European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Background: Injuries are the leading cause of death and hospitalization among young people aged 15–24 years in India. While progress has been made in preventing injury deaths and disability in both older and younger age groups, young people remain at increased risk of injuries. The purpose of the study is to raise awareness and provide the national authorities and stakeholders with an insight into the size and impact of risk-taking behavior in accidents. The study was conducted with an aim to estimate the prevalence of risk-taking behavior and road traffic accidents and its association between them. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 students aged 15-25 years of a medical and engineering colleges in Rajahmundry. A predetermined, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Data collected was entered and analyzed using Microsoft excels 2011 and Chi-square test was used to find the association between risk taking behaviour and road traffic accidents. Results: The prevalence of road traffic accidents in the study population was 46.7 per 1000 students/per year. Not taking personal safety measures (89%), over speeding (44%), using of mobile (46%) and thinking about something else (37%) were found to be the major factors causing road traffic accidents. There was a statistical significant association found between risk-taking behavior and a history of road traffic accidents (P<0.0001)