Analysis of Motorcycle-involved Crashes in the Philippines from 2010-2019

Background. This is a 10-Year retrospective study of motorcycle crashes in the Philippines, which are among the top 9 causes of death in the country. Hence, the need to quantify the severity of motorcycle-involved crashes.

Objectives. The objectives of the study are to determine the epidemiology of motorcycle-involved crashes and to investigate the trend of motorcycle-involved crashes, their proportion against other vehicle types, and how it associates with demographic, clinical, and other hospital and crash variables. 

Methods. Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (ONEISS) was used to analyze trends, proportions, and associations for motorcycle-involved crashes. Descriptive and Inferential Statistics were computed to see how motorcycles relate to the other variables for each dataset. 

Results. Motorcycle crashes comprised the largest percentage from 2010 to 2019, increasing to 6,136 cases and 21,580 cases, respectively. The year 2018 recorded the highest number of motorcycle crash cases with 32,543, which decreased in 2019. The average age of victims of motorcycle-related road crashes is 30.03 years (SD = 14.799). The majority are males (78.2%), single (14.7%), and drivers (65.8%). Linear regression shows that alcohol consumption increases odds for sustaining multiple injuries (OR = 1.826, 95% CI [1.746-1.910]) concussion (OR = 1.158, 95% CI [1.068-1.255]), avulsion (OR = 1.589, 95% CI [1.478-1.708]), and abrasion (OR = 1.545, 95% CI [1.480-1.613]) while being male (OR = 1.552, 95% CI [1.280-1.881]) and lack of sleep (OR = 2.980, 95% CI [1.759-5.047]) increases odds of death among motorcycle-related crash patients.

Conclusion. The study showed an increase in motorcycle-related crashes in the Philippines from 2010 to 2019 and the overall impact of motorcycle-involved crashes on drivers and pedestrians. Motorcycles are also the most involved vehicle type in road crashes, and therefore, policies and programs to reduce and prevent motorcycle crashes should be strengthened to prevent motorcycle-related fatalities on the roads.