Age and experience are used internationally as components of licensing restrictions aimed at reducing the injury burden from traffic crashes. While there has been strong and consistent agreement about the protective effects of increasing age on motorcycle injuries, evidence for a protective effect of increasing "experience" is less certain. A population-based case-control study was undertaken in the Auckland region, between February 1993 and February 1996, to identify risk factors for motorcycle injury, including age and experience. Cases comprised crashes in which either the driver or pillion was killed or moderately injured and controls were vehicles identified at random roadside surveys. Data were obtained from 490 case drivers and 1518 control drivers. A strong and consistent relationship was observed between increasing driver age and decreasing risk of moderate to fatal injury. Unadjusted odds ratios showed a protective effect from riding more than five years compared to less than two years. However, once the age of the rider was considered there was no evidence of an association. Current licensing regulations that place restrictions on motorcyclists based on motorcycling experience should be reviewed in favour (A)
Abstract