‘74% of deaths due to head injury preventable’, say experts
The Hindu
Helmets covering the full face prevented head injuries to the extent of 74% and reduced instances of life-threatening injuries to the face by 64%, police said.
Speakers at a community awareness programme on road safety at Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS University) on Tuesday said 74% of the deaths due to head injuries in road accidents could be prevented by wearing helmets.
The meeting, organised by traffic police on the occasion of ‘World Head Injury Awareness Day’, was inaugurated by SVIMS director and vice chancellor B. Vengamma.
Helmets covering the full face prevented head injuries to the extent of 74% and reduced instances of life-threatening injuries to the face by 64%, deputy superintendents of police (traffic) B. Katama Raju and K. Vijaya Sekhar said.
According to World Health Organisation statistics, over two persons died every minute due to road accidents, taking the death toll to a whopping 13 lakh a year. “The highest number of deaths occurring in youth and adolescents is attributed to road accidents, which explains the pertinent need to wear helmets and seatbelts while [riding]/driving,” Mr. Katama Raju said. Mr. Vijaya Sekhar said deaths due to accidents could only be curtailed with a change in the mindset of road users.
Senior professor of neurosurgery at SVIMS B.C.M. Prasad appealed to the public to rush accident victims to the nearest hospital within the ‘golden hour’.
Associate professors Venkat and Sri Kumari gave presentations on the caution needed while shifting victims from the accident site to the hospital and the mode of physiotherapy given to road accident victims.
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