TO EVALUATE THE VARIOUS RISK FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN PUNJAB – A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Objective: Evidence from research suggests that human factors and the road environment are among the most frequent contributors to the occurrence of road traffic accidents (RTAs). Hence, traffic rule and various policies, alike have strengthened their efforts to cope with this public health burden. Yet, still little is known about the factors contributing to the high number of RTAs. In this study, we tried to find out the various risk factors responsible for road accidents in the Punjab region. Methods: The present study was conducted in Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar, involving 1425 patients who were admitted to the Emergency Department from January 1st, 2012, to December 31st, 2012, due to injuries in RTAs. Results: In our study, it seems that most of the cases were in the age group of 15–44 years. In all the age groups, males were the predominant victims with male-to-female ratio of 5.72:1. Majority of cases belonged to an upper–lower socioeconomic group, according to the Kuppuswamy scale and the major proportion of accidents occurred during the morning and evening busy hours of the day hours. Out of a total of 893 drivers, 858 (96.08%) had no knowledge about the speed limit prescribed for the road or speed. Conclusion: There appears to be a large number of behavioral issues and a lack of knowledge that contributes significantly to the road accident rates in the Indian states. Hence, there is a need for policy intervention. Most effective measures used to reduce the number of accidents, in descending order of magnitude, are how strictly the traffic police enforce the law, more levels of penalties, and more traffic police, including more speed measuring devices.