Seating positions during motorcycle incident, severity of injury and probability of survival

Abstract

Motorcycle incidents are one of the most common causes of injury. Due to the traffic conditions in Thailand, a large number of people choose motorcycles for commuting on a daily basis because it is economical, convenient, and fast.  Nevertheless, people often ride motorcycles in many unusual ways especially in the aspect of seating; there are many seating patterns that differ from the manufacturer's intended design. These unusual seating positions might lead to more severe injury than in typical cases. To determine which seating position(s) on a motorcycle are associated with risk of injury and probability of survival. Prospective cohort study was conducted on motorcycle incident patients who arrived at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital between April 2022 and December 2022, with the exclusion of unidentified seating positions. Injury Severity Score (ISS) and Probability of survival (TRISS: Trauma Injury Severity Score) were calculated and analysed to find out the differences in each seating position.

Nine hundred twenty-nine patients were included. Five positions of seats were found from the incidents: 1) in front of the rider, 2) the rider, 3) the first person behind the rider, 4) the second person behind the rider and 5) the third person behind the rider. There are ten of them (1.08%) did not survive. The calculated probability of survival is 99.67% (99.58-99.70). Nearly all of them (96.55%) had minor injuries (ISS <16). There was no difference in the probability of survival across the different seating position. However, all of the observed fatalities (Dead) were found to be riders.