U-turns and road safety - perspective from Karachi.

U-turn is a complex driving manoeuvre entailing 180-degree turn to change the direction of travel towards the opposite direction. A cross-sectional survey based on convenience sampling was conducted at 120 U-turns in Karachi from February to October 2013. Shopkeepers operating in the close vicinity of U-turns were interviewed. Out of the 120 U-turns studied, 87(72.5%) were without median and 33(27.5%) were with median. Weekly average number of people getting injured or dying as a result of roadside traffic accidents was statistically significant (p<0.05) between the two types of U-turns; with U-turns having median having more injured and dead roadside traffic accident victims. Results from our preliminary study indicate that U-turns with medians are more likely to contribute towards road traffic accident morbidity and mortality and hence compromise road safety. Public health and transportation professionals in the country need to work in concert for ensuring that roads are safe for travelling.