claim: There is a greater chance of a motorcyclist aged 67 in Northern Ireland dying in a motorcycle collision than being affected by COVID-19.
evidence: Motorcyclists represent a significant percentage of road traffic victims worldwide and have a greater risk of injury-related death than car occupants [1, 2]. Despite the burden of injuries associated with motorcycle incidents, few comprehensive studies have been conducted to examine the outcome of these patients according to age and site of injuries. Identifying high-risk injury patterns and common clusters of ages may allow for targeted interventions leading to improved care [3, 4]. [...] Motorcyclists represent a quarter of road deaths in the world and a consistent part of all traffic victims. The number of motorcyclists suffering from road trauma is growing due to the rapid global expansion of the motorcycle market. The use of motorcycles is expanding also in older ages for enhanced mobility in heavy-traffic urban areas. Some evidences suggest that age is generally an important predictor of mortality related to traumatic events [16, 17]. Our data demonstrate that older patients had an increased mortality for severe injuries. Head, chest, abdominal, and pelvic injuries were all independent predictors of death; severe head injuries occurred more frequently in younger patients, while chest injuries were more common in older patients.