Alarming Facts about Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs)

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are injuries or consequences suffered due to accidents involving motor vehicles on public roads.

Facts about Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs)

1. Drunken driving: In the case of drunk driving, the risk of road traffic accidents increases significantly when the driver's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is ≥ 0.04 g/dl (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Impaired Driving: Get the Facts
   
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2. Distractions: Drivers who talk on their cell phones or to a co-passenger are approximately 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash. Using a phone while driving slows down reaction time (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Public health crisis of road traffic accidents in India: Risk factor assessment and recommendations on prevention on the behalf of the Academy of Family Physicians of India
   
   Go to source).
3. Disobeying Traffic Rules: Drivers sometimes disobey traffic rules, jump signals or do not properly use indicators. These are sure shot recipes for accidents waiting to happen. Nearly half of the victims are "vulnerable road users" : pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Public health crisis of road traffic accidents in India: Risk factor assessment and recommendations on prevention on the behalf of the Academy of Family Physicians of India
   
   Go to source).
4. Speed: Some drivers are always in an unwarranted haste or hurry to beat traffic and save time. The increase in average speed is directly proportional to the occurrence and severity of crashes. For example, an adult pedestrian’s risk of death is less than 20%, if struck by a car at 50km/hr, but can increase to 80% if hit by the same car at 80 km/hr (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Road traffic mortality
   
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5. Safety Accessories: Proper seat belt wearing measures can reduce the risk of injury by 40-50 % in front seat drivers and 25-75% in rear seat passenger. Wearing a proper helmet during motorcycle rides can decrease the mortality rate by 40% and the severity of injury by 70% (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Road traffic accidents - a challenging epidemic
   
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6. If child restraints and safety measures are correctly installed and used, these restraints can reduce the mortality risk in infants and children by 70% and 50%.
7. Global Deaths: If any action is not taken, road traffic accidents will become the seventh leading cause of global deaths by 2030 (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Road traffic mortality
   
   Go to source).
8. A new agenda for sustainable development by 2030 has been made to reduce by half the number of global deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents

Statistics on Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs)

1. Approximately 1.35 million people die annually in road accidents (7^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Road traffic injuries
   
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2. On an hourly basis, around 40 youngsters under the age of 25 die in road accidents worldwide.
3. According to the WHO, Low and middle-income countries face 90% of the most fatal road accidents in the world and among these, Africa faces the highest road traffic accidents every year (8^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Road Safety
   
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4. People between the age of 15 and 44 account for about 48% of global traffic deaths.
5. Approximately 20- 50 million people suffer from a disabling injury of some kind due to these traffic accidents (6^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   A public health perspective of road traffic accidents
   
   Go to source).
6. According to the Indian Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Statistics Report (2014), 3,16,828 road traffic deaths were observed in India.
7. Every hour, nearly 16 lives are lost due to road accidents in India (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   Public health crisis of road traffic accidents in India: Risk factor assessment and recommendations on prevention on the behalf of the Academy of Family Physicians of India
   
   Go to source).
8. Most accidents occur in the afternoons and during peak hours (9^✔ ✔Trusted Source
   First aid measures by bystanders at the place of accident. A prospective, epidemiologic study in the Vienna area
   
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9. Approximately 73% of all road traffic accident victims are young men under the age of 25.
10. Road traffic accidents cost many countries almost 3% of their gross domestic product (10^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Road traffic injuries
    
    Go to source).

Road Safety - How to Prevent Accidents

1. Drive within the speed limits and avoid speeding around accident prone areas.
2. Traffic rules should always be obeyed.
3. Seat belts should be worn.
4. Pedestrians and children should be given preference.
5. Read the caution signs carefully.
6. Install anti-skid brake systems in vehicles to reduce the risk of skidding.
7. Reflectors should be used on the rear of the vehicle.
8. It is vital to install reflectors on roads so that deviations and medians are clearly visible to drivers.
9. Avoid drugs and alcohol while driving.
10. Falling asleep behind the wheel (5^✔ ✔Trusted Source
    Road Traffic Injuries and Deaths - A Global Problem
    
    Go to source).