title: Age and gender variations in trend of road traffic fatalities in Manipal, India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence of road traffic fatalities has been increasing at an alarming rate and is a global cause for concern.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the age- and gender-based variations in the pattern of road traffic fatalities in Manipal, southern India and to provide an epidemiological profile of the population at risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Registry-based retrospective research on road traffic fatalities in Manipal, extending from 1994 to 2009, was conducted at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data were collected from the autopsy files and information furnished by the police in the inquest papers. Road traffic fatalities were analysed, keeping the gender and age of the victim as co-variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Road traffic fatalities constituted the majority of autopsied cases (38.6%) and unnatural deaths (37.8%). Percentage share of road traffic fatalities with regard to unnatural deaths in Manipal did not show a definite trend during the last 16 years. Male preponderance was quite evident, male-female ratio being 7.2:1. Male mortality pattern peaked during the third decade followed by a gradual decline, whereas the mortality pattern among women was almost uniform from second to seventh decade. Overall, people in their third decade were most prone to road traffic fatalities (26.9%), a trend similar to that of male mortalities. The overall pattern of road traffic fatalities was quite similar to those in other parts of India and the world. The global problem with regard to road traffic fatalities remains the same irrespective of the difference in topography and demography of the region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Kasturba Medical College (Affiliated to Manipal University), Mangalore 575001, India. tanujkanchan@yahoo.co.in
authors.forename: Tanuj
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanchan
authors.forename: Ritesh G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Shankar M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bakkannavar
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult