Majority of road crashes Preventable: DG Rescue 1122

The Director General Dr. Razwan Naseer was briefed about Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) data by the Research Wing of the Service. The Review of Road Traffic Crashes managed by the Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) during May, 2011 in all Districts of Punjab was held at Head Quarter of Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122). In the month of May, 2011 Rescue 1122 responded to 11888 Road Traffic Crashes emergencies and It was observed with great concern that most of the victims of these crashes (55%) were young citizen having age of 11 to 30 years. The percentage of Motorcycle Crashes was observed 53 %. Looking at the causes of these Traffic Crashes 35% was found due to carelessness and 32% because of over speeding. The Director General was briefed that in these Traffic Crashes resulted, Minor Injuries 59%, Fractures 28% and Head Injury 12% were the major outcome of these crashes. Head Injury is often critical and sometimes results in fatalities and it is quite frequent in motorcyclists who do not use safety helmet. The Director General, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, expressed his concern regarding growing burden of RTCs and involvement of younger age groups in these crashes. He emphasized the role of all road safety advocates to address this serious public health issue. He also stressed the responsibility of parents to ensure safety of their children and they should not let them ride motorcycle without wearing of safety helmet. He further added that by following traffic safety rules and wearing of protective equipments (Helmet, Seat Belt etc.), we can prevent majority of road crashes and in turn reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with these collisions.

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