Citation

Zhou M, Hu G, Wang L, Ma S, Wang L, Li Q, Hyder AA. Inj. Prev. 2014; 20(1): 7-10.

Affiliation

Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, , Beijing, China.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/injuryprev-2012-040510

PMID

23710068

Abstract

CONTEXT: While road traffic mortality has been reported to be seriously undercounted by the police in China, non-police-reported data have not been explored previously to examine vulnerable road user mortality. OBJECTIVE: To examine changes in bicyclist mortality between 2006 and 2010 in China, using the Disease Surveillance Points (DSP) data of China. DESIGN, SETTING AND DATA SOURCE: Mortality data of 2006-2010 from DSP data, covering 73 million population, was analysed. Poisson regression was used to examine the significance of year after controlling for sex, age and urban/rural location. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Mortality rate and mortality rate ratio (MRR). RESULTS: Between 2006 and 2010, the mortality rate for bicyclists increased from 1.1 to 1.6 per 100 000 population according to DSP data. Between 2006 and 2010, more than 90% of bicyclist deaths were undercounted by the police compared to the findings from DSP data. Contrary to the 34% increase between 2006 and 2010 reflected by DSP data (adjusted MRR: 1.34, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.46), police data revealed a 64% decrease in bicyclist mortality (unadjusted MRR: 0.36, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.40) in the study time period. CONCLUSIONS: Health data should be used to assess the road traffic injuries in China. The recent increase in bicyclist mortality merits attention from policy makers and researchers.

Language: en