This report attempts to identify the involvement in road crashes and the impact that they have on low income families in Bangladesh and India (Bangalore District). Information was obtained by means of home interview surveys conducted in the two regions with additional information on persons killed and seriously injured in road traffic accidents obtained from police and hospital records. Households were classified as 'poor' or 'non-poor' using income levels defined by government agencies in the two countries. The study examines the incidence of road crashes in poor and non-poor households in order to determine whether or not low income communities were at greater risk. Information collected was also used to highlight the high degree of under-reporting of accidents when official accident statistics are compared with results from the study. The report also examines the impact that fatal and serious crashes have on low-income households. This shows that poor families spend a much greater proportion of their incomes on funeral and medical costs and that they frequently incur debt by borrowing money in order to cope. Consequences for the poor also include reduced household income and food consumption, and even a significant proportion of non-poor families appearing to be pushed into poverty as a direct result of the crash. (Author/publisher).
Abstract