A six-year review of patients admitted to hospital with injuries related to quad bike use.

AIM: To describe quad bike injury-related hospitalisations in the Midland region over a six-year period.

METHOD: A retrospective review of anonymised, prospectively-collected trauma registry data from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2018 was undertaken. Cases include patients hospitalised with quad bike-related injuries. Non-major injuries are included to provide a clearer picture of the trauma burden.

RESULTS

Three hundred and forty-six injuries resulted in hospitalisation with 70.2% of events occurring on a farm. Males outnumbered females 3.7:1. Forty-six children (<16 years) were hospitalised, of which 23 were injured on-farm and seven on a road. Over six years there was an annual average increase of 7.3% for all events occurring on a farm, 2.6% for injuries occurring during a farming activity and 4.7% for off-farm recreational injuries.

CONCLUSION

Despite continued public debate and education on the safe use of quad bikes, injuries severe enough to require hospitalisation continue to occur. Children continue to be injured, both as riders and passengers. Ageing farmers are a developing area for concern. While workplace safety garners most of the safety attention, two other areas also deserve injury prevention consideration; injuries that occur on-farm but not during farming activities and those occurring off-farm to recreational riders.