The objectives of this study are to identify the main injury patterns in the various types of user (of cars, motorcycles/mopeds, bicycles and pedestrians) injured in traffic crashes and treated in hospital emergency services, along with their main demographic characteristics (age and sex). A one-year cumulative survey was conducted of all patients attended to emergency departments (EDs) in Barcelona, Spain, for injuries due to motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) during 1998. Of the nearly 17,000 injured traffic victims treated, 62% were men. Young people aged between 15 and 39 (71.6%) were most affected. 42% were users of two-wheeled motor vehicles, followed by car occupants (32%) and pedestrians (24%). Neck sprain (33%) was the most common injury among car occupants, and multiple contusion and contusion of lower limbs among two-wheeled motor vehicle users (23.5% and 14% respectively) and pedestrians (17.3% and 14.4% respectively), and upper limb fractures (20%) among cyclists. Motorcycle and moped users, mainly young males, have the highest probability of suffering injuries, with lower limbs being the most affected anatomical body region. Elderly pedestrians sustaining injuries to the lower limbs and the head contribute substantially to the overall injury situation.
Samenvatting