Dr. Shamin Eabenson’s Research Highlights the Changing Profile of Road Traffic Accident Victims in Vijayapura
Road traffic accidents (RTAs) have become a major public health concern, affecting individuals, families, and communities across India. Beyond the immediate injuries and loss of life, road crashes can result in disability, financial hardship, loss of productivity, and long-term social consequences. Understanding who is most vulnerable to road traffic accidents is therefore essential for developing targeted prevention strategies.
Addressing this important issue, Dr. Shamin Eabenson, MBBS, MD (Community Medicine), Founder & Director of Eabenson Healthcare Private Limited, has contributed to research examining the sociodemographic profile of road traffic accident victims in Vijayapura, North Karnataka. The study provides valuable insight into the age, gender, residence, education, employment, marital status, family structure, and socioeconomic background of people admitted following road traffic accidents.
Road Traffic Accidents: A Growing Public Health Challenge
Road traffic accidents involve at least one moving vehicle on a road or public thoroughfare and can result in serious injuries or death. The causes are often complex, involving road infrastructure, vehicle conditions, traffic congestion, environmental factors, and human behaviour.
Speeding, distracted driving, violation of traffic rules, driving under the influence, and failure to use safety equipment such as helmets and seatbelts are among the important risk factors highlighted in the research. Rapid urbanization, increasing motorization, and inadequate road infrastructure can further contribute to the problem.
The study notes that road traffic injuries represent a significant public health concern worldwide, particularly affecting vulnerable road users and economically productive age groups.
Study Examines 206 Accident Victims
The research was conducted at BLDE (DU) Shri B. M. Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Centre in Vijayapura, Karnataka, over a one-year period from July 2024 to June 2025.
A total of 206 road traffic accident victims admitted to the hospital were included in the study. Researchers collected information through a semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire to understand their epidemiological and sociodemographic characteristics.
The findings provide a clearer picture of the groups most represented among RTA victims in the study population.
Young Adults Represent a Major Share of Victims
Age emerged as an important factor. The largest group of victims was between 18 and 30 years, accounting for 35% of participants. Another 29.1% were between 31 and 40 years, while 14.1% belonged to the 41–50 age group.
Overall, the findings indicate that people between 18 and 50 years represented the majority of road traffic accident victims in this study. This is particularly significant because these are largely working-age groups, meaning road crashes can have consequences extending beyond healthcare to household income and economic productivity.
Men Were Significantly More Represented
A striking finding was the gender distribution. Of the 206 participants, 185 were male and 21 were female. Males accounted for 89.8% of the accident victims, compared with 10.2% females.
The research also found that 88.3% of participants came from rural areas, while 11.7% were residents of urban areas. These findings underline the importance of understanding local road-use patterns and ensuring that road safety initiatives reach rural populations as well as cities.
Education, Employment and Socioeconomic Background
The study also examined several social factors. Nearly half of the participants, 47.1%, had completed a degree, while 24.8% had completed PUC and 12.6% had completed high school.
Employment status showed that 83% of participants were employed, highlighting the potential economic impact of road traffic injuries on individuals, families, and communities.
In terms of socioeconomic status, the largest group, 33%, belonged to socioeconomic class 2, followed by 31.1% in class 3 and 22.8% in class 4.
Why Sociodemographic Data Matters
Dr. Eabenson’s research emphasizes that understanding the demographic characteristics of accident victims can help public health authorities design more targeted road safety interventions.
Awareness campaigns can be directed toward vulnerable age groups, while safety initiatives can be adapted to the needs of rural communities and frequent road users. The study also points toward the need for further research examining education, socioeconomic status, gender, and other factors that may influence accident outcomes and prevention.
Road safety requires more than enforcement alone. It involves responsible road behaviour, safer infrastructure, appropriate vehicle maintenance, effective emergency response, public awareness, and evidence-based policymaking.
Through his work in community medicine and public health research, Dr. Shamin Eabenson continues to examine healthcare challenges that directly affect communities. His research on road traffic accidents reinforces an important message: better data and deeper understanding of vulnerable populations can help create more effective strategies to prevent road injuries and protect lives.
For Professional Enquiries
Dr. Shamin Eabenson
MBBS, MD (Community Medicine)
Founder & Director – Eabenson Healthcare Private Limited
📞 Phone: +91 7550086817
📧 Email: drshamin123@gmail.com
🌐 Official Website: https://eabensonhealthcare.com/
🔗 LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shamin-eabenson-1a55811b3/
