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Abstract

According to the World Health Organization Global status report on road safety 2013, road traffic injuries caused an estimated 1.24 million deaths worldwide every year. Half of these deaths and injuries occur among vulnerable road users, namely motorcyclists (23%), pedestrians (22%) and cyclists (5%). In 2009 there were 3,760 road deaths reported in Kenya, with 34.4 deaths/100,000 persons of whom 9% were riders of motorcycles. Motorcycles are rapidly becoming a major means of public transport and cause of severe injuries and deaths in Kenya. This cross-sectional study sought to determine the factors determining level of severity of motorcycle injuries among patients attending Thika level 5 hospital, Kenya. Three hundred and twelve motorcycle crash victims were recruited into the study. Epidemiological and clinical information was collected using semi structured, interviewer administered questionnaires and from patient medical charts. The mean age of the motorcycle crash victims was 31.6 years (range 3-72 years). Seventy six percent (238) of the crash victims were aged between 20-49 years and 77.2% (241) were male. Motorcycle riders comprised 94(30%) of the motorcycle crash victims. Twenty three percent (71) of the motorcycle crash victims had moderate or severe injury with seventy seven percent (241) sustaining mild injury. On multivariate logistic regression, those who had reflective jackets on (aOR=0.4, P=0.04) and those who were on motorcycles that had their headlights on (aOR-0.52. P=0.03) were less likely to sustain moderate/severe injuries. Analysis of factors associated with severe injuries can form a basis for policies and regulations aimed at promoting safer road practices for motorcycle users.