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

• Main Authors: Ranabir Pal, Amrita Ghosh, Raman Kumar, Sagar Galwankar, Swapan Kumar Paul, Shrayan Pal, Debashis Sinha, A K Jaiswal, Luis Rafael Moscote-Salazar, Amit Agrawal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019-01-01
• Series: Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
• Subjects: Public health; road safety; road traffic injury; traumatic brain injury; vehicle
• Online Access: http://www.jfmpc.com/article.asp?issn=2249-4863;year=2019;volume=8;issue=3;spage=775;epage=783;aulast=Pal

Roads are considered a sign of development bringing colossal benefits to community as socioeconomic and logistic facilitator. Yet, growth of road network has brought road crashes leading to civic pain from premature deaths of productive age group. In 2017, 16 citizens were killed and 53 injured every hour on Indian roads as per officially reported data, while a fair number go unreported. This is unacceptably high when compared with international standards. Risk correlates of road traffic injuries (RTIs) need to be redefined so as to form a continuum with other confounding factors that impact to take lives on road. Risk factors impacting RTIs vary from human components to the roles and responsibilities of healthcare stakeholders. We should have made roads safer for all citizens because a large percentage of population – children, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and the elderly – are most vulnerable. A taskforce was set up by the Academy of Family Physicians of India to scientifically analyze the literature available to assess risks and put forward appropriate recommendations.