The Impact of Safety Equipment on Traffic Accidents: A Hospital Based Study

Background: Traffic accidents are one of the main challenges in community health. Three-fifths of road accident trauma are attributed to behavioral factors such as no use of protective equipment, including seat belts by car riders and crash helmets by motorcyclists. This study was undertaken to evaluate the severity of injuries of motor vehicle accidents. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out from April 2015 to April 2016 on 600 car accident victims. Statistical analyses were carried out with SPSS 21.0 at a significance level of 95% (P < 0.05). Data were reported using frequencies, percentages, and means. Chi-squared test was used to determine correlation. Results: Based on the results, the accidents were most prevalent between 5 p.m. to 12 midnight. Pedestrians and drivers were at highest risk for accidents on highways while motorcyclists exhibited the highest rate of accidents on side streets. There was no significant correlation between the type of injury, the location of accident, and the status of the victims in the emergency ward and use of safety equipment. There was a strong correlation between the injury severity, type of injury, and the anatomic location of injury and use of safety equipment (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Strong correlation was observed between the severity of injury, the type of injury, and the anatomic location of the trauma and no use of safety equipment (P < 0.05).