Epidemiological Study of Road Traffic Accident Cases Admitted in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Andhra Pradesh, India

The present descriptive study was conducted to know the various epidemiological factors related to road traffic accident cases admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Andhra Pradesh from 1st July 2008 to 30 th June 2009 Road accidents are human tragedy. They involve high human suffering and monetary costs in terms of ultimately deaths, injuries and loss of potential income. They are no longer accidental. Deaths from road traffic injuries (RTI), particularly motor vehicle traffic accidents (MVTA), have been described as a worldwide hidden epidemic affecting all sections of society. Total 436 RTA victims were included in the study. There were 87.61% male and 12.39% female accident victims. Labourers were the highest (36.01%) among the victims. The highest number of accidents took place in the month of January (14.45%) and on Sundays (19.26%). 31.36% pedestrians were injured by motorized two wheelers, 20.34% by truck. Among the drivers of different types of vehicles, Motorized two wheeler drivers were victims in 31.1% cases Out of 134drivers 17.16.9% were found to have consumed alcohol. Being knocked down was the common mode of accidents. The real pressure and motivation to improve driving skills can come only through licensing authorities by adopting stricter, more comprehensive and scientifically based test laying a stress on road rules, regulations and traffic control devices.