Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward road safety regulations among college students in Telangana state

Road traffic continues to be a major developmental issue and a public health concern. Road accidents in India kill almost 1.5 lakh people annually, and India accounts for almost 11% of the accident‑related deaths in the world. Prevention of road traffic accidents is very crucial by creating awareness and taking proper measures toward road safety.

The aims of this study were to assess the knowledge about road safety regulations and to assess the attitude and practices regarding road safety regulations. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross‑sectional study was conducted in a pharmacy college.

Study participants were all 4 academic years’ pharmacy students who know driving two‑ or four‑wheeler motor vehicle. Data were collected from a sample of 132 by predesigned pretested semi‑structured questionnaire. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were presented in proportions with confidence interval using SPSS ver. 22.

81.1% of the participants knew the minimum age to obtain driving license. Only 16% follow the road signs strictly and 76% wear helmet for long‑distance ride. Poor attitude was observed for wearing helmet for short‑distance ride, pillion rider wearing helmet, and drink and drive.

Majority of the participants were aware of road safety regulations. In spite of having positive attitude toward road safety measures by participants, they could not translate attitude into practice.