Key Messages
Emergency Visits
Hospitalizations
Deaths
Technical Notes
Key Messages
- Off-road motor vehicle injury emergency department visits having been increasing in Simcoe Muskoka since 2018.
- Emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths related to off-road motor vehicle injuries are significantly higher among the Simcoe Muskoka population when compared with the provincial averages. These injuries are also significantly higher among males and young adults.
- Off-road motor vehicle injury deaths are relatively rare in Simcoe Muskoka, with fewer than 5 deaths per year on average.
Emergency Visits
According to the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS), in 2020 there were nearly 700 emergency visits for occupants of off-road motor vehicles injured in transport accidents in Simcoe Muskoka and more than one-quarter were snowmobile-related injuries.
The age-standardized rate for off-road motor vehicle injury emergency visits in Simcoe Muskoka for all ages and sexes in 2021 was 121.5 (112.5, 131.0) visits per 100,000 population, which was about double the Ontario rate of 597 (58.5, 61.0) visits per 100,000 population.
The off-road motor vehicle injury emergency visit rates have been increasing since 2018 in both Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario overall. This follows a significant decreasing trend from 2008 to 2018. The 2021 rate in Simcoe Muskoka is the highest it has been in more than a decade. This most recent increase was due mainly to an increase in ATV-related injuries, which increased by 40% in Simcoe Muskoka and 30% across Ontario since the start of the pandemic.
The age-standardized rate for off-road motor vehicle injury emergency visits in Simcoe Muskoka among males in 2021 was 181.2 (165.9, 197.6) visits per 100,000, which was triple the Simcoe Muskoka female rate of 59.2 (50.4, 69.1) visits per 100,000. The male and female off-road motor vehicle injury emergency visit rates were approximately twice as high as the comparable provincial rates since 2003.
In 2020, snowmobile-related emergency visits among females in Simcoe Muskoka decreased by more than 40%, while visits among males only decreased by 15%. In 2021, snowmobile related emergency visits returned to the levels observed in 2019 for both males and females. In 2020, ATV-related emergency visits increased by approximately 30% for both males and females; however, in 2021 rates remained the same for females but increased by another 10% among males.
There was a significant increasing trend in the off-road motor vehicle injury emergency visit rates in Simcoe Muskoka among males from 2003 to 2008 followed by a significant decreasing trend from 2008 to 2019; however, no statistically significant trends were apparent for Simcoe Muskoka females from 2003 to 2019. The male off-road motor vehicle injury emergency visit rates were more than the three-times higher than the female rates since 2003.
The age-specific rate for off-road motor vehicle injury emergency visits between 2017 and 2021 (combined) in Simcoe Muskoka was highest among adults 20 to 44 years of age at 142.8 (135.1, 150.7) visits per 100,000, followed closely by children and youth under 20 years of age at 125.5 (116.9, 134.6) visits per 100,000. The age-specific Simcoe Muskoka rates were significantly higher than the comparable provincial rates for all age-groups.
For the time period from 2017 to 2021 (combined) in Simcoe Muskoka, emergency visits for off-road motor vehicle injuries were significantly lower among those living in areas with the highest amount of material deprivation when compared with those living in all other areas (as measured by the 2016 Ontario Marginalization Index). This is the opposite pattern of most injury-related emergency visits.
Hospitalizations
In 2021, there were nearly 90 hospitalizations for off-road motor vehicle related injuries in Simcoe Muskoka. The age-standardized rate for off-road motor vehicle injury hospitalizations in Simcoe Muskoka for all ages and sexes in 2021 was 15.3 (12.2, 18.9) admissions per 100,000 population, which was significantly higher than the Ontario rate of 7.7 (7.2, 8.2) admissions per 100,000 population. Approximately 10% of all off-road motor vehicle related injury emergency visits led to a hospital admission.
The age-specific rate for off-road motor vehicle injury hospitalizations between 2017 and 2021 (combined) in Simcoe Muskoka was highest among adults 20-44 years of age at 16.7 (14.3, 19.8) admissions per 100,000. The age-specific Simcoe Muskoka rates were significantly higher than the comparable provincial rates for adults between the ages of 20 and 64 years over this five-year period. The off-road motor vehicle injury hospitalization rates for males in Simcoe Muskoka were significantly higher than the comparable female rates for all age-groups over this same period.
Deaths
Over the 19-year period between 2000 and 2018, 86 occupants of off-road motor vehicles in Simcoe Muskoka died in transport accidents and 71 (or 83 per cent) of these deaths were from non-traffic collisions (i.e. not occurring on a public road or highway). Approximately ninety per cent of the decedents were males and half were adults between 20 and 44 years of age. The off-road motor vehicle mortality rate in Simcoe Muskoka (0.89 (0.70, 1.08) deaths per 100,000) was significantly higher than the comparable provincial rate (0.31 (0.28, 0.33) deaths per 100,000) over this 19-year period.
Technical Notes
This HealthSTATS page provides data on injuries to individuals that were either drivers or passengers of off-road motor vehicles including all-terrain vehicles (ATV) and snowmobiles. Injuries resulting from both traffic and non-traffic off-road motor vehicle collisions are included on this page.
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.
Off-road motor vehicle injury data presented on this page are based on the ICD-10 codes: V86.
Last updated: July 13, 2023