HS 104 Road traffic accidents
Introduction
An accident is an unexpected,
unplanned occurrence that may involve
injury. It is unpremeditated event
resulting in recognizable damage or
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Itis an occurrence in a sequence of
events, which usually produces
unintended injury, death or property
damage.
Accident is unexpected event, typically
sudden in nature and associated with
injury, loss or harm.
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Classification of Accidents
Road traffic accidents
Domestic accidents; drowning, burns,
falls, poisoning, injuries from sharp bites
and other injuries from animals.
Industrial accidents
Aircraft crash
Maritime accidents
Violence
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Measurement of problems
[Link]:
WHO reports that RTA leads in killing
people aged 5-29 years. Annually
road accidents cause the deaths of
more than 1.35 million people,
especially developing countries.
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Itis reported that one child is killed in
accident, every three minutes in the
world, every hour one person his life in
Europe.
In Tanzania, the latest WHO data
establish that road accidents accounts
for 6.12% of total deaths, with an
actual count for round 18,054 deaths
per year.
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Morethan 605 of people have
disability from road crashes.
Tanzania loses 3.4% of her GDP in
caring for traumatized victims and
burying causalities.
Data shows that Tanzania loses over
16,000 people annually and bodaboda
related account for majority of road
traffic injuries.
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Itis reported in Tza 10 out of every
100 patients are victims of bodaboda
accidents.
73.3 of them are men of 19-37 years.
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In
September, 2020 UN General
Assembly adopted resolution “Improving
Road Safety” proclaiming the Decade of
Action for Road Safety 2021-2030.
The aim of the resolution is to prevent
at least 50% of road traffic deaths and
Injuries by 2030.
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WHO ranks Tanzania number 10
globally for death rate caused by
accidents.
Ministry of Home Affairs in Tanzania;
gives a data that by July 2021-2022, a
number of 1200 were killed.
There were 1,594 road accidents and
1589 were left injured.
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In India, accidents in 2016; 480,654
Death from such accidents: 150,785
Person injured: 494,624
Thenational health service (NHS) in
same year spend 1.3 billion Euro on
treatment of injuries.
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The total economic loss of India due road
accident is huge annually.
2. Morbidity: this is based on
abbreviated injury scale. There is serious
injury and slight injury.
3. Disability: temporary or permanent,
partial/total disability.
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Risk factors
Over speeding: It is counted that 90%
of road accidents worldwide are caused
by driving in high speed. It hard to
survive in car crashes.
Drink–driving: loses control and
monitoring of a vehicle; makes a driver
be reckless and careless makes
vulnerable to accidents.
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Motor cycle helmets: helps to protect
injuries in case of accidents
Seat-belts and child restraints: it
helps to tighten being thrown out in case
of vehicle crashes or collision.
Mobile phone usage: this reduces
concentration in driving
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Factors influencing exposure to risk;
Rapid motorization,
Demographic factors
Transport, use and road network
planning
Increased need for travelling
Choice of less safe forms of travel
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Risk factors influencing injury severity;
Lack of in-vehicle crash protection
Non-use of crash helmets by two-wheeled
vehicle users
Non-use of seat belts and child restraints
in motor vehicles
Road side objects
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Reasons for more accidents in developing
countries
Large number of pedestrians and animals
share the common roadway
Large number of old, poorly maintained
vehicles
Large of number of buses often overloaded
Large number of motorcycles, gutters, Bajaj
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Prevention of road traffic accidents
1. Data collection; these includes
Basic reporting of all cases
Supplementation by national surveys
Eliciting the data about conditions and
environmental factors leading to
accidents
Making police investigation of an
accident mandatory
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2. Safety education provision
If accident is a disease, education is its
vaccine!
Should be initiated at the school level
Educate regarding risk factors, traffic rules,
safety precautions and first aid.
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3. Promotion of safety measures
Seat beats
Safety helmets
Safety measures to children
Otherslike door locks, proper vehicle
design, air bags and others
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4. Alcohol and other drugs
Abstinencefrom alcohol and
depressant drugs before and during
driving
Drinkinglocal and brewed alcohol and
other drugs impairs driving ability
Education
Law enforcement
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5. Primary care
Planning,
organization and
management of trauma and
emergency care services improved
At accident site-transportation-hospital
Skills of the health care provider
Accident services organization and one
fully equipped specialized trauma care
hospital in all major cities.
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6. Elimination of causative factors
Improve roads
Impose speed limits
Mixed traffic
Bad weather
Mark danger zones
Improve vehicle conditions
Drunk and drive
Lack of body protections
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7 . Enforcement of laws
Driving tests
Medical fitness to drive
Speed limits
Compulsory wearing of seat belts
Compulsory wearing of helmets
Checking for blood alcohol concentration
Regular and periodic inspection of vehicles
Periodic examination of drivers above the
age of 55 years.
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8. Rehabilitation
Medical rehabilitation
Social rehabilitation
Occupational rehabilitation
9. Accident research
New field called accidentology. Its
function includes;
Gathering information about type,
extent and characteristics of
accidents
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Corelating accidents with personal
and environmental factors
Devising measures to;
Alter human behavior
Make environment safe
Accident control measures
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9. Corruption free
The free from corruption; the traffic
police officers in most developing
countries including Tanzania are corrupt;
allows;
Outdated vehicles to operate
Speed out of directed by posts and signs
Drunkard drivers
Overcrowding of vehicles like buses
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[Link] road safety
agencies
Thepublic agency in Tanzania that
monitor land transport (Latra) should be
strong to deal with all units underneath.
The agency should indulge in corruption.
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Government initiatives
Multi-prolonged road safety programmes
and initiatives
Mass awareness/education programmes
Engineering measures (both road and
vehicles)
Enforcement of safety laws
Emergency care to road accident victims.