Analysis of personality traits in patients of road traffic accident (RTA) with special reference to motorcycle riders

BackgroundRoad traffic accidents (RTAs), in the current scenario, have taken the form of an epidemic. Developing countries are presently showing an increasing trend with respect to the number of vehicles and population. Personality characteristics are becoming a significant contributor in RTAs, owing to rising stress levels and varying circumstances.Patients and methodsA total of 250 cases and 210 controls of age >18 years were selected, as per criteria decided. After primary management and obtaining clearance from the institutional ethical committee, all enrolled subjects were assessed by International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE) – ICD 10 module screening questionnaire and analyzed for nine personality traits.ResultsOf all the cases enrolled, 72.8% were males. There were 81 motorcyclists out of 250 cases enrolled. Amongst all the motorcyclists encountering RTA, impulsive personality trait is found in 85.19% and histrionic trait was found in 82.72% of cases.DiscussionMotorcycle riders having impulsive and histrionic personality characteristics constitute 32.4% of RTA victims, attending orthopedics emergency unit at trauma center of a tertiary care center were, the presence of which was statistically significant.