Trauma Surgeon–Funded Injury Prevention and Research Decrease Motorcycle Crash Injuries

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2016, 5286 motorcyclists died, a 5 per cent increase from 2015.1 Motorcycles make up approximately 3 per cent of all registered vehicles in the United States and account for only 0.6 per cent of all vehicle miles traveled. The following were documented: patient demographics; injury patterns; outcomes; date of admission; age; state location of injury; disposition to operating room/ SICU/ward; SICU/hospital lengths of stay; discharge disposition (including nursing home, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, or death); functional level on discharge; helmet status; Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS) for head and neck, chest, abdomen, and extremity; Injury Severity Score (ISS); and operative procedures performed. Statewide and nationwide motorcycle accident data were provided by the Tennessee Department of Highway Safety and Homeland Security.1 The injury prevention team, consisting of a trauma surgeon, a full-time injury prevention coordinator, and area law enforcement officers trained in injury prevention, visited area high schools and set up gocart driving simulations using "drunk goggles" and the "Virtual Driver Interactive" electronic simulator.