Commercial Bicyclist Injuries in Kisumu City, Kenya: an Epidemiology of a Negected Problem

Background: Commercial bicycling has become a popular mode of transportation in Kenya, in both rural and urban areas since early 1990’s. In Kisumu city, however, its related injuries cause significant morbidity and mortality. Many road users have viewed their presence in the roads as the cause of congestion, confusion, fear, and decreased safety in the roads in the road system. Objectives: The primary objectives were; to determine demographic characteristics of the commercial bicyclists, magnitude and characteristics of road traffic crashes and injuries involving commercial bicycling. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study involving review of medical and traffic police records in New Nyanza Provincial General Hospital, Kisumu District hospital, and Traffic police station records departments respectively, was used to status of bicyclist crashes and injuries in Kisumu City. Hospital and police records were reviewed to determine road traffic crashes and injuries involving commercial bicyclist for a period of one year, 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008. Information about injury disposition, severity, outcome of injuries were entered in designed forms. Results: A total of 209 patients were treated for bicyclerelated injuries in both hospitals and 64 cases were recorded in police records. The age group most affected in road trauma involving bicyclists was 21-30 years accounting for 32.1%. 45.9% were pedestrians hit by bicyclists, 46.9% of the bicycle related casualties reported by the traffic police were slightly injured, 28.1 % were seriously injured and 25% were fatal cases. Of the fatal cases 56.3% were passengers carried by bicyclists, 25% were pedestrians knocked by bicyclists and 18.7% were bicycle riders. 9.3% of injuries occurred in major roads within the city. The majority of casualties in police derived data were adults aged above 16 years (78.2%). Conclusion: The high prevalence of bicycle related cases calls for a review of the local situation so that concerted efforts are made to design coordinated and effective interventions for commercial bicyclists. The age group most commonly affected in road trauma involving bicyclists was 21-30 years. Over three quarters of the patients who sustained bicycle related injuries were aged below 40 years and were mainly males. Cut wounds were most commonly sustained followed by head injuries, dislocations, fractures while lacerations and contusions are sustained less. Most of those who died sustained head injuries.