Under representation of morbidity from paediatric bicycle accidents by official statistics - A need for data collection in the accident and emergency department

Abstract

Objectives - To determine the accuracy of currently available data on bicycle related injuries in children. Setting - A paediatric accident and emergency (A&E) department which annually treats approximately 30 000 new patients under the age of 13 years. Methods - Data on all attendances with bicycle related injuries over a four week period were compared with that currently available from police road traffic accident data (Stats 19) and the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, hospital discharge coding. Results - Eighty six children attended the A&E department. Only two bicycle related injuries were identified from Stats 19, and 10 from hospital discharge data. Conclusion - Currently available official data do not give an accurate representation of the incidence of bicycle related injuries in children. If health promotion measures are to be assessed properly data collection needs to be improved.