Awareness and behaviour patterns regarding road safety measures among undergraduate students

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONIn most regions of the world the global epidemic of traffic injuries is still increasing.1 In India motor vehicle population is growing at a faster rate than the economic and population growth.2 It has been estimated that unless immediate action is taken, road deaths will rise to the fifth leading cause of deaths by 2030. It may result in an estimated 2.4 million fatalities per year. Half of all road traffic deaths are among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, and adults aged between 15 and 44 years account for 59% of deaths. It has been estimated that unless immediate action is taken, road deaths will rise to the fifth leading cause of deaths by 2020. 4 Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) are the leading cause of death among individuals aged 15 to 29 and second leading cause of mortality among 20-24 years ABSTRACT Background: In most regions of the world the global epidemic of traffic injuries is still increasing. In India motor vehicle population is growing at a faster rate than the economic and population growth. It has been estimated that unless immediate action is taken, road deaths will rise to the fifth leading cause of deaths by 2020.The present study was aimed to assess the level of awareness regarding road safety among the study participants and to study the behavior patterns while using motorized vehicles among the study participants. Methods:The present cross-sectional study was conducted in Sri Siddhartha Dental College, Tumkur. All Undergraduate students were included in the study. A total of 200 students were studied. They all drive either their own vehicles or others' vehicles. They were aged from 17-27 years. The study period was from October 2016 to November 2016. Results: In total, 200 dental students were studied, ranging from 1 st to final year BDS of age 17-27years; the mean age being 21.67 and standard deviation of 3.170.Only 148(74%) wear helmet and only 61(30.5%) interpreted Gap-InMedian correct. Conclusions: The awareness regarding road safety measures among the study participants was satisfactory but interpretation of traffic signs was poor-only 30.5% interpreted gap-in-median correct. The behavioral patterns among dental students are not satisfactory-only 74% of students wear helmet while riding, only 81.5% wear seat belts and 23.5% don't follow lane rules while driving.

Awareness and behavior patterns regarding road safety measures among undergraduate medical students of western Uttar Pradesh: a cross-sectional study

“…7 The same distribution of participants observed by Ron et al and Ratna et al in the present study regarding behavioral patterns, 12% were involved in drunken driving. 8,9 These findings were similar to the observation in the study conducted by Swamy et al in Chandigarh. 10 In the present study, about 90 percent were aware that wearing a helmet can save a life, about the same observed by Ramya et al, observed where 98 percent of the study participants were aware of the use of a helmet.…”

Awareness on Traffic Rules and Safety Measures among Bachelor Level Students in Selected Colleges

“…This study revealed that 59.6% of the respondents had adequate level of awareness regarding traffic rules and safety measures. The study finding is supported by similar study (Ratna et al, 2017) which revealed that the awareness regarding road safety measures among the study participants was satisfactory but interpretation of traffic signs was poor (30.5%). The findings variation might be due to variation in setting, socio demographic characteristics of the respondents.…”

“…Simple measures such as awareness and practice of road safety measures can effectively reduce the impact of RTAs on the people's lives. Awareness generation and orientation towards road safety issues among the students should be done through periodic trainings (Ratna et al, 2017). Nepalese roads are one of the most dangerous in the world and chances of vehicle crashes are more than 100 times higher than in Japan and 10 times higher than in India.…”

A cross-sectional study to assess the knowledge, attitude and risk- behaviour towards Road Safety among Undergraduate Medical Students, Kanchipuram, Chennai

“…In our study, more no of female participants, 30 (45.54%) wore a helmet while riding a two-wheeler compared to males 20 (30.37%). Ratna et al in their study observed that overall, 74% wore a helmet (Ratna et al, 2017). The number of participants wearing a helmet in our study was far less, and this can be attributed to the relaxed law on helmet usage in our city and state.…”