More needs to be done to protect older men from motorcycle injuries: UBC Professor

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A UBC professor would like to see more done to prevent older men from being injured riding motorcycles.

Research out of the university has found the number of older men ending up in hospital for that reason in our province, has been growing.

The data doesn’t look at the reasons behind the increase, but Dr. Mariana Brussoni suspects it might have to do with baby boomers finding themselves with more time, and more disposable income.

Brussoni says hospitalization costs went up by 61 percent, explaining we’ve been caught a little behind in terms of preventing these injuries. “When we looked into….what are the ways that we can try and prevent some of these injuries from happening, we found that there wasn’t a lot of research.”

Brussoni says she’d like to see more done to prevent these injuries, perhaps using media to specifically target the group, or doctors speaking more with riders about changes related to age that should be considered when on a bike. “It’s not so much about getting men not to get on motorbikes because really that [has] got to be a personal decision. It’s about keeping them safe when they’re on.”

Hospitalization rate of men between 45 and 74 years old doubled in our province between 2001 and 2010.

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