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Let's get back to the basics of road safety

The Moving Finger by Lionel Wijesiri

Traffic accidents are currently the tenth leading cause of death globally and are expected to become the third leading cause in 20 years. Every year well over one million human beings die in road traffic accidents and tens of millions are injured, often maimed for life. The vast majority of the victims are poor people in the developing world and probably half of them are pedestrians.

In Sri Lanka 2000 road traffic deaths were reported on average per year during 1999 to 2003. 41% of fatalities were reported from Western Province.

In 1980, one death in every 130 deaths in Sri Lanka was a road traffic death. By 1998 this figure advanced into one death in every 60 deaths. A survey done in 2003 in Accident Service of National Hospital of Sri Lanka showed that 19% of all injured treated were victims of traffic accidents.

It was also revealed that 50% of deaths (one in every other death), occurred in Accident and Orthopaedic service were victims of traffic accidents. Traffic police informs that victims of traffic accidents when classified by road user categories turned out to be pedestrians 38%, passengers 26%, pedal cyclists 14% and motor cyclists 12%.

The estimated cost of traffic accidents in 2001 was Rs. 10 billion which exceeded the public expenditure on the health sector. Nine per cent of them were caused by drivers without a licence. Eighty per cent are caused by human error and the balance by mechanical defects. Nearly a quarter of three-wheeler drivers have no licences.

And in addition to the tremendous pain and suffering, there is a financial burden too. Each accident incurs costs from the emergency services, hospitals and doctors, or in loss of production, sick pay or compensation.

In Sri Lanka, the estimated cost of traffic accidents in 2001 was Rs. 10 billion which exceeded the public expenditure on the health sector. Nine per cent of them were caused by drivers without a licence. 80 per cent are caused by human error and the balance by mechanical defects. Most of the loss eventually will be met by the taxpayer.

In other words, we all pay for road accidents, whether we're directly involved or not. Possibly because individual road accidents are generally much less spectacular than plane crashes and railway disasters, policy-makers, health professionals and the public have not really focused on this health 'epidemic.'

Causes

The causes of traffic accidents are well known: unsafe roads, reckless and drunken driving, speeding, overtaking in dangerous places, ignoring road signs and driving in poorly-maintained cars, buses and trucks, i.e., with bad tyres, brakes and lights. Out of these, three causes remain prominent:

Speeding: It is well documented that speed, or inappropriate speed contributes to a significant percentage of all crashes and a higher percentage of more serious crashes.

Recent research shows that increasing speed by 5km/h over a 60km/h speed limit doubles the risk of a casualty crash. This risk doubles again with each increase of 5km/h. Speed cameras have proved extremely effective in reducing speed on roads of most countries.

Alcohol: Drink driving is a sad fact of life in today's society. As well as the emotional and human costs of drink driving there are also major implications for all motorists who drink and drive, even if they do not injure or kill anyone.

Fatigue: Driver fatigue is estimated to be another contributing factor in fatal crashes occurring in rural areas. It is also a contributory factor in many metropolitan crashes.

Action

It is time the Government set challenging targets for the reduction of road traffic accidents. These are to reduce deaths and serious injuries at least by 40% by 2010. In order to meet the challenges, our Motor Traffic authorities should develop new service standards.

* Increase the number and efficiency of traffic officers: High visibility of traffic officers on roads is essential. There are still far too many stories of people travelling 150km without any speed traps as evidence of traffic policing.

* Implement extensive training for traffic officers: They can then effectively deal with situations. Improving the relationship between road users and traffic officers to cultivate mutual respect is another fundamental.

* Review all road traffic laws: The laws we have must be fair and able to be implemented.

* Thoroughly research the locations, times and causes of accidents. Appropriate action can then be taken. The processing of proper statistical data is taking far too long.

* Emphasise road safety as an ongoing effort: Although road safety is highlighted over major holiday periods the problem is equally serious the rest of the year.

With all this in place we will vastly improve our chances of changing the mindset of our road users and traffic officers. This will reduce the carnage to a level acceptable in a civilised society.

The argument that such a step would require an unaffordable increase in manpower does not hold water, given unemployment statistics and the billions of Rupees that traffic accidents cost the country every year.

New measures

We can also take a lesson from South Africa. In September last year South Africa enforced tough new measures to remove dangerous drivers from the road by suspending or revoking their licences.

According to the system, every driver will be awarded 12 points. If he loses those points through 12 demerits in a year, his licence will be suspended. After three suspensions, his licence will be cancelled.

So strict are the new regulations that a driver could have his driver's licence suspended immediately if, for example:

* he is caught speeding.

* he is drink-driving

* he is not wearing a seatbelt.

* his car's tail lights are not in working order.

* he left his licence at home.

And in addition to losing his licence, he will be slapped with a stiff fine. If he remained penalty-free at the end of the year, the next year would kick off with an additional 12 points plus a bonus point - a total of 25.

This process would be repeated every year, with the result that good drivers would be rewarded by building up a bank of bonus points. Conversely, points will be deducted for offences committed during each year. However, nobody can build up, say, five years worth of brownie points as a safeguard against any serious traffic offence he might commit in the future - such as drunken driving, excessive speeding or running over a pedestrian while he is inebriated.

In the case of major traffic violations, the law will continue to take its normal course and driver will end up in court to face the music. And, if found guilty, he will be jailed and/or fined and almost certain to lose all his carefully hoarded points as well.

The new demerit system, based on a highly successful Australian model, has been made possible by the introduction of the card-format driver's licences which enable traffic authorities to store the record of every driver.

I spoke to a professional driver-trainer recently. I asked him about his opinion of the attitudes of our drivers.

"We can teach them how to pass a road test but what about after that?" he asked. I answered, "You must teach them more than how to pass the road test: you must teach them how to be disciplined drivers so that they can survive and let others survive, too".

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