Note: Former CTSI TL1 predoctoral fellow (2015-16), Thomas Gaither's research was published in the journal Injury Prevention.
By Elizabeth Fernandez via UCSF.edu
Bicycle use has skyrocketed in popularity, but it’s also led to more accidents, with medical costs from non-fatal bike crashes climbing steadily by $789 million annually, according to a new study by UC San Francisco.
Over a 17-year period, medical costs of bicycle injuries to adults in the United States, both fatal and non-fatal, amounted to $237 billion, the study found. In 2013 alone, total costs from bicycle accidents exceeded $24.4 billion, the researchers reported. That is approximately double the medical and other various costs involved for all occupational illnesses over the same time period.
There were 3.8 million non-fatal adult bicycle injuries and nearly 9,839 deaths that were reported during the study period from 1997 to 2013. Men accounted for three-quarters of the total costs.
The study will be published June 1, 2017, in the journal Injury Prevention.
“The costs of bicycle injuries have risen steadily since 1997, with a significant increase in emergency department visits and hospital admissions, especially with older men,” said first author Thomas W. Gaither, a UCSF medical student. “In the past, many bicycle accidents stemmed from non-street incidents. But now, street crashes with motor vehicles represent a greater proportion of the total costs. These crashes, which primarily occur with motor vehicles, increase the velocity of the crash impact and, as a result, the severity of the injury.”
Read full UCSF News story here
Related story in the Atlantic City Lab