Bicycle-related injuries among children and adolescents in the United States.

The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiology of bicycle-related injuries among children and adolescents 18 years and younger on a national level. This is a retrospective analysis of data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission for patients 18 years and younger who were seen in emergency departments (EDs) between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2005, for injuries received while operating a bicycle. During the 16-year study period, there were an estimated 6 228 700 individuals 18 years and younger treated in US EDs for bicycle-related injuries. Children with head injuries were more than 3 (relative risk, 3.63) times as likely to require hospitalization and were almost 6 (relative risk, 5.77) times more likely to have their injuries result in death. The large number of annual bicycle related-injuries is evidence that prevention of these injuries should remain an important area of bicycle safety research and practice.