Road trafficking is defined as an accident which occurs in a place where public access. Unfortunately these accidents are extremely common in all over the world.
Liability
As a general rule the driver of the vehicle which runs back of another vehicle will be liable for the accidents even the car in front has braked sharply because the drivers are required to drive a safe distance behind the other vehicle.
Protection devices

Most modern vehicles are designed to withstand impacts of certain force and to provide protection to driver and passengers by providing ‘crumple zones’, seat belts, collapsible steering wheels, airbags, roll bars etc.

Types of accidents and injuries:
The various of accidents and injuries that occur in RTA are as follows:
Side impacts: Causes fracture of thigh bone i.e. femur or lower leg bones (tibia and fibula). There can also occur fracture of pelvis.

High speed impact: There occur deceleration injury with internal bleeding, multiple lacerations, impacted pelvis, head and spinal injuries with unconsciousness.

Rear-end-collision: In this type there occur whip lash
effect, cervical spine injuries, facial trauma etc.

Ejection from vehicle: May cause serious head and spinal injuries, unconsciousness, multiple fractures and lacerations.

Roll over: In this type drivers and passengers are thrown around irrespective of seat belts. There occur complete range of damage to human body.

Motor cycle accident: May cause fracture femur, wrist or ankle, head injuries, deceleration injuries with severe internal bleeding. One should be cautious not to remove helmet on the spot and if required it should be done carefully with no movement of the neck for fear of spinal cord injury.

Whip lash or cervical acceleration/deceleration syndrome
This syndrome includes a range of injuries in neck with sudden distortion of neck associated with extension especially when a vehicle has been hit in the rear. In this case there occurs hyperflexion and hyperextension of the neck. The more sudden the motion more bones, discs, muscles and tendons in the neck will be damaged.

In this syndrome the movement of the neck occurs like a whip lash and so it is called whip lash injury. Sudden distortion of the neck may lead to severe spinal cord injury leading to death or quadriplegia.
Steering wheel injury

It occurs due to forward propulsion of an automobile driver into steering wheel during a collision. Many vehicles don’t have airbags and during accidents chest gets pressed against the steering wheel at high impact.

All internal organs including heart, lungs can be affected but there may be hardly any external marks like bruises or fractures. A rescuers or a junior doctor may concentrate on the bleeding leg though steering wheel might have done life threatening damage inside. The patient may sleep peacefully and never wake up. Sometimes drivers are restrained by seat belts but there occurs severe maxillofacial injury.

In more severe cases there can occur stove in chest or depression in the chest due to impact of unyielding steering wheel. Multiple rib fractures may cause flail chest i.e. flaccid unstable chest exhibiting paradoxical respiratory movement in the flail area – the area sucked in during inspiration and pushed out in expiration.

 Treatment requires internal fixation of the rib or traction on the flail segment under antibiotic cover. Sometimes tracheostomy and intercostals drainage of the plural cavity/cavities with an underwater seal may be necessary.
Brain injury
It must be noted that brain does not fit properly inside the skull within its coverings. It is capable of slight antero-posterior i.e. forward and backward movement in cerebrospinal fluid as it is suspended there by superior cerebral vein.

However, lateral displacement is prevented by septum of falx cerebri and falx cerebelli in the midline.

So any impact on the front or back of the head can produce maximum displacement of the brain with relation to brain stem and hypothalamic region causing severe cerebral injuries. Lateral impacts are rather well tolerated.
All degrees of brain injuries resulting unconsciousness,
concussion, contusions,
lacerations etc of the brain are due to this mechanism of movement. (Reprint)