Applying Haddon Matrix for Evaluation of Road Crash Victims in Delhi,India

Road traffic injuries are placing an increasing and disproportionate global health burden upon developing countries. An understanding of region specific epidemiological risk factors is imperative in order to plan appropriate prevention and control strategies. The objective of the study was to evaluate epidemiological risk factors of road traffic injury victims in Delhi, India with the help of Haddon injury analysis framework. The current study was conducted among crash victims admitted to the government hospital. Data obtained from the hospital, police records and crash victims was triangulated with geospatial analysis. Haddon matrix was utilized to understand the interplay of human, vehicle and environmental factors in pre-crash, crash and post-crash phases of an accident. A total of 544 victims were included as study participants with mean age of 30.8 years for males and 31.81 years for females and were from lower socio-economic groups. Pedestrians (36.2%) and two-wheeler riders, especially those on pillion vehicles (21.5%), were worst affected victims. The crude odds ratio for motorized road users for experiencing a crash was higher on slippery roads [p < 0.05; OR = 0.197 (0.082–0.474)]. Moderate to heavy traffic flow (p = 0.001; OR = 0.469 (0.317–0.696) was found to be a protective factor for accidents. Geospatial analysis revealed clustering of crashes near traffic lights, markets and schools. Integrated approaches addressing engineering, technological and environmental factors along with behavioural modifications is needed to produce definitive changes in road crash trends.