Abstract

Background: In India, transportation via roads remains one of the most efficient ways to move goods and people, particularly in densely populated areas. However, rapid motorization and urban expansion—driven by economic growth—have intensified exposure to dangerous traffic conditions. Methods: This study investigates the burden, epidemiological patterns, and clinical impacts of road traffic accidents (RTAs) admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India. This is a hospital-based, cross-sectional study covering 720 accidents. Results: Among individuals involved in accidents attributed to overspeeding, 21 sustained fatal injuries, 436 sustained grievous injuries, 273 sustained minor injuries, and 94 escaped without injury. Among crashes involving alcohol consumption by the driver, 8 resulted in fatal injuries, 271 in grievous injuries, 121 in minor injuries, and 48 reported no injury. Wrong-side driving and mobile phone usage contributing to accidents have been relatively low in the sampled data. Head-on collisions accounted for a substantial proportion of severe injuries. Among these crashes, 7 victims sustained fatal injuries, 284 sustained grievous injuries, 138 sustained minor injuries, and 44 escaped without injury. Highest number of road traffic accident victims occurred during the afternoon-evening period (12:00 PM-6:00 PM). Conclusion: The study concludes that road traffic injury severity in this population is shaped by an interplay of driver behaviour (particularly speeding and drunken driving), collision mechanism, road infrastructure, and temporal/environmental factors.