AbstractBackground: The mortality rate of road traffic accidents (RTAs) is high in India. RTAs lead to disability and mortality in young adults in the country. It is a global problem as approximately 1.24 million deaths occur annually worldwide because of RTAs. India lacks an organized system of trauma care to attend to trauma cases immediately at the accident site.
Objective: The present study attempted to identify the impediments of auto rickshaw drivers to provide first responder care to RTA victims.
Materials and Methods: The study used a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design after institutional ethics clearance. The sample size was 1040, with a confidence level of 95% on the literature review knowledge score. A convenient sampling method was used for sample selection.
Results: A majority (n = 335; 32.2%) of the participants belonged to the age group between 41 and 50 years and were educated up to secondary school (n = 551; 53.0%). A majority of the participants (n = 345; 33.2%) exhibited 16–30 years of driving experience. Among the participants,602 (57.9%) exhibited experience in administering first aid.Of the total participants, 898 (86.3%) reported that legal issues and inadequate community support and resources were the major barriers to administering first aid, whereas 888 (85.4%) participants reported psychological problems as the major barrier. Additionally, attitude toward first aid was the barrier for 814 (78.3%) of the participants, whereas poor knowledge was the barrier for 589 (56.6%) for providing first aid care.
Conclusion: The present study identified the various barriers faced by the participants in providing first responder care to RTA victims and exhibited the significance of providing training to common people which will be contributed to SDG 3 and 4.