Key Messages
Emergency Visits
Hospitalizations
Deaths
Technical Notes
Key Messages
- Rates of cycling injury emergency visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in Simcoe Muskoka are similar to the provincial average.
- Cycling injury deaths are rare with approximately one death per year in Simcoe Muskoka from 2000 to 2018.
- Those living in areas with the both the least and the most material deprivation have the highest rates of cycling injury emergency visits when compared with those living in all other areas. This pattern is different than most other causes of injury-related emergency visits.
Emergency Visits
According to the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS), in 2021 in Simcoe Muskoka, there were nearly 1,125 emergency visits for cycling related injuries. The age-standardized rate for cycling injury emergency visits in Simcoe Muskoka for all ages and sexes in 2021 was 190.5 (175.5, 202.2) visits per 100,000 population, which was not significantly different from the Ontario rate of 178.4 (176.2, 180.6) visits per 100,000 population.
The cycling injury emergency visit rates increased in 2020 by 15% in Simcoe Muskoka and by nearly 33% in Ontario overall. This was followed by a smaller decrease in 2021 of approximately 10% both locally and provincially. The 2021 rates remained higher than pre-pandemic levels.
There was a significantly downward trend in the cycling injury emergency visit rates in both Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario from 2003 to 2018, decreasing by approximately one per cent per year. The Simcoe Muskoka cycling injury emergency visit rates were above the provincial rate for each year over this period.
The age-standardized rate for cycling injury emergency visits in Simcoe Muskoka among males in 2021 was 270.4 (251.8, 290.0) visits per 100,000, which more than double the female rate of 107.9 (96.3, 120.6) visits per 100,000.
The 2020 and 2021 cycling injury emergency visit rates among Simcoe Muskoka males were not significantly different from the 2019; however, the 2020 rate among SImcoe Muskoka females was nearly 40% higher than 2019. This was followed by an approximate 13% decrease in 2021. There was a significant downward trend in the cycling injury emergency visit rates for Simcoe Muskoka males from 2003 to 2018 before increasing significantly in 2019; however, the trend for Simcoe Muskoka females remained flat from 2003 to 2019.
The age-specific rate for cycling injury emergency visits between 2017 and 2021 (combined) in Simcoe Muskoka was highest among children between the ages of 5 and 14 years at 512.2 (478.4, 537.9) visits per 100,000 populations. The age-specific Simcoe Muskoka rates were significantly higher than the provincial rates for children 5 to 14 years and young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years.
The 2020 and 2021 cycling injury emergency visit rates among Simcoe Mjskoka youth (5 to 14) were not significantly different from 2019; however, the 2020 rate among Ontario youth (5 to 14) was more than 40% higher than 2019. This was followed by an approximate 5% decrease in 2021; however, the 2021 provincial rate remained significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels. The trend in the cycling injury emergency visit rates among children (5 to 14 years) in both Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario demonstrated a significant downward trend from 2003 to 2018, decreasing by more than four per cent per year over this period. The 2019 rates were significantly higher when compared with 2018 both locally and provincially; however, the increase was more pronounced among Simcoe Muskoka youth. The Simcoe Muskoka youth cycling injury emergency visit rate was significantly higher than the provincial rate since 2003. The significant decline in cycling injury emergency visit rate among children that occurred prior to 2019 can be largely attributed to the substantial drop among boys, with rates dropping by more than half.
For the time period from 2017 to 2021 (combined) in Simcoe Muskoka, emergency visits for cycling injuries were highest among those living in both areas with the highest and lowest material deprivation (as measured by the 2016 Ontario Marginalization Index). This pattern is different than most other causes of injury-related emergency visits.
Hospitalizations
In 2021 in Simcoe Muskoka, there were nearly 60 hospital admissions for cycling related injuries for an age-standardized rate of 9.0 (6.8, 11.8) admissions per 100,000 population, which similar to the Ontario rate of 10.3 (9.8, 10.9) admissions per 100,000 population.
The cycling injury hospitalization rates increased in 2020 by approximately 40% in both Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario overall. This was followed in 2021 by a 20% decrease in Simcoe Muskoka and a 10% decrease in Ontario. The 2021 cycling injury hospitalization remain significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Between 2017 and 2021, Simcoe Muskoka children between the ages of 5 and 14 years had the highest rate of cycling injury related hospital admissions at 15.3 (11.3, 20.3) admissions per 100,000 population, which was not significantly different from the comparable provincial rate.
There was a substantial drop in the cycling injury related hospitalization rates among children (5 to 14 years) in Simcoe Muskoka, mainly due to the change observed among boys. Between 2003 and 2009 the cycling injury related hospitalization rate for boys between 5 and 14 years in Simcoe Muskoka was 46.9 (38.4, 56.6) admissions per 100,000 population; however, this drop to just 15.2 (9.2, 23.7) admissions per 100,000 for the time period from 2016 to 2019. The 2020 to 2021 rates among boys increase back to the levels observed between 2010 to 2015. The rates among Simcoe Muskoka girls has not changed significantly since 2003. The cycling hospitalization rates among Simcoe Muskoka boys and girls (5 to 14 years) were not significantly different from each other between 2016 and 2021, which is different than the pattern from previous years where the rate among boys were significantly higher.
Deaths
Over the 19-year period between 2000 and 2018, 20 Simcoe Muskoka residents died in cycling accidents, with 18 of the 20 decedents being male and more than half were as a result of a traffic collision with a car or truck. During the same 19-year period, 465 cyclists died across Ontario, with nearly 9-in-10 decedents being male and approximately 50 per cent of deaths were as a result of a traffic collision with a car, truck or bus.
Technical Notes
This HealthSTATS page provides data on injuries suffered by a pedal cyclist (i.e., any person riding on a pedal cycle or in a sidecar or trailer attached to such a vehicle) in a transport accident. A pedal cycle is any land transport vehicle operated solely by pedals. This page excludes pedal cycling injuries due to intentional self-harm or assault. It also excludes injuries related to motorized bicycles (including e-bikes).
For more local data on injuries and other health topics see the interactive dashboards available on Simcoe Muskoka HealthMAPS.
Mortality data come from the vital statistics database and are derived from death certificates completed by physicians, which are collected by the Office of the Registrar General (ORG) in Ontario. The cause of death reported is the occurrence that starts the sequence of events leading to death.
Pedal cycling injury data presented on this page are based on the ICD-10 codes: V10-V19. See the APHEO Core Indicator page for injury-related mortality for more details.
Date last updated: June 29, 2023