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• Back ground: A thorough analysis of injury-patterns, risk and contributory factors of pedestrian-accidents is essential
[toachieve a better insight into the changing trends of this problem.
: Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using an interviewer-administered questionnaire on 450
pedestrians admitted to CSTH following non-fatal traffic-accidents over a period of two years.
Results: 69% of the affected were males. 70% were above 50 years and 13% were below 10 years. 7.4% had
consumed liquor and 13.6% were using mobile phones at the time of the accident. 10% was previously diagnosed as
having psychiatric-disturbances. 13%, 18% and 8% had visual, hearing and gait disturbances respectively. 16%
admitted being under stress. 69% of accidents occurred during 1pm to 6 pm. and 70% on main roads. 60% occurred
during crossing the road. 43.8% occurred on a pedestrian-crossing. 22% admitted contributory negligence on their
part white 60% exclusively incriminated the driver of the offending vehicle. 78% claimed of over-speeding. Three
-wheelers, motor-bikes, motor-cars and private buses were incriminated at a rate of 45%, 26%, 15% and 12%
respectively. 74% of the injuries were confined to lower and upper limbs, 56% of injuries consisted of abrasions,
contusions and lacerations only. 31% had sustained fractures and 2.5% had non-fatal internal organ damage. No
significant co-relation was seen between the category of hurt and alcohol consumption or mental illness. .
Conclusion: The elderly are the most vulnerable. Attention is needed for rectifyingthe process of crossing main roads.
Key words: pedestrians, non-fatal road accidents, alcohol, pedestrian crossing
