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Objective: To analyze the effect of helmet use on injury severity among motorcyclists and passengers involved in traffic accidents., Methods: Cross-sectional study of traffic accidents involving motorcyclists attended at the emergency healthcare units participating in the Violence and Accidents Survey Conducted in Sentinel Emergency Departments (Viva Survey) 2017., Results: There was a predominance of individuals aged 18 to 29 years old (46.6%), black (75.2%), with high school education (50.6%). Alcohol use was observed in 14.1% of cases. Helmet use was associated with a 76% reduction in the occurrence of head trauma and a 28% reduction in the referral, hospitalization or death., Conclusion: Young, male, black individuals and those with low education were the most frequent victims of accidents. Helmet use was protective for severe injuries.

Introduction: Land transport accidents (LTA) are the second cause of death in schoolchildren aged 13 to 17 years. The study aims to describe the risk factors for LTA in schoolchildren from the National School Health Survey (PeNSE) of 2015 and to evaluate the trend of selected indicators in the last three editions of PeNSE., Methodology: A descriptive study on risk factors for LTA in 2015, with PeNSE data and time series trends analysis, with age-adjusted regression tests of the 2009, 2012 and 2015 editions, in Brazilian capitals., Results: In 2015, 26.3% of ninth grade schoolchildren, mostly between 13 and 15 years of age, reported having been in a motor vehicle driven by someone who consumed alcohol and 32.4% had driven a motor vehicle; 30.7% of adolescents did not use seat belts in the back seat; and 16.8% of schoolchildren who ride motorcycles did not wear helmets. There was also a worsening of the indicators between 2009 and 2015, regarding driving a motor vehicle (1.0 percentage points) and having been driven by vehicle for consumption of alcoholic beverages (1.1 percentage points)., Discussion: The LTA occurrence results from the interaction between roads, vehicles and users, and has a strong correlation with behavior., Conclusions: The results show the need to invest in educational measures, associated with supervision, the improvement of road infrastructure, research and improvement of legislation. The monitoring of risk factors in schoolchildren substantially contributes to support intersectoral public policies interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality in traffic.

Injuries resulting from motorcycle road traffic accidents are an important public health issue in Brazil. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of motorcyclists involved in traffic accidents attended in public urgent and emergency services in the state capitals and the Federal District. This is a cross-sectional study based on data from the Violence and Accident Surveillance System (VIVA Survey) in 2014. Data were analyzed according to sociodemographic, event and attendance characteristics. Proportional differences between genders were analyzed by chi-square test (Rao-Scott) with 5% significance level. Motorcyclist-related attendances (n = 9,673) reported a prevalence of men (gender ratio = 3.2), young people aged 20-39 years (65.7%), black / brown (73.6%), paid work (76.4%). Helmet use was reported by 79.1% of the victims, 13.3% had consumed alcohol in the six hours prior to the accident, 41.4% of the events were related to the victim's work. Accidents were more frequent on weekends, in the morning and late afternoon. These characteristics can support the development of public accident prevention policies and health promotion.

This study aimed to examine the practices and perceptions of motorcycle taxi drivers concerning the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), based on field research and an exploratory and descriptive qualitative approach. Thirty motorcycle taxi drivers from Jequié, Bahia State, Brazil, were interviewed. Data collection used a semi-structured interview and questionnaire. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The results showed: Category 1 - risk perception, subcategory conditioning/determinant factors for the use of PPE; Category 2 - adherence, subcategory adherence to the use of personal protective equipment; Category 3 - PPE as a protective factor against traffic accidents, subcategories 1 - work-related accidents, 2 - use of PPE at the time of the accident, 3 - non-use of PPE at the time of the accident. Finally, motorcycle taxi drivers clearly have some knowledge of personal protective equipment and even acknowledge the importance of its use, despite not always using it properly.

The number of accidents involving motorcycles has increased in Brazil. The objective of this study was to identify the type of victims of these accidents who were treated at an emergency department in Piauí State, Brazil. The sample included 430 such victims in this quantitative study. Most were male, 15-24 years of age, and from the State of Piauí itself. 301 of the victims were drivers of the motorcycles, 81 were passengers, and 48 were struck or run over by the motorcycles. 76.05% of the accidents occurred from Thursday to Sunday. 80.75% had temporary sequelae, and 53.33% of the accidents occurred at night. In 69.3% of the cases, victims suffered lacerations; 51.4% fractures; 27.44% hematomas; and 20.7% head trauma. Among the accident victims, motorcycle drivers, and those suspected of alcohol consumption, 52.07% were not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Most of the victims were discharged from hospital, while 14 died. In conclusion, injuries from motorcycle accidents deserve attention, especially to plan preventive measures to help control their occurrence in the State.

Objective: To describe helmet use among motorcyclists injured in traffic accidents in Londrina, a medium-sized city in Paraná, a state in southern Brazil, and to identify factors associated with not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident., Methods: We analyzed data concerning motorcycle users (drivers and passengers) who received care in 1998 from the only pre-hospitalization trauma and emergency care ambulance service in Londrina. The following variables were assessed: helmet use at the time of the accident; age; sex; seating position (driver or passenger); smell of alcohol on the breath; time of the day, day of the week, and month when the accident happened; and location of the accident (in the downtown area or outside of it)., Results: The average rate of helmet use was 63.2%. Factors independently associated with not using a helmet were (according to strength of association): being younger than 18 years of age (odds ratio (OR) = 6.61), having alcohol on the breath (OR = 3.93), accident occurring at night (OR = 2.51), accident happening outside the city's downtown area (OR = 2.27), and accident taking placing during the weekend (OR = 2.25)., Conclusions: It is imperative to implement public policies aimed at promoting safety for motorcyclists, ongoing education in defensive driving, and the use of helmets and other safety equipment. Interventions should take into account that driving behaviors depend not just on individuals but also on the overall social and historical context.