|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Saturday, 6 November 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Pedestrian safety in the forefront by Fathima Razik Cader To most people in Sri Lanka, travelling on the road is like co-existing with death. This state of mind therefore impacts negatively on one's output in whatever field of activity and thereby leads to loss of productivity.
Intensive and extensive research done by the research team at SweRoad, Consultant to the Ministry of Transport on Road Safety, has resulted in a comprehensive report being compiled and which contains a statistical analysis of traffic accidents for the year 2002. In the year 2002, the number of people who died due to road traffic accidents was 2175. Of this number, 815 were pedestrians. This translates into 37% of the total number of those killed on the road. Definition of Road Accidents: Sri Lanka defines a road accident as: "An event that has happened or originated on a road or street involving at least one moving vehicle causing injury or death to persons or damage to property". The international definition of a road accident is: "An accident occurring or originating on a street open to public traffic, resulting in one or more persons being injured or killed and involving at least one moving vehicle". (United Nations - 1994) In the United States of America, a traffic accident defined as: "An accident that involves a motor vehicle on a public highway or road, resulting in injury to a person or damage to property". (US Department of Transport - 1999) According to the World Health Organisation, (WHO), in 1990, in the South East Asian region, the global burden on health due to road traffic accidents that resulted in death was in the ninth place.
But by the year 2020, it is expected to go up to the second place. In the process, road traffic accidents are going to surpass cerebrovascular disease, lower respiratory infections, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS to name a few with ischaemic heart disease continuing to be denoted as the biggest killer disease. National accidents statistics reveal that in Sri Lanka, six persons get killed and 61 persons get injured every day due to road traffic accidents. The WHO has placed Sri Lanka in its "high priority" list of countries along with Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand as countries whose rate of road traffic accidents are very high and therefore must not only be contained but also brought down significantly. Developed countries with their per capita income posting high figures and a remarkably higher number of vehicles on the roads record lesser number of accidents. On the other hand, Sri Lanka, in comparison, has a lower per capita income, lesser cars but a high fatality rate. Studies also reveal that Sri Lanka has the third highest number of fatalities per one million people in the South East Asian region. Upto 31st December 2002, the total (accumulated) number of registered vehicles stood at 1 million, 809 thousand 632. It must be noted however that, over the years, many vehicles have been taken off the road and as a result the number of vehicles plying on the road would be lesser than the total (accumulated) number of registered vehicles. Another interesting aspect of this comprehensive study is the time of day when accidents have taken place. Peak hours in the morning indicate a rise in the number of accidents and the same situation is reflected in the afternoon and evening. This would require increased surveillance by the law enforcing authorities during these times in order to contain the problem. In the research that has been carried out, the highest number of recorded accidents have taken place in the Western Province. The North-Western and the Southern Provinces have recorded the second and third highest number of accidents, overall. Cars are predominantly involved in accidents followed by light vehicles (vans, jeeps and pick-ups). Lorries, private buses and motor-cycles have also been involved to a great extent in accidents whilst bicycles and three-wheelers have also recorded a considerable number of accidents. Of the pedestrians, children, the elderly and the handicapped are the most vulnerable. Pedestrians tend to take it for granted that they are safe whilst walking on the road or while crossing (either at marked crossings or at any other point convenient to them) and this results in being less vigilant. They fail to look out for oncoming traffic and they also fail to judge the possibility or otherwise of crossing the road in the midst of heavy traffic. These are some of the reasons attributed to the high number of pedestrian accidents. The research also highlights the areas where most pedestrian accidents take place. The Kelaniya Police Division has recorded the most number of fatalities. The Colombo, Gampaha and Nugegoda Police Divisions follow. If one were to highlight the fatalities per se, the Kelaniya Police Division has recorded the highest number of deaths while the Nugegoda Police Division has recorded the highest number of grievous injuries. An analysis of the age groups reveals that pedestrians between 35-54 years are those who have been most at risk. This age group comprises the work force in the country and needless to say, impacts negatively on productivity (due to the lesser number of man hours) and thereby on the overall economy of the country. It is a fact that the majority of Sri Lankans as a rule are not a disciplined lot. In the past, this writer has on many occasions, focused attention on the need to educate the public on following road rules and adopting safety measures. This primarily means that drivers', riders' and pedestrians' need to be law abiding on the road. The authorities under whose purview are roads, maintenance and law enforcement, have continuously drawn the attention of the general public to follow road rules. But sadly, most people on the road care less and instead personify callous disregard to their safety and that of others. It is therefore timely for the authorities concerned to stringently enforce the law and educate the road users in order to bring down the increasing number of accidents that take place on our roads. It is also a fact that 50% of those admitted to the Accident Service of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka are road traffic accident victims and predominant among them are pedestrians. Developed countries address this issue methodically and scientifically and in fact, constantly monitor the situation in order to maintain the low rate of injuries sustained by pedestrians. Currently, in Sri Lanka, the authorities concerned are striving to create awareness and educate the general public on Road Safety with the Ministry of Transport leading the way in collaboration with the Traffic Police Headquarters and other relevant authorities. Hopefully, the laws in this respect will be strictly enforced and the public will have no choice but to follow the road rules. Research worldwide has revealed that human error is the primary cause of most road accidents and that only a small percentage of accidents can be directly attributed to mechanical defects in vehicles, faults in road design, lack of maintenance or other environmental factors. Some of the salient factors known to increase the risk of accidents or increase the severity of accidents are: Road users: inexperienced, young and reckless drivers/riders sometimes also under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, ignorance regarding traffic rules and regulations and the reluctance to adopt safety measures like wearing safety belts or wearing helmets as the case may be. Vehicles: worn tyres, poor brakes, bad lights, overloading public vehicles and trucks, using unsuitable vehicles to transport passengers and poor crashworthiness. Roads: High speed or not observing speed limits, lack of proper lighting, poorly controlled intersections, uncontrolled access, narrow roads, poor maintenance of pavement or shoulders, deep ditches and hard objects near the road. Traffic and environment: mix of motor and non-motor impediments and pedestrians, poor traffic management and lack of enforcement of traffic laws, darkness, inclement weather conditions and inadequate emergency medical services. Most road accidents go hand in hand with speed and excessive speed has been identified as the major cause of accidents and the severity of the injuries sustained. Evidence has proved that, if speed is reduced, the number of injuries and the extent of such injuries are bound to decrease. Pedestrians are highly vulnerable and are the least protected. According to the Accident Service of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, injuries that pedestrians sustain are the most complex in terms of treatment. SweRoad, Consultants to the Ministry of Transport on Road Safety, in collaboration and cooperation with the University of Moratuwa and the Traffic Police Headquarters, conducted a series of surveys to observe the attitude, behaviour and pattern that pedestrians and all categories of drivers adopt on the road. They were observed at various locations, situations and various times of the day. A questionnaire aimed at obtaining the views and suggestions of a cross section of pedestrians and all categories of drivers was also used for the surveys. The answers to the questionnaire were collated and an analysis was done to obtain a clear picture on how both the pedestrians and drivers' view road safety, their knowledge or lack thereof on the subject and their suggestions to contain road traffic accidents. Considering the Sri Lankan ethos, one can hardly expect success in changing the mind-set of the public at large. In this respect, educating school children island-wide, on how to protect themselves with well-planned and constructive programmes not only on road safety but also extending to other areas of education - viz: health, environment, social responsibility to name a few, will certainly go a long way towards healthy nation building. Juxtaposed to this, the on-going programme - Traffic Education for Schoolchildren conducted by SweRoad will no doubt also help in the overall effort to bring down effectively and considerable, the number of accidents that involve pedestrians in the foreseeable future. The law has to be applicable to everyone on the road and offenders should be taken to task. It is about time that Sri Lankans put their 'shoulders to the wheel' - no pun intended and personify the much-needed civic-sense towards making this 'Pearl in the Indian Ocean' an accident-free haven on earth. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
