Widodo Akhmad Fajri, Chan Cheng-Wei, Ma Hon-Ping, Shu Chen-Chun, Brown Julie, Chao Chung-Jen, Hsu Shou-Chien, Ko Shih Yu, Lin Hui-An, Chen Chenyi, Chao Chun-Chieh, Rohmah Iftitakhur, Tsai Tung-Yao, Pai Chih-Wei
Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Department of Emergency Medicine, New Taipei City Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
PLoS One. 2025 Sep 8;20(9):e0328832. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0328832. eCollection 2025.
Fatality rates of motor vehicle crashes among the old population have risen, primarily in association with age-related declines in health and functional abilities. Comparatively little research has been conducted to examine the impacts of risk-taking behaviors (such as unhelmeted, unlicensed, and drunk riding) on fatalities among old motorcyclists.
This study employed the Taiwan National Traffic Crash Dataset from 2011 to 2022 to investigate fatal injuries among old motorcyclists. To identify risk factors associated with injury fatality, chi-square tests were employed. Subsequently, stepwise logistic regression models incorporating multiple variables were constructed to examine these factors. To explore potential interactions between aging and specific behavioral variables, joint effect analysis was performed, followed by a subgroup analysis specific to very old motorcyclists (75 years or above).
The analyzed dataset comprised 338,231 crashes involving old motorcyclists, of which 2,703 were fatal and 335,528 were nonfatal. A linear relationship was observed between the risk of fatal injuries and increasing age. The adverse effect of aging on fatalities was exacerbated among unhelmeted (AOR = 4.46; CI = 3.79-5.26), unlicensed (AOR = 1.76; CI = 1.55-1.99), and drunk riders (AOR = 5.35; CI = 4.06-7.06). Our subgroup analysis revealed similar detrimental effects of these three behaviors among very old motorcycles when they were unhelmeted (AOR = 3.67; CI = 3.09-4.36), unlicensed (AOR = 1.31; CI = 1.13-1.50) and intoxicated (AOR = 3.06; CI = 2.31-4.06). Further stratification by geographic location demonstrated that certain risk-taking behaviors, such as unhelmeted and drunk riding, were consistently associated with higher fatality rates. Notably, the magnitude of the effects of drunk riding in rural settings on fatal injuries was higher.
The study established a linear relationship between age and the risk of fatal injuries among old motorcyclists. The three risk-taking behaviors apparently are risk factors for fatal injuries, and evident when motorcyclists were very old. This underscores the importance of tailored interventions targeting individuals aged 75 years or above who engage in unlicensed riding, which remains an important area for continued research.
老年人群机动车碰撞事故的死亡率有所上升，主要与年龄相关的健康和功能能力下降有关。相对较少的研究探讨了冒险行为（如不戴头盔、无证驾驶和酒后骑行）对老年摩托车骑行者死亡的影响。
本研究采用2011年至2022年台湾地区国家交通事故数据集，调查老年摩托车骑行者的致命伤害情况。采用卡方检验确定与伤害致死相关的风险因素。随后，构建包含多个变量的逐步逻辑回归模型来检验这些因素。为了探索衰老与特定行为变量之间的潜在相互作用，进行了联合效应分析，随后对75岁及以上的高龄摩托车骑行者进行了亚组分析。
分析的数据集包括338231起涉及老年摩托车骑行者的事故，其中2703起是致命事故，335528起是非致命事故。观察到致命伤害风险与年龄增长之间存在线性关系。在不戴头盔（比值比[AOR]=4.46；置信区间[CI]=3.79 - 5.26）、无证驾驶（AOR = 1.76；CI = 1.55 - 1.99）和酒后骑行（AOR = 5.35；CI = 4.06 - 7.06）的情况下，衰老对死亡的不利影响会加剧。我们的亚组分析显示，在高龄摩托车骑行者中，这三种行为在不戴头盔（AOR = 3.67；CI = 3.09 - 4.36）、无证驾驶（AOR = 1.31；CI = 1.13 - 1.50）和醉酒（AOR = 3.06；CI = 2.31 - 4.06）时具有类似的有害影响。按地理位置进一步分层表明，某些冒险行为，如不戴头盔和酒后骑行，始终与较高的死亡率相关。值得注意的是，农村地区酒后骑行对致命伤害的影响程度更高。
该研究确定了老年摩托车骑行者年龄与致命伤害风险之间的线性关系。这三种冒险行为显然是致命伤害的风险因素，在高龄摩托车骑行者中尤为明显。这凸显了针对75岁及以上无证骑行者进行量身定制干预措施的重要性，这仍是一个需要持续研究的重要领域。
