The immediate impact of mandatory helmet law on maxillo-facial trauma: A comparative study in a major trauma center, Uttar Pradesh.

AIM: To analyze the effect of the mandatory helmet rule in helmet usage among motorcycle riders and on facial trauma and to determine the significance of difference in the possibility of facial trauma between the helmeted and non-helmeted motorcycle riders.

SETTING AND DESIGN: A retrospective comparative study conducted in a major trauma center at Uttar Pradesh.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: Data for the present study was obtained from records of the Emergency Department of Trauma Center, for a period of two months before and after the implementation of The Motor Vehicles Act in UP. The study included patients with a history of non-fatal motorcycle accidents who sustained facial injuries regardless of the presence of injuries to other areas of the body during the study period. Information regarding helmet usage during the accident was also recorded. The results were compared between the pre-law period and post-law period.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Sample t-test was applied to find the level of significance.

RESULTS: Out of 219 injured patients, 152 (69.40%) subjects were not wearing helmets, whereas only 67 (30.59%) subjects were wearing helmets. It was observed that around 68.18% of people stated wearing helmets after law implementation with a statistical significance (P value < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Our study shows that the mandatory helmet rule with elevated penalty rates has significantly increased the usage of helmet among the motorcycle riders, and it also proves that the possibility of facial trauma is significantly higher in non-helmeted riders when compared to helmeted riders.