TY - JOUR
PY - 2014//
TI - Unsafe riding practice among electric bikers in Suzhou, China: an observational study
JO - BMJ open
A1 - Yang, Jie
A1 - Hu, Yihe
A1 - Du, Wei
A1 - Powis, Brent
A1 - Ozanne-Smith, Joan E.
A1 - Liao, Yilan
A1 - Li, Ning
A1 - Wu, Ming
SP - e003902
EP - e003902
VL - 4
IS - 1
N2 - BACKGROUND: Electric bike (E-bike)-related deaths have been increasing rapidly in China and such injuries may be partly attributable to unsafe riding practice. OBJECTIVES: To describe potentially unsafe riding behaviours among electric bikers (E-bikers) and to investigate factors influencing these practices in China. METHODS: In September 2012, a cross-sectional observation study including a speed measurement component was conducted in Wuzhong (an urban district) and Zhangjiagang (a rural district) of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Hand-held radar speed metres were used to read travelling speeds of E-bikes and a pro forma observation checklist was used to collect data on road riding practice. Mixed-effect logistic regressions were used to calculate adjusted ORs and 95% CIs for the association between speeding, road rule violations and helmet use and their influencing factors. RESULTS: Among 800 E-bikes with a speed reading, 70.9% exceeded the designed speed limit of 20 km/h. Among a further 20 647 E-bikers observed, 38.3% did not comply with the road rules when entering intersections; and only 2.2% wore helmets. No regional variation was identified between urban and rural areas. Male E-bikers were associated with more speeding and road rule violations, whereas riding a pedal-equipped E-bike was associated with less road rule violations and less helmet use. CONCLUSIONS: Unsafe riding practices such as speeding, road rule violations and lack of helmet use were commonplace among E-bikers, especially among men. The study findings indicate that measures aimed at improving E-bike safety are required in China. Language: en
LA - en
SN - 2044-6055
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003902
ID - ref1
ER -