Depression, sleep disorder common among road crash victims and families

The report — Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities: The Burden on Indian Society — released on Saturday by the World Bank Group along with SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) looks at the socioeconomic realities of road crashes in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

At a time when discussion on mental health is gaining prominence, a survey revealed that 40.2% of road crash victims or their family members from low-income households in Maharashtra suffered from depression after the accident. Around 24.4% of those surveyed in the state also said they had sleeping disorders post the incident.

For representational purpose only. (HT FILE)

The report — Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities: The Burden on Indian Society — released on Saturday by the World Bank Group along with SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) looks at the socioeconomic realities of road crashes in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The study categorises households in low-income and high-income groups. Overall, around half of the low-income households (48%) stated that the family members suffered from depression, while about 26% from high-income groups stated the same.

For Maharashtra, the study also states that 22% of the victims from low-income groups admitted that their family/ household members developed health problems after the crash, while the figure stood at 24.1% for high-income households. In Maharashtra, a total of 528 respondents (victims and household members) participated in the survey, of which 113 belonged to high-income groups and 415 in low-income groups.

At the release of the report, Union minister for road transport and highways as well as micro, small and medium enterprise, Nitin Gadkari, said, “This report highlights the link between poverty and impact of road crashes. I urge all state governments to effectively implement the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 and work together to mitigate the effects of road crashes on poor and disadvantaged sections of the population.”

With 27,286 road crashes and 14,608 road crash deaths in 2019, Maharashtra was the second-highest in road crash deaths in the country that year. While India accounts for 1% of the world’s vehicles, it accounts for 11% of road crash deaths.

The report recommends making health infrastructure and coverage more accessible and inclusive, providing social security net for crash victims from low-income households through state support, creating an accessible legal framework for availing insurance and compensation for road crash victims.

Piyush Tewari, CEO and founder of SaveLIFE Foundation, said, “The findings of the report identify the areas that require immediate improvements such as efforts towards post-crash emergency care and protocols, insurance and compensation systems. It also presents an opportunity for development agencies, policymakers and respective state governments to prioritise a complete policy overhaul of the existing system and implement sustainable solution-oriented, inclusive measures to improve their performance on road safety.”