Pedestrian injuries resulting from road traffic accidents: the Azare experience.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Road traffic accident (RTA) is a leading cause of serious morbidity and mortality world wide. The pedestrians are not spared from this epidemic. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to identify factors that puts the pedestrian at risk of injuries from RTA and the anatomical regions most commonly involved in our environment and suggest ways of curbing them. METHODS: This was a one-year retrospective study of 122 pedestrian casualties resulting from road traffic accident attending the Accident and Emergency (A/E) Unit of the Federal Medical Centre, Azare. RESULTS: Majority of the patients (72%) were males with a male to female ratio of 2.6:1. Children and adolescents constitute 54.1% of the casualties. Motorcycles were responsible for most of the pedestrian injuries (73%).The head and neck was the most frequently injured anatomical region of the body (43.4%), followed by the extremities (37%). The months of August and January were the peak periods of injuries. CONCLUSION: The safety of pedestrian is seriously threatened by the growing popularity of commercial motorcycles on our roads. Preventive measures are advocated to ensure only licensed cyclists are allowed on the roads. Adequate personnel training to manage head injury in our centers is also advised. More patrol by the road safety agents is advised in the months of January and August.