A program is being conducted in New York State to improve safety and injury protection of riders of motorcycles, minibikes, and mopeds. The study is being conducted in a three-county area of the state which is representative of the state population characteristics outside of New York City. Police accident reports, hospital injury data or autopsy reports, driver records, and driver accident reports were collected for 487 accidents involving motorcycles and minibikes that occurred in the three-county area in 1976. These data were analyzed in terms of many variables to determine the extent of injuries sustained in the various physical configurations and to evaluate the performance of personal and motorbike safety equipment. Special attention is being paid to the injury protecting performance and possible injury causation characteristics of safety helmets.

As might be expected, the most severe injuries to motorbike riders are sustained by the head, chest and abdomen, and injuries to these regions comprise about 15% of all injuries. Lower extremity injuries are most common, accounting for nearly 40% of all injuries, and the relatively high average severity of these injuries (AIS = 1.6) coupled with their high incidence suggest that much more research is needed to reduce their incidence. Upper extremity injuries account for 20% of all injuries, and the average severity is much lower (AIS = 1.2).

Head injuries were found to be more common in accidents involving only the motorcycle, and their severity was about the same in these accidents as it was in motorcycle-to-vehicle accident configurations. The effectiveness of the helmet in alleviating head injury was again demonstrated. The average severity of motorcyclists' injuries was highest in head-on collisions between the motorcycle and another vehicle. The average severity of injuries in all other motorcycle-to-vehicle configurations was about the same as in accidents involving only the motorcycle. The average severity of injuries sustained by minibike riders was found to be comparable to that sustained by motorcycle operators.

The program was sponsored by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.