This is the first in a series of three papers describing the epidemiology of motorcycle crashes resulting in death and hospitalisation in New Zealand. This paper describes the methods used for the study, provides an overview of all crashes, and, in particular, compares traffic crashes with non-traffic crashes. The source of the fatality data was national mortality data files for the years 1978 to 1987inclusive. The source of the hospitalisation data was a national morbidity file, which records all public hospital discharges in New Zealand. A total of 1, 175 motorcyclist fatalities were identified for the period 1978-1987, resulting in a mortality rate of 3.6 per 100, 000 persons per year. Data are provided on: (a) number of fatalities and hospitalisation rates; (b) motorcyclist age and sex; (c) type ofaccident; (d) in-patient costs; and (e) accident severity. The mortality associated with motorcycles is comparable with that from a disease such as cervical cancer. Compared to cervical cancer, motorcycle crashes have received insignificant media, research, and prevention attention. For part 2 see IRRD 864058.
Samenvatting