Pattern of road traffic injuries: A study from western Maharashtra

Injuries are increasingly recognized as a global public health epidemic. Around the world, almost 16,000 people die everyday from all types of injuries. Injuries represent 12% of the global burden of disease, the third most important cause of overall mortality and the main cause of death among 1-40 year age groups.(1) The category of injuries worldwide is dominated by those incurred in road crashes. According to WHO data, deaths from road traffic injuries account for around 25% of all deaths from injury.(1) India has one of the highest road accident rates in the world. There has been a steady rise in the casualties in road accidents in the country and their proportions in total deaths due to all accident have also increased considerably in the past. In India, nearly 80,000 get killed and 340,000 are injured every year in about 300,000 accidents on road network of just 22,00,000 km2. There is an accident every minute and death every 8 min. Significant variations also arise between different states of India.(4)