The purpose of this study was to compare the accident and the psychosocial circumstances and the consequences of the injuries sustained by intoxicated (alcohol) and sober cyclists in road traffic accidents. A telephone interview was conducted with 207 adults injured 3 years earlier. The group was selected from the list of 1278 cyclists registered at the hospitals in Goteborg in 1995 and 1996. Ninety-five of the 207 had been registered as under the influence of alcohol and 112, registered as sober, constituted a matched group. Compared with the sober group, the intoxicated cyclists more often sustained their injuries at night time (P<0.001), at the weekend (P<0.001), on their way to or from a party or a pub/restaurant (P<0.001) and in single accidents (P<0.001) with a greater risk of injury to the head or face (P<0.001). They cycled less during the year (P<0.001), were not so familiar with the route (P=0.045) or bicycle (P<0.001), had bicycles without a hand-brake or gears (P=0.045) and less often wore a helmet (P=0.003). Driving licenses had been revoked only in the intoxicated group (P=0.02) and nine out of ten who were divorced were from this group (P=0.004). It is concluded that injury prevention for cyclists should aim at altering the attitude towards cycling intoxicated and increasing the use of a helmet. The alternative is a change in the law in both cases. (A)
Samenvatting