There are about three times more off-road vehicle crashes resulting in injury now than there were 20 years ago, latest research shows.
And there has been an apparent increase in injury rates among boys aged 10-14, the most at-risk group.
Most injuries studied occurred while riding motorcycles, not allterrain vehicles, on farms and were as a result of falling or colliding with an object.
The majority of the injuries were fractures. The research, funded by the Otago Motorclub Trust and carried out by the University of Otago's clothing and textile sciences department, human performance centre and injury prevention unit, analysed New Zealand Health Information Service morbidity (injury) and mortality (death) data for Otago from between 2000 and 2005.
The study, Off-road Motorised Vehicular Injury in the Otago Region, was released yesterday.
It revealed most of those injured in off-road crashes during the period were males (84%). Twenty percent were aged under 15.
Yesterday, co-author Dr Cheryl Wilson said although a comparison with a 1980s study of national data was not ideal, ‘‘essentially'', the new provincial research revealed a three-fold increase in the number of off-road injuries.
The latest data was not detailed enough to identify what had contributed to the increase, which she hoped would be the subject of a further study.
Through her observations, she had noted there were more smaller-version motorcycles sold, with more children riding them, but researchers could not tell the cause without further investigation, she said.
However, it was interesting to note that while it might be expected there would be more injuries during motocross or other motorcycle events, most injuries occurred on farms, Dr Wilson said.
One of the reasons could be motorcycle event organisers' requirements for proper protective clothing and helmets to be worn. She hoped the results of the study would raise consciousness of the risks of riding, or driving, vehicles off-road.
‘‘They [motorcycles] are not toys.''
The report concludes by recommending a targeted programme to educate parents about the potential for injury among children riding or driving vehicles off-road; vehicle familiarisation courses for children; the development of a system that would evaluate whether a rider had the skills to ride motorcycles or an ATV; and promotion of quality protective clothing and helmets.
Barry Clarke, from the Otago Motorclub Trust, said it funded the project because it fitted with the organisation's purpose of improving driver education and road safety.
