ROAD SAFETY
Introduction:
A road traffic accident (RTA) is any injury due to crashes
originating from, terminating with or involving a vehicle partially or
fully on a public road.
Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death. Road safety
is the prevention of road accidents by using all the safety
measures. It is to secure people while travelling on the road.
Road accidents can be prevented by creating road safety
awareness among common public. The various methods that can
be used for creating awareness are organising seminars and
workshops and enlighten the public about road safety.
India is no exception and data showed that more than 1.3 lakh
people died on Indian roads, giving India the dubious honour of
topping the global list of fatalities from road crashes.
Statistics
Majority of accidents (78.4%) are caused due to driver’s fault. This includes over speeding, driving
under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and hit and run cases.
Other causes of road accidents include fault of others (7.1%) such as fault of cyclists, pedestrians
or drivers of other vehicles. Fewer accidents are caused due to neglect of civic bodies (2.8%),
defect in motor vehicle (2.3%), and poor weather conditions (1.7%).
The World Health Organization has noted that road accidents are a major public health problem
as crashes kill more than 1.25 million people and injure about 50 million people a year, with 90%
of such casualties occurring in developing countries.
The Global status report on road safety 2013 indicates that worldwide the total number of
road traffic deaths remain unacceptably high at 1.24 million per year.
Causes Of Road Accidents:
Over Speeding: Faster vehicles are more prone to accident than the slower one and
the severity of accident will also be more in case of faster the severity of accident will
also be more in case of faster vehicles. Higher the speed, greater the risk. At high
speed the vehicle needs greater distance to stop i.e. braking distance. A slower
vehicle comes to halt immediately while faster one takes long way to stop and also
skids a long distance due to law of notion. A vehicle moving on high speed will have
greater impact during the crash and hence will cause more injuries.
Drunken Driving: Alcohol reduces concentration. It decreases reaction time of a
human body. Limbs take more to react to the instructions of brain. It hampers vision
due to dizziness. Alcohol dampens fear and incite humans to take risks. All these
factors while driving cause accidents and many a times it proves fatal.
Distraction to Driver: Distractions could be outside or inside the vehicle. The major
distraction now a days is talking on mobile phone while driving. If the call is urgent
one should pull out beside the road and attend the call. Some of the distractions on
road are; Adjusting mirror while driving, Radio in vehicles, etc.
Red Light jumping: It is a common sight at road intersections that vehicles cross
without caring for the light. The main motive behind Red light jumping is saving time.
The common conception is that stopping at red signal is wastage of time and fuel. A
red light jumper not only jeopardizes his life but also the safety of other road users.
This act by one driver incites other driver to attempt it and finally causes chaos at
crossing. It has also been seen that the red light jumper crosses the intersection
with greater speed to avoid crash and challan but it hampers his ability to judge the
ongoing traffic and quite often crashes.
Avoiding Safety Gears like seat belts and helmets: Safety Gears keep you intact
and safe in case of accidents. Two wheeler deaths have been drastically reduced
after use of helmet has been made mandatory. One should use safety gears of
prescribed standard and tie them properly for optimum safety.
Preventions:
Helmets for two-wheeler riders: Setting and enforcing mandatory helmet use is an effective
intervention for reducing injuries and fatalities among two-wheeler users. Wearing a helmet
decreases the risk and severity of injuries by about 72% and likelihood of death by 39% as
per WHO road safety manual on use of helmets.
Seat-belts and child restraints: It should be mandatory to wear seatbelts both for the front
and rear occupants of the car. Wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of a fatality among front-
seat passengers by 40–50% and of rear-seat passengers by between 25–75%. Children of
any age should not be seated in the front seat and should have child restraints. The latter is
also effective in reducing injuries that can occur during non-crash events, such as a sudden
stop, a swerving evasive manoeuvre or a door opening during vehicle movement.
Setting and enforcing speed limits: Pedestrians have a 90% chance of survival if hit by a
car travelling at a speed of 30km/h or below, but less than a 50% chance of surviving an
impact of 45km/h or above. Speed-monitoring cameras and radars and speed-limiting
governors in vehicles are useful devices in enforcing the speed limit.
Setting and enforcing alcohol limits: Drinking and driving is one of the main causes of road
crashes worldwide. Laws that establish blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05g/dl or
below are effective at reducing the number of alcohol-related crashes.
Banning drivers from using hand-held mobile phones: Drivers using a mobile phone are
approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash than when a driver does not
use a phone.
Role of a driver:
Ensure The Vehicle is Road Worthy: Driving faulty and poorly maintained vehicle is
one of the major causes of road accidents. It is even amazing that many drivers know for
sure that their vehicle needs maintenance, but they put the vehicle on the road causing
serious havoc to themselves and pedestrians. Ensure your vehicle is road worthy, don’t
over load to exceed the required weight limit for the car.
Be Alert and Self Aware of the Environment When Driving: Over speeding kills!
There’s no doubt about that. And the ways to control over speeding is by driving at a
reasonable speed and ensure you have installed a speed governor for your car. Speed
governors are special devices that help restrict and limit vehicle speed so as to avoid over
speeding.
Observe Traffic Regulations: One of the responsibilities of drivers in road safety that
must be well noted is observance of traffic regulations. For many reasons such as lateness,
pressure, stress and many others, drivers flout road traffic regulations which often
culminate in road accidents. Simply observe traffic regulations and avoid road accidents.
Parking and Passing Unauthorized Routs: Many drivers are culprits in parking at the
wrong places. They just park anywhere and anyhow, forgetting that they may be exposing
themselves or other drivers to road accidents: double parking, parking on the road and
many others. It is also important to always park well and also avoid taking the wrong
routes when driving.
Role of a passenger:
As a passenger in a car we have just as much responsibility to ride safely. In fact, as a passenger we have an important role to
keep the driver of the vehicle focused, not distracted. So, next time you are a passenger in a car, whether it is with your parents or
friends, think about how you can do your part to reduce the chances of becoming involved in an accident.
Remind the driver and other passengers to wear seat
belts.
Never let someone drive if they are upset.
Help keep younger passengers quiet and calm.
Suggest that the driver stop to rest if you notice they
are sleepy.
If the weather conditions aren’t safe, insist that the
driver pull over.
Never get into a car or let others ride with a driver who
has been drinking or under the influence of drugs.
Traffic Signs:
Traffic signs offer information road users need to travel on the
roadway. Recognizing traffic signs and knowing their
meanings can help drivers make safe driving decisions faster
and more easily. There are 3 main types of traffic signs:
Regulatory signs: Signs that aim to control traffic by setting
limits or giving commands. These signs are enforceable by law.
Examples include stop sign, yield sign, etc.
Warning signs: Signs that aim to give you advance notice of
possible hazards. When you see these signs, drive with caution.
Examples include Reduction of Lanes sign, Cross Road sign, etc.
Informational Signs: Signs that aim to give information about
directions and distances.
How Colours and Shapes affect a traffic sign:
Traffic sign colours can clue you into what you might need to do on the road.
Here’s a list of a few common traffic sign colours and their meanings:
Red – means stop, yield, or prohibited. Red signs like STOP, YIELD, and WRONG WAY
either signs you to stop your vehicle or prohibit entry.
Green – means go! A green traffic sign signals that you can proceed, or provides you
with direction on where to proceed. Green signs also provide guidance and
information, i.e. parking signs, destination signs.
Yellow means caution and this sign warns you to be prepared to slow down. You will
often see yellow used for warning and school signs, as well as to indicate curves in
the road, merging traffic, pedestrian crosswalks, railroad crossings, etc.
Besides colours, the shape of a traffic sign can often signal its meaning. Few of
them are as follow:
Octagon – signals the need to stop. The one octagon sign you will see on roads is
the STOP sign.
Upside down triangle – signals exclusively for yield.
Diamond – warns you of possible hazards ahead.
Round/Circle – signals exclusively for the railroad.
Why Traffic Signs are Important?
They provide consistent rules for all drivers: Across a country, traffic signs are all
consistent. If signs weren’t consistent, it would be difficult to know the right thing to do.
The roads would be very dangerous. While there’s no guarantee that everyone will follow
the rules at all times, there are consequences if they don’t.
Anyone can understand them: A sign’s design is significant. Rather than depend on
words, traffic signs frequently use pictures to convey a message, like animal crossing or
children at play. This matters because it helps anyone understand the sign’s meaning,
even if they don’t speak the language of the country. Colours matter, too.
They give you warnings about things that aren’t necessarily obvious:Traffic signs
do more than just tell you the speed limit or when to stop. Temporary signs, like the signs
around construction zones, let you know that your normal route may be different or that
you should watch out for people working.
Traffic signs keep drivers safe: Driver safety is the most obvious benefit of traffic signs.
Without them, our roads would be chaotic and dangerous. Drivers would have no idea
when they should stop, yield, or how fast they should go. They wouldn’t be aware of
upcoming obstacles.
Traffic signs keep pedestrians and cyclists safe: Traffic signs don’t only protect those
behind the wheel of a car. Pedestrians and cyclists use the road, as well. Signs let
people know when and where they can cross a road, and alert drivers to their presence.
Cyclists can see where they’re allowed, where the bike routes are, and if they should
yield to pedestrians.
Conclusion:
Reckless driving like use of mobile phones during driving,
non-use of helmets, non-use of seat-belts are significant
contributing factors for road traffic accidents and should be
avoided. Driver fatigue and sleepiness also contribute to
crashes. Improper designing of roads and lack of pedestrian
pavement are other contributing factors. Only 28 countries
have comprehensive road safety laws on major key risk
factors like drunken driving, speeding, and failing to use
helmets, seat-belts, and child restraints. This is a major
cause of concern and both society and government should
work together to reduce this preventable cause of death.
The central and the state governments have been
implementing measures to make our roads safer. But the
magnitude and gravity of the problem is such that these
alone will not suffice. There is a need for the society at large
to take cognizance of the issue and to join hands to make
road safety a social movement.
Thank You