Road Safety First Week of January We celebrate Road Safety week.

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Every year, out of 2.1 lacs unnatural deaths in India, nearly 68,000 (more than 34% ) are due to road accidents . One out of every 69 vehicles meets with an accident,causing 169 deaths per day and 710 injured (2.6 lacs per year). 80% of these accidents are due to driving faults.

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Accidents can cause death or a serious injury. An accident causes agony to the victim and his nearest kith and kins, shattering the whole family. In a survey conducted of 1200 drivers, nearly 50% had no knowledge of traffic rules,33% were not aware of the significance of road signs, 63% admitted that they are not observing traffic rules though they are aware of the rules. Only 20% know how to overtake correctly.India has hardly 1% of all the total vehicles in the world, and yet contributes to 6% of the total accidents in the World.

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DRIVE TO STAY ALIVE It has been proved world over that accidents can be reduced by a three pronged attack on the traffic problem called 3ES, namely Engineering Enforcement Education.

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Engineering effort means making the vehicles & road safer. Enforcement means the government authorities must enforce the rules & regulation,effectively.

Education is the one factor which is in our control. By educating the drivers about the technique & skills & by fostering awareness of the drivers attitude

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Specific defensive techniques are highlighted as under. DEFENSIVE DRIVING: Defensive Driving is driving to save lives, time & money in spite of the conditions around you & the actions of others. The conditions can be that of road,weather,traffic,light etc. & the actions of others can be violations,discourtesy,lack of knowledge of other drivers etc.

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KNOWLEDGE: Knowledge of the regional traffic rules is very important in becoming a defensive driver.You must know the vehicles you are driving thoroughly. Defensive driving requires ALERTNESS. Motor vehicle drivers have only their eyes, ears,brains,hands & feet to keep them from disaster behind the wheel.

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FORESIGHT: Foresight is the ability to anticipate & prepare for most of the eventualities. * Long Range * Immediate. The driver who checks the vehicle carefully ,before starting a trip is exercising long range foresight. The driver who notices the situation of traffic at an inter-section down the road, is using immediate foresight. The driver may notice children playing on the side walk and should foresee the likelihood of their suddenly coming on the road.

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Both types of foresight can be developed & improved by training & constant & conscious practice.

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GOOD JUDGMENT: Good judgment means that there are always alternatives in any traffic situations. We always have more than one choice. Sometimes, that choice is limited to which of the two accidents to have, for there is always a less dangers one. Good judgment means using our common sense & intuition to choose wisely & quickly. For e.g.,You have to judge whether to have a head on collision with a vehicle suddenly coming in your path or move left & run off the road.

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Skill Last but not the least, defensive driving requires SKILL to maneuvers a vehicle properly while making turns, passing, changing gears & parking. Skilled drivers know to make these maneuvers right way every time, in basic & emergency conditions.

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STANDARD ACCIDENT PREVENTION FORMULA (1) RECOGNISE THE HAZARD (2)UNDERSTAND THE DEFENSE (3) ACT CORRECTLY IN TIME. The ability to recognize the hazard, understand the defense & act accordingly in time is the foundation of DEFENSIVE DRIVING.

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RECOGNIZE HAZARDS To recognize hazards successfully, must avoid driving with a fixed stare on the vehicle just ahead.The Defensive Driver scans the road 12 to 15 seconds ahead when driving in town & 20-30 seconds eye-lead time for highways 12-15 seconds time means the distance the vehicle will travel in 12-15 seconds.) A good rule of the thumb is to scan the horizon. Hazards behind & on the sides are recognized by checking the view & side mirrors every few seconds.

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Once your have recognized a potential hazard you must understand what to do about it by anticipating what probably will happen & deciding what to do to prevent an accident. Brake (Stop or Slowdown) Steer to the left or right. Tap the horn to warn/communicate our presence & our intentions to others.

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SIX CONDITIONS There are six conditions an expert accomplished driver must consider while driving. Light(2)Road(3)Weather(4)Traffic (5)Vehicle (6)Driver No Street lights or they are not working. Our head lights are not working or their beams are not properly adjusted. Insufficient light from our head lights to see hazard ahead & react in time. This is called over-riding the head lights.

(1)

(a) (b) (c)

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Blinded by on coming vehicle our pupils need 4-7 seconds to readjust from bright blinding light to normal light conditions at night, by which time at a speed of 60 km/h, we will be traveling 120-190 meters which is more than the length of a foot ball field. Be extra cautious at night.57% of all traffic deaths happen at night. To see & to be seen is important.Keep the wind screen & lights clean & in working conditions.

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BLINED BY ONCOMING VEHICLE To defend ourselves when we are blinded by an oncoming vehicle; 1. Slow down to increase the following distance of the vehicle ahead. 2. Turn off our head light briefly to communicate with the oncoming vehicles driver. 3. Look to the left or edge of road to keep us on our while we cant look ahead.

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When we are blinded by the vehicle behind allow the vehicle to pass. Sometimes, the light may be poor even in day time. It may be due to dawn/dusk, a tunnel, foggy/rainy days. In this situation, turn on the headlight on the low beam, put on parking lights & reduce speed which will increase the following distance from the vehicle in front.

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ADVERSE ROAD CONDITIONS Curves, hills,narrow width of pavement,damaged road surface,poorly marked road,wet & slippery pavements, potholes,rail road tracks,construction areas are some of the adverse road conditions. Look out for road signs & be warned about condition of the road ahead & as a DEFENSIVE DRIVER recognize the changing conditions & adjust your driving accordingly.

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ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS Rain,snow,sleet,fog,smog,dust,wind & humidity are some of the adverse weather conditions. Rain,snow etc. make the roads slippery. In light drizzle,the oil on the road & water make a layer & allows the tyres to float on its surface reducing the contact with the road. This condition makes the vehicle,skid. To avoid this,slowdown when it starts raining & increase the distance from the vehicle in front. Watch out for other drives who may loose

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In foggy or smoggy weather,put on parking lights & your head lights in low beam for best visibility, as well as to be seen. In really bad weather it is better to surrender & postpone your trip until conditions improve,or pull off the road as far as possible & turn off all lights except flashers.

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TRAFFIC Traffic can be congested in morning or evening rush hours.Watch out for pedestrians especially during lunch hour & near schools & institutes. We have to adjust our driving according to the situation we face or take an alternate route. Always yield the right of way to pedestrians.

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VEHICLE The poor condition of our vehicle can also cause an accident. Our vehicles wont respond unless all components are in good working condition.Tyre conditions & specified tyre pressure is necessary for fuel economy. Check brakes,horn,exhaust,windshield,taillights, wipers,lights,fluid level & others regularly. Safety belts,helmets are life savers,but only when they are used properly. Make it click.

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Before driving an unfamiliar vehicle,take time to get to know where the controls are & how they operate. Every vehicle must be maintained & driven in such condition that smoke,visible vapours ,sparks,ashes or oily substances are not emitted & run with the least noise. Every vehicle is required to be tested for pollution under control. Pollution control standards are laid down in terms of carbon monoxide ,smoke,hydro-carbons & nitrogen acids limitations.

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DRIVER The ATTITUDE of a driver can be controlled. Many drivers drive from one place to another,& are not able to recall anything they saw on the way-One gets behind the wheel & puts his mind on Auto Pilot & have the body drive the vehicle. The whole time the mind tends to think of everything else except the driving.DO NOT DAY DREAM OR POLAN WHILE DRIVING.

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It is important to be extra cautious when you find yourself in the following conditions:ANGER If you have an argument with someone,your behavior is affected by quicker acceleration,aggressive & reckless driving. Anger does have an impact on your driving. To dissipate the emotions, you can take several deep breaths,go for a short walk,count one to hundred or anything to get rid of the anger.

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TIRED When you are tired,the reactions are slowed down.The thought process will not work at full capacity. Do not try to push yourself that extra couple of kilometers. Pull off the road, get out & walk around the vehicle.If possible take a short nap. Dont think that you can make it to the destination without falling asleep. If you fall asleep, you may not wake up again.

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DEPRESSED When you are depressed,you tend to have an I dont care attitude.You take chances while driving that you normally would not take. Try to change your mood by thinking about a pleasant experience,or do something to put the mind in a better mood.

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HURRY You can not make up 30 minutes of driving time in 15 minutes. If you are behind schedule,resign to the fact that you will be late. If your try to make up the lost time, you drive in a much more dangerous manner & tend to think of making up the lost time. Do not put your self in this situation & lead to an accident.

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ALCOHOL Alcohol & driving do not mix well. Alcohol impairs judgment, reaction time,vision & co-ordination.Replacement of normal fear of consequences by over confidence,leading to foolish chances being taken,temporary loss of knowledge of safety rules are the potential hazards.

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DRUGS Check with your physician whether the prescribed drug will have any side effects which can affect your driving ability.
PHYSUCAL IMPAIRMENTS Vision or hearing problems,muscle weakness,heart disease & diabetes are conditions that can increase your driving risk.Consult your physician whether you are fit to drive.

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DISTRACTION Even a moments distraction can cause an accident.A distraction by a passenger, a bee can be serious.ADEFENSIVE DRIVER should not get distracted. Statistics has proved that nearly 70% to 80% of all traffic accidents are caused by drivers error.Expert DEFENSIVE DRIVERS, avoid getting into tight spots.They recognized that when the other five conditions namely light,road,weather,traffic,& the vehicle are poor; their attitude, attentiveness & skill are all that may prevent an accident.

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We seldom meet all these poor conditions one at a time.Usually they may gang up & make driving a difficult task. As a DEFENSIVE DRIVER one must identify all the conditions present in any driving situation & adjust to them.

HOW TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT Knowing how to adjust your driving in the face of adverse driving conditions, you must now look at the actions of others.

Thanks, K.P.Desai