Lately I've been spending quite a bit of time picking through piles of bike-related research in the virtual zone, recruiting various articles and abstracts for the RESEARCH PAGE (which I have started calling the Wall of Confusion). This activity is akin to flagellating oneself at a Dia de los Muertos rally.

My prowling has netted a good deal of research on cyclists in various countries outside the US, giving the RESEARCH PAGE a strong global flavor, and showing us that questionable research on bicycling safety is not limited to English-speaking countries alone. Some of my favorite new additions:

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BICYCLE INJURIES IN IRAN Abstract of recently published article with 2003 data.

 

BICYCLE-RELATED INJURIES IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (pdf) A small study of 200 ER patients reveals strikingly similar patterns to those found in the US and elsewhere.

 

INJURIES TO CYCLISTS IN GERMANY Abstract of German study of thousands of cyclists injured since 1985.

 

DETERMINANTS AND PATTERNS OF BICYCLE USE AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AMONG BICYCLING WORKERS, PELOTAS, BRAZIL 2005 study. Abstract in English, full article in Portuguese.

 

FATALITY RISK FACTORS FOR CYCLISTS IN CROATIA (pdf) 2003 article from Croatia Medical Journal.

 

There are also abstracts of a few articles on bicyclist accidents in roundabouts in Denmark and Belgium (thanks to Giro for the links to those), and a Swedish helmet study, and a patterns-of-use report from Belgium as well.

 

Looking through these international papers we can't help but notice familiar patterns in how and why cyclists injure themselves. But it's a great big world out there and not everything is so familiar. For instance, the abstract of this small study published in the May 2006 issue of Injury highlights the very different ways that bicycles are used in different cultures:

 

BICYCLE AND CYCLE RICKSHAW INJURIES IN SUBURBAN INDIA

 

"Out of a total of 41 patients, 23 were injured from bicycle ... In the bicycle group all patients were either travelling on the cross-bar or rear fender. 91% had sustained injuries due to spokes ..." Something that is hardly a consideration in the northern hemisphere. [The same thing from Pakistan: BICYCLE AND MOTORCYCLE SPOKE INJURIES IN CHILDREN AS PASSENGERS.]

 

Think global, ride local. And keep your feet out of the spokes.