Association of age between driving license and two-wheeler accidents in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: To document the frequency of motorbike accidents among licensed and unlicensed two-wheeler rider in rela-tion to the age of two-wheeler rider.
Methodology: This retrospective study was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan. Data were collected from three major medi-co-legal centers in public sector hospitals: JPMC (Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre), CHK (Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital), and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital over a five-year period (2018–2022). Ethical approval and consent were ob-tained from the Police Surgeon, data privacy and confidentiality was ensured. 11,444 two-wheeler accidents were in-cluded. The age of the injured rider and whether they had a valid driver's license were variables of interest. Version 23.0 of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to conduct the statistical analysis.
Results: showed that young people and young adults are disproportionately ride two-wheeler without driving licenses and are responsible for the bulk of two-wheeler accidents in Karachi. Poor compliance in the 19–29 age group and the lack of licensing among minors (less than 18 years old) point to structural issues with enforcement and regulation. We found burden of accidents comparatively smaller for older drivers.
Conclusion: Two-wheeler accidents is a major public health issue. As major burden, of two-wheeler accidents is asso-ciated with unlicensed rider and younger age, strict enforcement of licensing regulations and targeted awareness cam-paign for teenagers and young adults are needed to reduce the burden of two-wheeler accidents in Karachi
Key words: Road traffic accidents, Two-wheeler, Age, Driving license,