Turns out two wheels are safer than four when it comes to off-road riding, a hobby that's on the rise around the nation, according to new research from Johns Hopkins.
Those involved in four-wheel all-terrain vehicle (ATV) crashes are 50 percent more likely to die of their injuries than those riding off-road motorcycles, such as those used in Motocross, according to the research to be presented this week at the American College of Surgeon's 2010 Clinical Congress.
The researched showed ATV crash victims were 55 percent more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit and 42 percent more likely to be placed on a ventilator.
"There's a belief that four wheels must be safer than two," said Cassandra Villegas, a research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Surgery Trials and Outcomes, in a statement. "But we found the opposite. People involved in ATV crashes are more likely to die or suffer serious trauma."
Because off-road riding, frequently on rough terrain, in on the increase, Villegas wanted to look at safety issues. She found injuries in general also are on the rise: 150,900 in 2007, versus 92,200 in 2000, Villegas said. Researchers looked at data on nearly 60,000 injured riders.
They weren't sure lack of helmets was a huge contributing factor in the disparity of injuries, though more states have motorcycle helmet laws and more actually wear them. They said weight of the ATVs and the lack of protective clothes ATV riders wear could be factors. Researchers are hoping, in any case, that ATV makers use the data to design safer vehicles.
Do you ride? Wear proper protection?
Getty Images photo of an ATV