7 Road Safety Messages to Remember

The land transportation technology is very progressive. What took days to travel before now takes hours; once took hours now takes minutes. But as it gives us more comforts, it also gives us higher risk.

There are 1.24 million road traffic deaths that occur every year. Half of those who die on the roads are vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. There are 3500 people who die on the road every day. The numbers speak for themselves: this is a public health and development crisis that is expected to worsen unless action is taken.

There are seven road safety reminders to avoid risk in road traffic deaths and injuries.

Random Breath Testing

Drinking and driving, especially with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of over 0.05 g/dl (grams per deciliter), greatly increases the risk of a crash and the possibility that it will result in death or serious injury. Law enforcement of random breath testing checkpoints is highly cost–effective and can reduce alcohol-related crashes by approximately 20%.

Helmet Wearing

50% of all road traffic deaths are among motorcycles, pedestrians, and cyclists. 23% of this is from motorcycles and 5% from cyclist. Requiring helmets to meet recognized safety standards, to be in good condition and to be properly worn, can significantly reduce head injuries.

Speeding

In high-income countries, speed contributes to about 30% of road deaths, while in some low and middle-income countries speed is the main factor in about half of road deaths. A safe distance for braking is proportional to a vehicle’s speed. For example, a car travelling at 50 km/h takes 28 m to stop, whereas a vehicle driven at 90 km/h takes 70 m to stop. Determining a “safe speed” involves consideration of a number of factors, such as the type and function of the road, the kinds of collisions and the traffic mix.

Seat Belts

Wearing a seat-belt can reduce fatalities among front-seat passengers by up to 50% and among rear-seat car passengers by up to 75%. Public awareness campaigns, mandatory seatbelt laws and their enforcement have been highly effective in increasing the rates of seatbelt wearing.

Child Restraints

Child restraint systems, such as child seats for infants and booster seats for older children, decrease the risk of death in a crash by about 70% for infants and up to 80% for small children. Mandatory child restraint laws and enforcement are effective in increasing the use of child restraints. In order to be effective, child restraint systems must meet standards, be appropriate to the age and size of the child and installed correctly.

Presence of mind

Driving condition must be identified before hitting the road. Sleeping while driving also contributed to death and injuries in the road. Drivers who are using mobile phones are about four times more likely to be involved in a crash. Text messaging while driving, which involves cognitive, manual, and visual distraction, results in a significantly increased likelihood of a crash.

Appropriate Vehicle Lights

Weak or strong headlights, tail lights and hazards lights must not be considered during driving. This is more prone to road accidents especially at night and the rainy season.

Though the increase in deaths and injuries on the road increases every year, these can be lessened by the driver’s awareness of road safety standards. Most of all, it is the drivers self-discipline that could help him avoid such disgrace. He will not only help himself but also help those drivers driving around him.