Safety considerations in bicycle moto-cross racing: a case study

Abstract

This paper presents a case study and literature review on the subject of bicycle moto-cross racing. The case involves a 17 year old male who was severely injured as a result of crashing into a jump during a BMX race. The young man suffered a broken neck and is now a quadriplegic. The paper examines both medical and popular literature on BMX racing and safety. Questions posed include: why no studies have been done to determine the risk of injury in BMX racing; why there are no national databases on BMX injury statistics; and what role the image of BMX in popular magazines plays in promoting or dismissing safety in BMX racing? We found very little information available on the subject of BMX. What information we did locate was inconsistent regarding rules of safety and sportsmanship, risk of injury, and opinion on the safeness of BMX racing. We recommend the following practices as ways to increase safety in the sport: multiple track levels designed for different skill levels; supervised training programs with practice areas for experimenting with new maneuvers; and lessons in tumbling and falling safely to minimize the risk of injuries. We also suggest that studies and databases need to be compiled to consistently evaluate the risk of serious injury in BMX racing.