Road safety

Everyday many people are involved in road accidents. Some are killed. Many more are injured or maimed. So it is important for us to learn to use the roads properly and safely. No sane person would like to be involved in an accident. As the roads are very busy nowadays, we should be very careful when crossing one. It is safer to use a pedestrian crossing or an overhead bridge whenever one is available. Never cross a road by dashing across it. That is inviting trouble. If there are no crossings, then we must look carefully right and left and cross only when it is safe to do so. Some of us take the bus to school. It is important that we do not try to get on or off a bus while it is still moving. I tried to get on a moving bus once. It dragged me a short distance and nearly ran over me. I was lucky to escape with only some scratches on my legs. Also we must not fool around while in the bus. A suddenly lurch can send us knocking our heads against something hard. Using a bicycle can be dangerous too. We must pay attention on the road and never cycle too far out to the middle of the road. We must obey all traffic rules. Also we must make sure our bicycles are in good condition with working brakes, lights etc. These are some things we can do to avoid accidents. However there is no guarantee that we will never be involved in one. The important thing is to stay alert at all times while using the roads. We must know what is happening around us. In that way we can take necessary action to avoid danger whenever we see one. Road safety is very much up to how we use the roads. Use them carefully and we may be able to use them for a long time. Use them carelessly and we may never be able to use them again.

1. Road Crash Problem Every year more than 1.17 million people die in road crashes around the world. The majority of these deaths, about 70 percent occur in developing countries. Sixty-five percent of deaths involve pedestrians and 35 percent of pedestrian deaths are children. Over 10 million are crippled or injured each year. It has been estimated that at least 6 million more will die and 60 million will be injured during the next 10 years in developing countries unless urgent action is taken. The majority of road crash victims (injuries and fatalities) in developing countries are not the motorised vehicle occupants, but pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists and non-motorised vehicles (NMV) occupants. The Global Burden of Disease study undertaken by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Harvard University and the World Bank showed that in 1990, traffic crashes were assessed to be the world's ninth most important

health problem. The study forecasts that by the year 2020 road crashes would move up to third place in the table of leading causes of death and disability facing the world community. In order to appreciate the scale of the problem, it is common practice to relate the number of crashes, collisions and casualties to demographic and other information and to compare this relationship between countries. The most meaningful statistic for international comparison is the crash rate (in units of deaths, casualties or crashes per million vehicle kilometres). Adequate information on vehicle usage is not readily available for many countries. Hence it is usual to compare the number of fatalities per 10,000 vehicles (MSExcel file). Another useful method of comparison is the fatality risk per 100,000 population, which is generally used by other medical sectors. 2. Economic Perspective on Traffic Safety Road crashes cost approximately 1 to 3 percent of a country's annual Gross National Product (GNP). These are resources that no country can afford to lose, especially those with developing economies. It is estimated that developing countries currently lose in the region of $100 billion every year. This is almost twice as much as the total development assistance received worldwide by the developing countries. These losses undoubtedly inhibit the economic and social development of developing countries. An estimate of the total national cost of road accidents will help government's to realise the heavy economic losses being incurred annually as described in the "gross output" method of accident costing and socio-economic aspects of road accidents in developing countries. Governments must try to reduce these losses by providing road safety improvements and should see expenditure on road safety as an investment and not as a cost. 3. Developing a Road Safety Plan A national medium or long term Road Safety Plan is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable improvements in road safety. The plan should set measurable long term and mid-term road safety targets, build capacity of local institutions, and provide alternative sources of financing for road safety measures. An example of a very successful road safety action plan in Fiji and information on the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) Guidelines on Road Safety Action Plans. Safety intervention programmes on a pilot or demonstration basis are quite effective as learning curves and lessons can be quickly realised. 4. Institutional Responsibility of Road Safety Improving road safety requires the participation of many different organisations and sectors. No one sector working alone can effectively reduce the number of road casualties.

Either a lead Ministry or a National Road Safety Council (NRSC) or Commission should head the concerted effort. Coordination is best done by a multidisciplinary NRSC supported by a permanent Secretariat of road safety specialists, led by a senior government official or a high-calibre Executive Director.

A sample job description for Executive Director of NRSC Secretariat. The roles and responsibilities of an NRSC, including a list of organisations that should be represented on the Council. A paper on the Roles And Responsibilities of Different Organisations in Tackling Road Safety, including the most important groups who can be mobilised and who have a role to play in reducing road crashes.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation A simple but effective monitoring and evaluation system is required to track progress of road safety activities and to estimate the safety impact. For action plans in developing countries, initial focus is often on institutional strengthening and capacity building rather than just on reducing of casualties in numeric terms. Monitoring and evaluation systems established as part of implementing action plans and safety initiatives must therefore, where appropriate, be able to indicate progress towards achievement of institutional impact and developmental objectives. Part of a monitoring framework for a five year road safety programme. A draft logical framework for improving road safety education and publicity. 6. Data Systems and Analysis Data is the cornerstone of all road safety activity and is essential for the diagnosis of the road crash problem and for monitoring road safety efforts. It is important to identify what categories of road users are involved in crashes, what manoeuvres and behaviour patterns lead to crashes and under what conditions crashes occur, in order to focus on safety activities. Essential components of a crash/casualty data system are a standardised report form and a means of storing and analysing the data. The UK Transport Research Laboratory has developed a Microcomputer Accident Analysis Package (MAAP) to enable users to obtain good data for diagnosis, planning, evaluation and research purposes and this is in use around the world. Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) has developed a Tool for Estimation of Traffic Safety Effects of Road Improvements (TARVA). (The initial screen for this link is in Finnish with underlying links in English.) The method uses road, traffic and crash information for estimation of road safety in terms of crash reduction and avoided fatalities. 7. Financing Road Safety

A sustainable funding source is required for the implementation of road safety measures. Two sources for financing road safety which are becoming more popular are road safety levies on insurance premiums, thereby extending the focus from compensation to prevention, and road funds which are usually based on fuel levies. These levies may be dedicated to the improvement and the maintenance of a safe and cost effective road network. Some countries have been particularly successful in securing funding for road safety activities, for example Fiji and Australia. Read more on the financing of road safety actions. 8. Designing Roads to Improve Road Safety (Safety Engineering) The introduction of self enforcing techniques in road designs is likely to have much better short term results than improving vehicle standards and driver testing requirements. Many developing countries have either just adopted road standards from developed countries or modified such standards without fully evaluating the consequences. The traffic mix and road usage in developing countries is very different from that in developed countries. Road crashes can be prevented by better planning and more safety conscious design of the road network. Systematic identification and treatment of hazardous locations can improve road safety substantially. The remedial measures are usually low cost and countries with limited resources should initially consider such schemes. 9. Road Safety Audits Road safety audit is the systematic checking of the safety aspects of new highway and traffic management schemes, including modifications to existing layouts. The main aim is to design out safety problems from the beginning and to reduce future problems. Safety audits should be included during the design, construction and maintenance phases of road projects. In many developing countries safety devices are included in the designs, but are simply not constructed on the ground. Frequently, road maintenance is limited to fixing potholes and cleaning drainage facilities, without replacing missing traffic signs, guard-rails, road markings and other safety features essential to create a safe road network. The Institution of Highways and Transportation in the UK produce Guidelines for the Safety Audit of Highways. More information, including ordering details are available from The Institution of Highways and Transportation. The AA document "What goes wrong in highway design and how to put it right: common criticisms and advice from safety auditors" includes useful examples for pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist safety provision. 10. Children's Traffic Education Teaching safety skills to children can provide lifelong benefits to society, but should be seen as a long term intervention strategy. Experience in many countries has shown that reliance on individuals or organisations visiting schools to give talks on road safety are not effective on their own. Children

may remember the messages in the short term, but effective and sustainable development of positive attitudes towards road safety are best achieved by inclusion in the core curriculum, either as a compulsory subject in its own right or as a cross-curricular theme. It is also essential that education inputs are incremental (building on previous skills) and linked to the child's physical and psychological abilities. Training is best done in schools by professional teachers who have themselves been trained in the safety issues relevant to children. 11. Publicity Programs Road user education and awareness raising is an important part of any road safety strategy. To be effective such activity must be based on analysis of data and should be designed and monitored in a systematic way to ensure success. 12. Driver Training and Testing With road user error contributing to the vast majority of road crashes, the development of safe drivers, skilled in defensive driving techniques, should be the primary objective of any road safety program. Driving examiners in developing countries are rarely given special training and driving tests an inadequate test of ability to drive safely in traffic on real roads. 13. Traffic Law and Enforcement In most developing countries the Traffic Police are grossly under-resourced and under-trained to deal effectively with road safety violations. Effective traffic law enforcement can play an important role in reducing traffic crashes. 14. Vehicle Safety Standards Improvements in vehicle design, occupant protection and vehicle maintenance have made a significant contribution to crash reduction in industrialised countries. Occupants can be protected by safety features such as seat belts, headrests, air bags, special seats for children. Safety related components should be properly maintained. This can be achieved by periodic vehicle inspections combined with frequent random checking of vehicles on the road. Overloading of heavy goods vehicles is also a serious safety hazard for all road users. 15. Emergency Medical Services Timely and proper treatment of road casualties is essential for reducing the severity of injury to crash victims. Driver education on first aid procedures and correct transportation of crash victims is important. A single emergency telephone number (for example, "911" is used in USA) can facilitate the simultaneous alerting of police, ambulance and other rescue services and

help to reduce response times (depending on the availability of road-side telephones). 16. Road Safety Research Research and Development is an important part of safety work and should be incorporated into road safety programs. Road safety research aims to improve knowledge about factors contributing to road crashes, effects of different countermeasures, and development of new and more effective safety measures. It forms the framework of knowledge against which better policy and resource allocation decisions can be made to ensure most effective use of available resources. 17. The Role of NGOs Road safety cannot be the responsibility of government alone. The commercial sector, service organisations and non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) play an important role in increasing road safety awareness. NGOs have an important input at grass roots level.

The Importance of Road Safety If you look around you these days, do you notice that the number of road accidents occurs in our country is increasing day by day? Is this the price we have topay as we move towards a developed nation status? We need to do something before the number of accidents rises and the situation becomes worst. We should follow the road safety that is created the government in order to ensure our safety onthe road.First and foremost, we should avoid standing in the middle of the road. Theroad users such as drivers of vehicles are not always careful when driving. May be they may not notice us when we stand in the middle of the road. There are many factors that the accidents may occur such as the driver might not pay full attention onthe road because they are daydream or thinking about their family or work. They also might be speeding because they are in a hurry. The other factor is the weather. If it isa rainy day, the eyesight of the driver is more limited and unconsciously they might accidently hit us and leaving us with serious or even fatal injuries. To avoid this, weshould use the facilities provided by government such as zebra lines and overheadbridge.To be safe on the road we have to be careful while transporting a largeamount of load or goods. Nowadays, we can see a few lorry and trailers to bring alarge amount of load or goods in order to save energy, time and money withoutthinking about safety. This may cause danger to themselves and to other road users.For example, if the lorry attendant and the goods fall onto the road, other driver willtry to swerve away to avoid hitting the goods and it may lead to accident andfatalities. As a precaution, tie up the goods into small bundles and use a canvas tocover the goods.The road users should avoid driving recklessly. As we all know, over-taking atthe bend is very dangerous because the driver comes from the other side cannot seethe car that is heading towards them and the car may

collide into each other. Theother examples of neglecting while driving or riding are using hand phone whiledriving, driving when you are sleepy, driving under the influence of drugs or alcoholand playing loud music while driving. All of this reckless act can be overcome bytaking some steps such as use blutooth phone devices when receiving or making acall while driving. For those who are driving long journey, take a rest by stopping thecar at R&R or taking a nap to refresh their body to avoid from feeling sleepy. Other than that, let somebody else such as your friend to drive if you are under theinfluence of drugs and alcohol. Next, if you like to listen to music while driving, turnthe volume down to a suitable level. It is to make sure that we are aware of our surroundings if there is another driver honking at you.Another step to ensure the road safety is all road users should show respectto other people when using the road. The road is not track for us to race or show off.So, control our emotion when driving. The driver of a car should watch out and giveway to the rider of bicycle or pedestrian to avoid accidently hitting them. If you wantto turn left or right, give early signal, so that, the car behind can get ready toslowdown and they can avoid from crashing into your car.Pedestrians should be careful while crossing the road. If there is no facilitiesprovided, a pedestrian should wear bright colour shirt. So, the driver can be aware of your presence. Pedestrians should be more patient. Look right and left before crossthe road to make sure the road is clear and it is safe to cross. While crossing theroad, pedestrian should avoid from jay walking to avoid from vehicle that appear suddenly. The number of fatalities of pedestrians can be reduced if all the followingsteps are taken before crossing the road. The relevant government agencies shouldtake appropriate action to educate children and public on the importance of roadsafety. The first approach we need to adopt is to educate. We can start off withschool children as it is best to instil good habits at a young age by teach them how tocross the road safely. The media can play their role by showing short documentarieson television about the Road Safety.Lastly, the road users should always abide by the rules. They should plan their journey first such as start the journey early to avoid driving at night. Then the car owner should send their vehicle for service. Make sure the lubricant oil, tyre pressureand cooling solution are enough. Check the wiper whether it is functioning or not andmake sure the side mirrors are in the right position. They also have to wear seatbelt,wear helmet, follow the speed limits that are fixed and use the right lane if you wantto over-take. Otherwise, use the left lane if you are drive slowly.As conclusion, there are a lot of road safety rules that we should follow inorder to decrease the number of accident and made the road safe for the users. Asmembers of public, we must learn to be more civic-conscious