According to a study linking these events to an increase in organ donations and transplants, motorcycle rallies that bring together thousands of enthusiasts to ride and rode on two wheels can increase odds of fatal accidents in the area.
In an analysis of regions of the United States, where seven years motorcycle the rally took place between 2005 and 2021, the number of daily sponsors increased by 21% during the events compared with four weeks before and after, according to research from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital was published in JAMA lingerie. People who get transplants on a daily basis have increased by 26% during the protests.
Protests like Daytona Bike Week in Florida and Sturgis . motor race in South Dakota attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors within 10 days, with participants often coming from long distances. The data shows that one more donor will be added for every two major motor races, and six more patients will be transplanted in the areas surrounding the events. While the top priority is to save lives, doctors should also be ready for a dramatic increase in life-saving organs, the researchers say.
“Attempts should be made to predict and convert eligible deaths from these events into organ donation,” they said in the study. According to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, more than 100,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list, with 17 dying every day waiting for a transplant. website.
Previous studies have linked motorcycling protests to injuries at local hospitals and excessive motor vehicle deaths. Of the half-million people who attended Daytona Cycling Week in 2000, 570 were involved in 281 motorcycle crashes that resulted in 72 hospitalizations and 11 deaths, according to a 2003 study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Many factors can lead to the increase in accidents, the researchers say. The transport infrastructure in the rural areas where the protests are held is suitable for smaller populations and fewer means of transport. According to an analysis in 2021, motorcyclists who cause crashes tend to be older, male and more likely to engage in dangerous behaviors, such as drinking before driving. Driver.
According to the authors, those who have studied records from more than 10,000 organ donors and 35,000 transplant recipients, rally organizers and local officials should be aware of the risks these events pose. . Organizers should pay attention to traffic management and encourage safe helmet wearing and motorcycling to improve event safety, the authors said.
“The spikes in organ donation and transplantation that we found in our analysis are worrisome, even if not entirely surprising, because they signal a systemic failure to avoid preventable deaths, it’s a tragedy,” he said. David Cron, a clinical fellow in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, who led the study. “Clearly there is a need for better safety protocols around such events.”
