Bicycle accidents among children in the urban environment.

We studied all bicycling accidents requiring hospital visits among children 15 years of age and less, occurring on the Island of Montreal over an 18-month period. Data collected from 11 major Montreal hospitals and police accident reports were examined using various statistical methods: visual representation (a comparative accident index), spatial (quadrat analysis), and a comparative environmental analysis (differentiation of means). The results suggest that these accidents are not distributed randomly but correspond to a particular spatial pattern. High-risk areas are characterized by high population density, fast and dense vehicular traffic, and the absence of parks. Accidents usually take place on two-way streets, on straight stretches far from traffic lights, on dry pavement, and during clear weather when the visibility is good. More boys than girls are involved in these accidents and, more often than not, failure to obey traffic regulations is involved. The socio-economic status of the injured child tends to be low.