ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES

• Accident is defined an unexpeceted , unplanned occurrence which may involve injury

• Unpremediated event resulting in recognizable damage- WHO advisory group -1956

• Occurrence in sequence of events which usually produces uninteded injury, death or property damage

Measurement of the problemMortality• Proportional mortality rate:- number of deaths due to

accidents per 100 or 1000 total deaths

• Number of deaths per million population:- killed in a road traffic accident is defined as any person who was killed outright or within 30 days as a result of the accident

• Death rate per 1000 or 1 lakh population per year

• Number of fatalities or accidents as a ratio of the number of vehicles per km or passengers per km

Morbidity

• Measured in terms of serious injuries and slight injuries

• Serious assessed by abbrevated injury scale

• Less reliable – under reporting/ mis-reporting

Disability

• May be temperory or poermanent, partial or total

• International classification of impairments , disabilities and handicaps – WHO- to estimate disability at a given moment

TYPES OF ACCIDENTS

• Road traffic accidents

• Domestic accidents

• Industruial accidents

• Railway accidents

• violence

RTA• Ranks first among all fatal accidents

• 1.3 million die per year

• For every death, 20-50non fatal and 10-20 serious injuries occurs

• Higher in younger age groups

• Children and young people <25 years accounts for 30% of all injuries and deaths

• males are more prone

• In India 4.4 lakh RTA reported in year 2011

• Rate of deaths per 1000 vehicles decreased from 1.6 in 2007 to 1.2 in 2011

• 22.4% were two wheelers

• Maxm number occur between 3-6 pm

Risk factors

• Speed

• Drink driving

• Motor cycle helmets

• Seat belts and child restraints

• Distracted driving

Speed

• Pedestrains have 90% chance of surving a car crash at 30 km /hr and < 50% at an impact of 45km/hr or more

• 30km/hr zones reduces the risk of crash

• Lower average traffic speed

Drink-driving

• Risk for crash – when BAC > 0.04gm/dl

• Enforcing check points and random breath testing lead to reductions in crashes by about 20%

Motor cycle helmets

• Wearing helmets reduces risk of deaths to <40% and severe injury by < 70%

• Helmets should meet recognized safety standerds

SEAT BELTS AND CHILD RESTRAINTS

• Seat belts reduces fatality by 40-50% of front seat and 25-75% of rear seat passengers

• Strict laws are effective

• Child restraints are effective fo infats by approx. 70% deaths and small children 54-80%

Prevention of RTA

1. DATA COLLECTION

2. SAFETY EDIUCATION

3. PROMOTION OF SAFETY MEASSURES

4. ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS

5. PRIMARY CARE

6. ELIMINATION OF CAUSATIVE FACTORS

7. ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS

8. REHABILITAITON SERVICES

9. ACCIDENT RESEARCH

DATA COLLECTION

• Should have a basic reporting system

• Special surveys and in depth serveys needed

• Environmental data-road, vehicle, weather, etc to be collected

Safety education

• Begin with school education