Introduction

According to a study conducted by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NTPRC) every four minutes a person is killed or injured in road accidents in India¹. The spectrum of injuries depends on site, direction & force of impact, design of vehicle, ejection of victim and supervening factors like overturning or fire.1

Road Traffic accidents (RTAs) have emerged as a major global public health problem of this century and are now recognised as “veritable neglected pandemic”.2 Motor vehicle crashes are a common cause of death, disability and demand for emergency medical care.2

Globally, about 1 million people die each year from traffic crashes and about 20-50 million are injured or permanently disabled. 3 In 2000, road traffic injuries were ranked as the ninth leading cause of death and the eighth leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost globally by the Global Burden of Disease Study.4 Accidents, tragically, are not often due to ignorance, but are due to carelessness, thoughtlessness and over confidence.5

With increasing population, increasing vehicular density and meager infrastructure amenities, the 21^st century is plagued by yet another important issue, Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) which has in fact become a slow modern pandemic and prescribing to a pattern of a secular trend of disease epidemiology.6 A majority of victims of road traffic injuries are men in the age group of 15-44 years and belong to the poorer sections of society.7 Also, a vast majority of those killed and injured are pedestrians, motorcyclists and pillions riders, and bicyclists.7

The magnitude of Road traffic accidents and fatalities in India is alarming. In 2009, 4.22 lakh road traffic accidents and 1.27 lakh road traffic fatalities were reported. These numbers translate into one road accident every minute and one road accident death every four minutes. However, this is an underestimate, as not all injuries are reported to the police.8

The main aim of the study is to study the pattern of injuries among two-wheeler drivers involved in road traffic accidents, in relation to different parameters in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Bhopal City.

Materials and Methods 

It is a prospective observational study carried out at a tertiary care hospital in Bhopal, during the one year period from 1^st January 2017 to 31^st December 2017.

Study population were two-wheeler drivers who came to emergency department of the hospital for treatment after sustaining injuries due to RTA.

Results

The total numbers of victim were 832 during the study period, among them 709 (85.21%) were male and 123 (14.78%) were female. Most of the victims were of younger age group (21- 30 years). The time of accident was evening (6 pm to 12 midnight) in the majority (43.62%) of cases. Most of the accidents (33.65%) have been taken place in rainy season (July to Sept.). In most of the cases (34.25%) the cause of accident was “Rash Driving”. The injury sustained in majority of cases was multiple injuries (37.86%) followed by head injury (29.32%). In majority of cases the victims who sustained different injuries were not wearing the helmet (79.68%). The duration of stay in hospital was 1 to 2 weeks in majority (44.95%) of cases. Partial recovery has been observed in 28.12% of cases while 67.06% of victims were completely recovered of their injuries. Deaths were observed in 4.80% of victims.

Discussion

RTA is a major preventable cause of mortality and morbidity in India. The 2-wheeler drivers are 2^nd most common group affected, preceded only by pedestrians. They are more prone owing to inherent instability of the vehicle, poor roads, rash & negligent driving, non-usage of helmets & with recent frequent fuel hikes people prefer to use a 2-wheeler as much as possible.

In the present study the maximum victims were found to be male (85.21% of total 832 cases) as in case of studies by Saumil P. Merchant et al 1 (86.3%), Dandona R and Mishra A 2 (>80%), Nilambar Jha et al 5 (83%) Dr. E. Ravi Kiran et al 6 (85.71%), Abhishek Singh et al 8 (88.71%), Dileep Kumar R. et al 9 (87%), Rakesh Kakkar et al 10 (80.5%), and Harnam Singh & A.D. Aggaewal 11 (83.1%).

The age group most commonly affected in present study was 21 to 30 years (43.75%), possibly due to greater exposure of males of younger age group to outdoor activities and also due to ignorance of traffic rules and safety measures, similar results were found in studies by Nilambar Jha et al⁵ (31.3%), Dr. E. Ravi Kiran et al6 (25.5%) and Dileep Kumar R. et al. 9 The commonest age group affected was 13-16 years (30.5%) in the study by Harnam Singh and A.D. Aggarwal.11

The time of accident was in evening hours (from 6 pm to 12 midnight) in maximum number (43.62%) of cases, due to high traffic load on roads in evening hours similar to studies by Dr. E. Ravi Kiran et al 6 (33.5%) and Abhishek Singh et al.8

Maximum number of accidents (33.65%) were found in rainy season (July to September) probably due to slippery roads, as also found in study by E. Ravi Kiran et al 6 but according to study by Saumil P. Merchanr 1 and Harnam Singh & A.D. Aggarwal 11 maximum cases of RTA were found in summer (40.3%) and winter (54.2%) respectively.

Among various factors responsible for road traffic accidents, in present study most common cause (34.25%) of RTA was rash driving as in case of study by Rakesh Kakkar et al,10 alcohol was the cause of accident in only 11.05% of cases in present study; almost similar results (13%) was found in the study by E. Ravi Kiran et al.6 Alcohol impairs judgment, increases reaction time and diminishes visual acuity, hence increasing chances of an accident.

Multiple injuries were sustained in maximum (37.86%) number of cases. The duration of stay in hospital was 1 to 2 weeks in maximum number (44.95%) of cases. Although survival rate has been improved in the recent times due to availability of emergency treatment but still the mortality is very high. Along with it, there is a high rate of morbidity, leading to very poor quality of life in the survivors due to the devastating consequences.

Complete recovery was observed in maximum number (67.06%) of cases. 4.80% of cases proved to be fatal. Partial recovery has been observed in 28.12% of cases. Even in these cases there is loss of productive capacity of a family along with decrease in quality of life.

Conclusion

The incidence of RTA is rising, especially involving two-wheelers leading to loss of productive and young lives of Country. It is very common to consume alcohol, lack of protective measures, reckless driving etc. especially in younger generation. Keeping all these factors in mind some steps should be taken to formulate policies with a view of reducing mortality & morbidity due to RTA.

Source of Funding

None.

Conflict of Interest

None.