PakMediNet

Muhammad Ishtiaq, Naeem Ullah, Muhammad Jibran Khan, Mohammad Khalid Khan, Adeela Mustafa, Bushra Iftikhar, Shehzad Alam Khan.
Frequency and determinants of road traffic accidents among drivers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan: a public health perspective
J Med Sci Oct - Dec 2024;32(4):360-4.

Authors details

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the frequency and determinants of road traffic accidents among drivers of Peshawar, Kohat, and Swat Districts, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by the Department of Community Medicine at Nowshera Medical College, Nowshera, from August 2023 to March 2024. After obtaining ethical approval, a total of 159 drivers were enrolled. A self-structured questionnaire was used to collect information regarding demographics & determinants of road traffic accidents. SPSS Software version 23.0 was used for data analysis, and finally, results were presented in tables. The chi-square test was used for statistical association. Results The prevalence of accidents was 59.75%. Moreover, 10.69% of drivers had an age < 18 years; 70.44% were tobacco smokers, 54.08% had < 5 years of driving experience, and 59.12% were illiterate. Additionally, 68.55% had a monthly income of less than 35000 PKR, 55.97% worked 7 days a week, and 27.04% had no valid driving license. Furthermore, 76.10% didn`t check their vehicles; 27.04% had no driving license, 65.41% used mobile while driving, 37.11% were using seat belts, and 30.82% were over-speeding. Conclusions The prevalence of accidents was moderate to high rate. The important determinants of road traffic accidents revealed a strong significant association with age, years of driving experience, literacy status, hours of sleep per day, tobacco & other drug addiction. Moreover, the use of mobile phones, availability of seat belts & their compliance, and over-speeding were important determinants, and thus, appropriate measures were needed to prevent and reduce the prevalence of road traffic accidents. Key Words Road Traffic Accidents: Drivers, Illiteracy, Tobacco Smoking, Seat Belts, Seat Belt, Mobile.