Head injury leading cause of death in road accidents in Bengaluru

Credit: DH Illustration

Head injuries are the leading cause of death in accidents in Bengaluru, according to the traffic police.

More than 70% of road users who lost their lives to accidents in 2021 had suffered head injuries.

Even though most hospitals have sophisticated trauma care units, the high mortality among road accident victims due to head injuries goes to show the importance of wearing quality helmets and seat belts even while venturing out for a short ride.

According to the city traffic police, Bengaluru saw as many as 499 fatal accidents in 2021. The bulk of the victims (354) — whether they were two-wheeler riders, pedestrians or car drivers — suffered injuries to the head before losing their lives. Other physical injuries that turned out to be deadly were facial (16), abdomen (34), chest (28), hand and leg (39), etc. In at least 22 cases, the tyres of the vehicle had passed on the victims, ripping them apart.

A police analysis of last year’s road accidents showed that in over 50% of the total accidents, road users had died in the first hour after the accident.

This indicates the severity of accidents that can occur in Bengaluru, which is infamous for slow-moving traffic.

Dr Ajit Benedict Royan, vice-president of Hosmat Hospital, said road deaths or injuries were preventable.

“We continue to see reckless riding, jumping signals and breaking one-way rules even when the traffic police are around. There is no sense of traffic discipline among most road users. Such behaviour endangers even disciplined road users,” Dr Ajit said, adding head and facial injuries are the most common injuries suffered by victims.

According to the traffic police, a majority of the accidents (448) were caused by speeding or driving carelessly either by the victim or the offender. Speeding is attributed as a major reason as 348 accidents took place on a straight
road.

The police report also mentions four fatal road accidents due to potholes and 16 deaths due to the absence of road signage.

There were at least two cases where the accident occurred due to the ongoing construction work and another four due to badly-lit roads.