A prospective study on the risk factors, injuries and outcomes of road accident victims attending a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Despite numerous government initiatives and policy measures, road accidents are still a significant public health concern in India, with approximately 1.25 million deaths occurring annually with a mortality rate of 12 persons per 100,000 population. Young adults aged 18-45 years are the most affected, comprising 70% of total deaths. Objectives: This study was undertaken to determine the various epidemiological factors influencing RTA with a view to suggest appropriate remedial measures for prevention of accidents.Materials and Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted at MMIMSR, Mullana, Ambala. All the patients admitted in the hospital due to RTA from January 1 to December 31, 2023 were interviewed by using a pre-tested and pre-designed questionnaire. Data was entered in MS Excel and analysed using SPSS version 29.0. Institute ethics committee clearance was obtained.Results: Among 503 road accident victims, 84.2% were males and 15.8% were females. Majority of victim included in the study belonged to the age group of 16-45 years (73%) with a mean age of 36 years. The most common vehicles involved in accidents were two-wheelers (67.6%), majority of accidents occurred on rural roads (38%) but majority of mortalities occurred on highways (55.6%). Among human factors involved in accident, over speeding was found to be most prevalent (28%) while considering the environmental factors, inadequate visibility or lighting was involved among 128 (28%) accident cases. Among 340 two-wheeler riders, only 29.7% riders used helmet while driving.