New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS): Around 100 schools from Delhi-NCR will be included in a pilot project aimed at developing evidence-based interventions for preventing road traffic injuries among the adolescent and youth.

Three cities have been included in the pilot project -- Delhi, Jaipur and Bhopal -- an official told IANS.

The 'Programme for Risky Behaviour, Attitude in Trauma Prevention' (PRATAP) is a joint initiative of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), World Health Organization (WHO) and AIIMS Delhi, which focuses on road traffic injuries among school children.

PRATAP will identify the risk factors in various categories such as factors that influence risky behaviour, factors that contribute to road injuries' severity, risk factors that influence post-crash outcome of injuries etc.

The findings from the study will explore knowledge, attitude and practices among school children that contribute to road traffic injuries and accordingly risk communication strategies will be developed to prevent road traffic injuries.

According to the World Bank, road safety is a critical development priority for South Asia, which impacts people's health, well-being and economic growth.

Of the 13.5 lakh road traffic deaths every year, over 30 per cent are under the age of 25.

Likewise, road crashes remain the single biggest killer and injury burden to young people aged 15-29, which amounts to more than the deaths caused by HIV/AIDS and malaria, the report said.

South Asia has been particularly vulnerable to road-related accidents, where frequent road users such as motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians and public transport users get killed in road crashes more than in any other region of the world, it added.