Road rage and road traffic accidents among commercial vehicle drivers in Lahore, Pakistan

Road rage and road traffic accidents increase the burden of morbidity and mortality in a population. A cross-sectional survey with convenience sampling was conducted among commercial vehicle drivers in Lahore, Pakistan [N= 901] to record their behaviours/experiences regarding road rage and road traffic accidents. Respondents were asked about incidents of shouting/cursing/rude gestures or threats to physically hurt the person/vehicle, by others or themselves, in the previous 24 hours or 3 months, and their involvement in road traffic accidents in the previous 12 months. Auto-rickshaw drivers were significantly more likely to report various road rage experiences/ behaviours and involvement in accidents compared with bus and wagon drivers. A total of 112 respondents [12.4%] reported being involved in a road traffic accident in the previous 12 months but traffic police did not record the accident in 52.7% of cases. The results of this study underline the need to improve road safety in Pakistan

Study on child labour in automobile workshops of Peshawar, Pakistan

To determine the characteristics of children working in car workshops in Peshawar, a descriptive survey was conducted from June to November 2005 of 200 boys [6-15 years] randomly selected from 32 workshops. A questionnaire was used to collect socioeconomic and work-related data. The majority of the boys had no or little education, had started work before the age of 10 years and earned < 700 rupees/month. Most of their fathers had little education and were in poorly paid jobs, unemployed or deceased. About 40% of the boys were engaged in mechanical work. Watery eyes [31%], chronic cough [29%] and diarrhoea [22%] were the commonest symptoms reported by the boys and 38% had had a major injury