Winter months in Delhi have been particularly harsh for motorists and pedestrians as the city has seen an alarming 15-20% rise in road traffic accident (RTA) cases, according to doctors here.
Physicians, who have observed the trend over the past two months (December and January), cite shorter daylight hours compared to the summer months, fog and smog as the possible reason for the escalated accident numbers.
Pollution adds to woes
Dr. Umar Zahoor Shah, head Emergency Services, Indian Spinal Injuries Hospital, said: “In winter, the lack of street lighting, fog, and smog are all factors that lead to road traffic accidents.”
Doctors add that cities like Delhi also see high vehicular emissions and industrial particulates that spike pollution levels and adversely affect perceptual judgement, leading to collisions.
“Even slow-moving cars meet with accidents because of poor visibility. While road injuries require emergency attention to begin treatment within the ‘golden period’, dealing with post-traumatic stress is difficult. Trauma may have far-reaching psychological consequences, so it’s important to take that too into account,” said Dr. Shah.
Bone injuries common
“An automobile accident can happen in different ways (front, rear, or side impact) and is likely to cause extensive orthopaedic injuries, besides psychological trauma. Knee and ligament injuries are the most common complaints. Most accident victims we see experience bleeding, and often internal organ injuries,” he said.
Road accident numbers are already very high in India. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 9,039 road accidents happened in 2014 due to unfavourable weather conditions, mostly fog, killing around 5,300 people.
According to the World Health Organisation, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people (in the age group of 15 to 29) worldwide. In India, there is 1 death every 4 minutes due to a road accident, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Delhi Medical Association member Dr. Anil Basal said out of all type of traumas in road accidents, brain injuries can be the worst and have a long-term impact.
Be careful
“Traumatic brain injuries can happen when the head hits a hard object such as the steering wheel or windshield or may occur as a result of the impact of the accident. This can cause bruising or contusion of the brain and haemorrhage,” he added.
In India, mixed traffic on roads push up accident risks. Other factors include drivers not keeping to road rules (lane driving, speed limits), pedestrians not wearing reflective gear and walking on the road due to poorly maintained or no pavements.
