Sports injury in Australia

Wheeled motor sports include motorbike racing and jumping, car racing, all-terrain vehicle riding and go-carting.

An estimated 264,000 Australians aged 15 and over participated in wheeled motor sports in 2021–22 (ASC, 2022). There were 3,800 injury hospitalisations attributed to wheeled motor sports – 3,500 males and 360 females. For those aged 15 and over, the rate of hospitalisation was about 1,100 per 100,000 participants.

The age-standardised rate of hospitalisations for injuries from wheeled motor sports decreased by 15% between 2020–21 and 2021–22 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Trend in injury hospitalisations from wheeled motor sports, by sex, 2012–13 to 2021–22

For more detail, see data tables B1–2.

The highest number of hospitalisations was in the 15–19 age group (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Age distribution of injury hospitalisations from wheeled motor sports, 2021–22 

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A14.

Almost 6 in 10 of these hospitalisations were fractures (59%) (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Top 5 injury hospitalisations from wheeled motor sports, by type of injury as a proportion, 2021–22

Note: Type of injury is derived from the principal diagnosis.
Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A25.

There were 170 hospitalisations for concussion – 140 males and 27 females.

The main injuries were most commonly to the arm or shoulder (26%), and the leg or hip (26%) (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Injury hospitalisations from wheeled motor sports, by body part injured, as a proportion, 2021–22

Notes
1. Body part injured is derived from the principal diagnosis.
2. ‘Trunk’ includes thorax, abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine & pelvis.

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A26.

Where the cause of injury was specified, it was most often a road transport accident (87%) (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Cause of injury as a proportion when specified, injury hospitalisations from wheeled motor sports, 2021–22

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A27.