A Public Health Perspective of Road Traffic Accidents

Abstract

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) have emerged as an important public health issue which needs to be tackled by a multi-disciplinary approach. The trend in RTA injuries and death is becoming alarming in countries like India. The number of fatal and disabling road accident happening is increasing day by day and is a real public health challenge for all the concerned agencies to prevent it. The approach to implement the rules and regulations available to prevent road accidents is often ineffective and half-hearted. Awareness creation, strict implementation of traffic rules, and scientific engineering measures are the need of the hour to prevent this public health catastrophe. This article is intended to create awareness among the health professionals about the various modalities available to prevent road accidents and also to inculcate a sense of responsibility toward spreading the message of road safety as a good citizen of our country.

Frequency of infra-orbital nerve injury after a Zygomaticomaxillary complex fracture and its functional recovery after open reduction and internal fixation

“…13,14 There are various causes of RTA, but in this part of the developing world, the main cause lies in the attitude of the population which results in speedy driving, not following the rules of the traffic, crossing the intersection on a red light, overburdened vehicles, driver fatigue, lack of regular and proper checkup of the automobile and the dearth of a proper road structures. 15 Worldwide the fracture to the facial regions are more common in males, the ratio may vary widely but males are more prone to maxillofacial trauma due to RTA, assaults, sports and war. Bakardjiev and Pechalova from Bulgaria reported a male to female ratio of 4.6:1.…”

Burnout, Occupational Stress, Health and Road Accidents among Bus Drivers: Barriers and Challenges for Prevention

“…For instance, recent studies report that drivers' illness is associated with sickness absence, turnover intention, and accidents [3,47]. Research on bus drivers also report that fatigue, shift work [38,48], age, driving experience, previous accidents and their severity, the type of vehicle (public light bus/charter bus/school bus/minibus), and route are correlated with the risk of being involved in road accidents [49,50].…”

“…The potential health damage to the road users makes road accidents a public health concern [2,49]. Age and experience are documented predictors of the risk of road crash [3,51,56,57].…”

An Analysis of Emergency Healthcare Delivery in Ghana: Lessons from Ambulance and Emergency Services in Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai District

“…The need for professional handling of accident victims is adequately documented (see WHO, 2004;Gopalakrishnan, 2012). Although the onlookers will like to offer genuine help, their inexperience can complicate matters and worsen the plight of accident victims.…”