorcycle crashes, contributing to about one-half of all motorcycle deaths (Kraus, 1989). Chest and abdominal injuries (e.g., lung contusion and liver laceration) are the second most com- mon cause of fatal motorcycle crashes comprising from 7% to 25% of motorcycle deaths (Ankarath et al., 2002; Mätzsch and Karlsson, 1986; Sarkar et al., 1995; Wick et al., 1998; Wyatt et al., 1999). Cer- vical spinal injuries are more likely to occur in fatal crashes than those to other spinal regions (Ankarath et al., 2002).
The lower extremity is the most common site of an injury in all motorcycle crashes (Bachulis et al., 1988; Braddock et al., 1992; Kraus et al., 1994a; Muelleman et al., 1992; Peek et al., 1994; Wladis et al., 2002). The thoracic spine is the most commonly injured spinal region in motorcycle crashes (Ankarath et al., 2002; Kupferschmid et al., 1989; Robertson et al., 2002), while riders with severe injury to the trunk are likely to have severe injuries in the same or other anatomic regions (Kraus et al., 2002). Facial injuries are diagnosed in one-fourth of all injured riders, and they are associated with a risk of traumatic brain injuries (Kraus et al., 2003).
Unsurprisingly, incidence of facial trauma, traumatic brain injury and death decreases with helmet use. Facial trauma goes hand and hand with brain injury. There's clear evidence that helmet use reduces fatalities, head and face injuries and that a full face helmet greatly reduces facial trauma and brain injury.