Alcohol responsible for majority road accidents: Study

A majority of road accident victims in the city and suburbs were found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.

A majority of road accident victims in the city and suburbs were found to be driving under the influence of alcohol and most of the mishaps involved two-wheelers riding without helmets,a study has found.

According to the study undertaken by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER),to where most of the victims were admitted to,59 per cent of victims were in the age group of 20-40 years and 68 per cent of them were riding two-wheelers,its orthopaedic department head Dr M S Dhillon told a news conference in Chandigarh on Thursday.

Despite stringent measures,only 27 per cent of subjects were wearing protective equipment of helmet or seat belt at the time of the accident.

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A total of 100 patients were enrolled in the study conducted in the months of January-February this year. Our study shows that half of the accidents had occurred in evening hours (3-8 pm) and 30 per cent of accidents occurred on Saturdays,for which heavy traffic rush is a plausible answer. Eighty six per cent of victims were males, he said.

A good number of injured had confessed that they were riding under the influence of alcohol.

86 per cent admitted that they were aware that drunk-driving is not permitted by law.

Another finding of the study is that only 44 per cent of the respondents had valid licences.

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The premier hospital has decided to forward the findings to concerned police authorities and Chandigarh Administration so that measures could be evolved to prevent accidents caused by these factors,Dr Dhillon said.

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