CRANIOFACIAL INJURIES IN UNHELMETED RIDERS OF MOTORBIKES

We studied 1160 consecutive craniofacial injuries sustained by unhelme ted motorbike riders in Taipei, Taiwan, between 1990 and 1993, in orde r to investigate the distribution, type and severity of these injuries . The average age of the victims was 31 years (SD 13.2), with 84 per c ent of them being between ages 16 and 45. The facial and cranial areas were defined as being separated by the line between eyebrows and ears . The incidence of facial injuries was the same as that of cranial inj uries (both 68 per cent). While facial injuries occurred most often in the cheek and chin, most cranial injuries occurred in the forehead an d parietal region. Although the majority of facial injuries resulted i n mild brain injuries, they may also cause serious cosmetic problems, and some were associated with serious brain damage. Motorbike riders n eed good face protection. Since most motorbikes in Taipei travel relat ively slowly, these results may also apply to bicyclists; in other wor ds, cyclists may also need goad face protection.