Age-stratified analysis of the severity of injuries in electric tricycle accidents among the elderly, compared with other age groups.

Authors

Tianlin Cui, Facheng Chen, Tinghua Liu, Lining Chen

Published in

Traffic injury prevention. Pages 1-11. Aug 07, 2026. Epub Aug 07, 2026.

Abstract

Electric tricycles are widely used for short-distance passenger and freight transport in China, particularly in urban-fringe and rural areas. Their rapid growth has raised safety concerns because these vehicles provide limited occupant protection and frequently operate in mixed-traffic environments. This study examined age-related heterogeneity in injury severity among electric tricycle drivers and identified factors associated with severe/fatal injury outcomes across different age groups.
Police-reported electric tricycle crashes from 2020 to 2024 were analyzed. After data screening, 1,425 crashes were retained. Drivers were classified into three age groups: under 45 years, 45-59 years, and 60 years and above. Injury severity was categorized into three levels: property-damage-only, slight injury, and severe/fatal injury. Age-stratified random-parameters logit models were estimated to account for unobserved heterogeneity, and marginal effects were calculated to compare injury-severity patterns across age groups. In addition, a pooled model with age-by-risk-factor interaction terms and COVID-19 period sensitivity analyses were conducted to further examine age-related differences and the temporal robustness of the findings.
The results showed clear age-related heterogeneity in injury-severity determinants among electric tricycle drivers. Drivers aged 60 years and above accounted for the largest share of crashes and showed a more pronounced severe/fatal injury pattern than younger and middle-aged drivers. Among older drivers, helmet nonuse, unlicensed driving, pedestrian or rollover crashes, rear-end collisions, turning maneuvers, and signal-controlled intersections were more strongly associated with severe/fatal injury. By contrast, severe/fatal injury among drivers under 45 years was more closely associated with nighttime conditions and specific time-of-day factors, while injury severity among drivers aged 45-59 years was mainly related to selected maneuver and crash-configuration factors. The pooled interaction model further showed that, compared with younger unlicensed drivers, older unlicensed drivers had higher severe/fatal injury probabilities. Middle-aged and older drivers also showed higher severe/fatal injury probabilities in no-responsibility crashes. COVID-19 period analyses indicated that the main age-related findings were generally stable.
Older electric tricycle drivers bear a disproportionate burden of fatal and serious injury in police-reported crashes. Prevention strategies should therefore prioritize older adults through improved helmet use, strengthened licensing and safety management, age-friendly roadway and intersection design, and safer operating environments for electric tricycles. At the same time, interventions should also reflect the distinct risk profiles of younger and middle-aged drivers. Age-stratified safety policies may be more effective than one-size-fits-all approaches in reducing injury severity among electric tricycle users.

PMID:
42566232
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Aug 2026.

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