Correlates of road traffic accident in cases attending Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital, Kanpur

Introduction: Globally, road traffic accidents rank 8th among the leading causes of death. According to WHO data, deaths from road traffic injuries account for around 25% of all deaths from injury. Objective: To study the various correlates of road traffic accident in cases attending LLR Hospital, Kanpur. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among road traffic accident cases attending Emergency Ward of Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh during the period of March-September, 2015. Data was recorded in a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS software version 16.0. Results: Out of 609 RTA cases, maximum number (54.19%) were in 20-40 years age group. Most of the RTA victims were males (69.95%) and majority were literate (90.97%). Maximum number (28.74%) of RTA took place between 4.00 p.m-8.00p.m. Maximum number (36.95%) of RTA victims were two-wheeler drivers, followed by two-wheeler riders (26.60%). 16.60% of drivers of motorized vehicles had no driving license. 85.48% of motorized vehicle users were not using any protective gear (helmet, seat belt etc.) at the time of accident. Conclusion: Young adults in the economically most productive age group were the commonest victims of RTA. There is need of creating awareness regarding traffic rules among general public and strict enforcement of traffic rules by the concerned authorities.