Ride your two-wheelers with caution say doctors from Narayana Health City in a joint initiative with Bangalore Traffic Police on the occasion of World Head Injury Awareness Day

Bengaluru, March 21, 2016: The city has seen a spate of road accidents in the recent past where many young two-wheeler riders have lost their lives. Traumatic brain injuries are very common and occur due to road traffic accidents. According to data available with Bangalore Traffic Police, in 2015 alone more than 300 individuals have lost their lives and over 1900 have been seriously injured in road accidents involving two-wheelers.

Narayana Health Network of Hospitals in Bengaluru has taken the initiative to create awareness among the Youth of Bengaluru to propagate the message of riding two-wheelers safely. This initiative by Narayana Health Network of Hospitals in partnership with Bangalore Traffic Police witnessed a campaign kickoff today at Freedom Park in the midst of hundreds of youths from Bangalore city to mark the occasion of World Head Injury Awareness Day observed on March 20^th every year. Present on the occasion were Dr. M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bangalore City along with Mr. Joseph Pasangha, Facility Director, Narayana Health City, Dr. Kiran M, Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon, Dr. Srinath, Consultant & Head – Emergency & Critical Care and Dr. Syed Zulkharmain Dousheed, Consultant Pulmonologist from Narayana Health City, Bengaluru.

“Head injuries are the most common cause of death and mortality and many of the head injuries are preventable by wearing helmet. This drive is to create awareness to prevent road accidents and head injuries in association with Bengaluru Traffic Police” informed Dr. Kiran, Consultant Neurosurgeon, Narayana Health City. “The highest risk groups are young adults. About 75% of all traumatic brain injuries are mild concussions. A skull fracture is another type of head injury that can affect the brain. Sometimes with a fracture, pieces of bone can cut into the brain and cause bleeding and other types of injury. Therefore it is always advisable to wear a helmet while riding two-wheelers”, he added. Head injuries that are severe enough to affect brain function are termed as Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs). Damage can range from mild to severe as the brain can affect everything you do. For treatment, one should contact a qualified neurosurgeon.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. M A Saleem, Addl. Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Bangalore City said, “My message to Bangaloreans, and especially the youth is to never ride or drive under the influence of alcohol. While riding two-wheelers one must wear a helmet including the pillion rider and people in four-wheelers, especially those sitting in front must wear a seat belt as it prevents the impact to your head during a crash. Since large number of Traumatic Brain Injuries is caused due to road accidents, awareness of traffic rules is a must for vehicle users”.

Studies show that college students are sleeping for less than 6.9 hours in a day, while it is ideal to sleep between 6.5 and 8 hours per night. Too little or too much sleep increases the risk of death. Lack of sleep can cause you to fall asleep while you are driving or riding. According to Dr. Murali Mohan, Senior Physician and Consultant Pulmonologist, Narayana Health City, 10% of motor vehicle accidents are due to sleep disordered breathing, the commonest of which is OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) – an obstruction of the throat during sleep due to which regular breathing gets interrupted. The risk of motor vehicle accident increases 2 to 3 times in patients with OSA.

“While one cannot predict road accidents, it is always better to be cautious. When an accident occurs not only the victim suffers, but the family also goes through a lot of trauma. It is observed that most of the victims succumbing to road traffic accidents are youngsters and therefore we at Narayana Health City took this initiative to create awareness among the people of Bangalore on the occasion of World Head Injury Awareness Day. We are extremely grateful to Mr. Saleem and his team of Bangalore Traffic Police for giving their support in this endeavor”, said Joseph Pasangha, Facility Director, Narayana Health City.

On Sunday 20^th March observed as World Head Injury Awareness Day, the bikers group will demonstrate two-wheeler riding safety tips and participate in a short rally near Victoria statue at the Cubbon Park entrance organised by Narayana Health City in association with Bangalore Traffic Police to create awareness on head injury due to road accidents.

Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)