The effect of ‘THE MOTOR VEHICLES (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2019’ on the clinico-epidemiological profile of road traffic accident patients presenting to a tertiary care trauma centre in Bhubaneswar

CONTEXT: Road traffic accidents (RTA) are a foremost rising cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries like India. The Government of India enacted a new motor vehicle amendment act (MVA) on September 1(st) 2019 that permits heavy penalties for traffic rule offenders. AIMS: To find out the early impact of “THE MOTOR VEHICLES (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2019”. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A retrospective observational study was performed during the time period July to October 2019 on RTA patients admitted to the Trauma and Emergency department. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients studied in two groups – One Pre MVA group (n = 371) and one Post MVA group (n = 415). The data were extracted from medical case records of the department and filled up in a structured format. Detailed demographic profile, including the use of safety measure and clinical variables such as the pattern of injury and injury severity scores, were recorded. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Statistical analysis was done by R version 3.6.1. RESULTS: There is a 41% drop in RTA victims post MVA implementation. Polytrauma reduced (25% vs 45.5%) significantly (P = 0.002) and so was Injury severity score (6.00 vs 13.00). More RTA victims were wearing helmets as compared to previous (42% vs 18%), and there was a steep decline in the alcohol driving (25% vs 10%) between the pre and post MVA group. A significant reduction noted in the under 18 yrs. Two-wheeler riders in the post MVA group compared to earlier (P = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals that there is a commendable reduction in the injury severity, violation of safety gears, alcohol use and rash driving following the implementation of MVA September 2019. Primary care and family physician can play a crucial role in creating public awareness about the personal safety measures, which will help in strengthening of this law to reduce the incidence of RTA and the associated mortality and morbidity