The average per-patient cost of hospitalization
was 30% higher for unhelmeted
riders in this study, which supports other
recent published findings that the cost of
medical care among unhelmeted riders is
significantly higher.8 The longer length of
stay for unhelmeted vs helmeted motorcyclists
in our study also supports recent
published findings.'0 The increased hospital
stay for unhelmeted riders can be
partially explained by the greater number
of readmissions to acute-care hospitals for
follow-up treatments or complications.
This finding shows that the number of
hospital days per motorcycle crash event
among unhelmeted motorcyclists is higher
and helps explain the increased direct
costs associated with hospita