Relationship Between Personal Safety Gears and the Extremity Injuries due to Motorcycle Accidents

Last few years shows dramatic increase in the number of motorcycle accidents (MCAs) in Sri Lanka. Extremity injuries due to MCAs cause a heavy burden on government hospitals. This study tries to determine the relationship between extremity injuries due to MCA with personal protective gears used by motorcycle users admitted to orthopedic wards in Teaching Hospital Kurunegala. Associations were found between footwear and foot injuries and safety jacket and upper extremity injuries indicating that using safety gears can minimize the severity of extremity injuries in MCA victims. Thus it is necessary to ensure that motorcycle users use proper safety gears.