Work-related road traffic accidents: emergence of new modes of personal journey. Analysis based on data from a register of road traffic accidents

Introduction: According to the 2018-2019 People Mobility Survey, work-related journeys (commuting and on-duty journeys) account for approximately 25% of all journeys. The use of non-motorized (nm) and motorized (m) personal mobility devices (PMDs) has steadily increased since their introduction into the French market in the last decade. Objective: This study aimed to describe the characteristics of work-related road accidents and their evolution since the introduction of new PMDs in France. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study using data from the Rhône Road Trauma Registry. Data were collected from 2015 to 2020. We included the data for the victims aged 18-70 years who were injured in work-related accidents. Results: We identified 11,296 individuals aged 18-70 years who experienced work-related road accidents. An injury report was provided for a total of 11,277 patients. A total of 546 passengers and 78 drivers of other motorized vehicles (buses/trams, construction equipment, and tractors) were excluded from the analysis. Seven patients died at the time of the accident, and seven died after hospitalization. Of the 10,653 (94.4%) victims, there were pedestrians (5.1%), or drivers of bicycles (16.9%), scooters (3.8%), other PMDs (roller blades, skateboards, monowheels, gyropods, and hoverboards; 0.4%), motorized two-wheeler (21.4%), car (45.3%), and truck (1.5%). More than half of the scooter drivers and 80% of other PMD-drivers were men. More than 60% of other PMD-drivers and 53% of scooter drivers were under 34 years of age. Most scooter accidents occurred during commuting (95.6%). Sixty-five percent of the scooter- and 50% of other PMD-accidents did not have antagonists. Overall, one-quarter of the victims experienced accidents without antagonists. Most scooter users had injuries to their upper limbs (59.2%), lower limbs (46.8%), face (21.2%) or head (17.9%). Discussion: Most accidents were of low or moderate severity (97.5%; Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale, MAIS score < 3). The frequency and severity of injuries among scooter- and other PMD users were similar. Scooter antagonists were rarely observed in pedestrian accidents (12/575). Most scooter- and other PMD-accidents did not have antagonists. Conclusion: Many head injuries could be prevented with more widespread use of helmets, among scooter- and other PMD users and bicycle users.