Whenever we listen to radio news, TV News, go
through daily newspapers, we come to know about road accident. The accident may
be cyclist and so on resulting fatal injuries to persons or loss of life along
with loss of property. Due to graphical increase of motor vehicles on the road,
day to day, the road accident is growing in our society just like cancer.
Unless we adopt pre cautionary measures to prevent, it will paralyze and
minimize the life span of human life.
Before we search for safety measures for
prevention of road accidents, we should first discuss its causes vividly.
Broadly. The factors responsible to cause accident can be considered under
following headlines.
1. The Road
2. The Vehicle
3. The Driver
4. The Pedestrians
5. The Passengers
6. Environmental Factors
7. Stray animals
8. Other Causes
1. THE ROAD
The characteristic of road has a great influence
for cause of accident.
a. Slippery or skidding road surface, pit holes
and other damaged condition of road surface causes accident.
b. Defective geometric design like inadequate
sight distance, inadequate width & shoulders improper curve design,
improper lightening & improper traffic control devices are the causes for
road accident
2. THE VEHICLE
Some people say that vehicles are the biggest
culprits that cause serious accident. The naked truth is that “no vehicle is
perfectly safe”. We do not know when an accident will occur on the road due to
mechanical failure of vehicle. There is probability of failure of brake,
steering system, lighting system, tyre burst and any other mechanical defect in
the vehicles.
Though we have improved the quality of motor
vehicle, yet it plays a vital role in the road accident.
3. THE DRIVER
The driver is the key factor in most of the road
accident. He is the human element in charge of machine. He drives it,
accelerates it, brakes it, steers it, accelerates it, & stops it. During
the course of his normal driving in the busy street he has to overtake many
vehicles, & to be overtaken by some, performs numerous turning manoeurves,
faces dangerous situations, a number of pedestrians who cross the streets at
odd places and he takes decision in a fraction of seconds. It is understood
that the driver can make accident or he can save accident. It depends on his
behaviour, alertness and vision power. But due to reckless, carelessness
driving of some drivers, violation of rules and regulations, failures to
understand the traffic sign, signals, accident occurs.
4. THE PEDESTRIANS
Accident occurs due to pedestrians as they cross
the roadway, means for vehicular traffic, carelessly and violate the traffic
rules & regulations. Alcohol & drug addiction of both the drivers &
pedestrians contribute to a great extent in increasing the road accident.
5. THE PASSENGERS
Some time passengers are hurried to get down
suddenly & to get into the running vehicles causes serious accident. This
is due to the lack of awareness of traffic rules & Laws.
6. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Unfavorable weather condition like fog, mist,
snowfall, dust, smoke, heavy rainfal also cause road accident as it restricts
the visibility of driver and renders driving unsafe.
7. STRAY ANIMALS
Start animals like cast, dogs, cows, buffalos come
suddenly on to the road and driver fail to control the vehicle which cause
serious accident.
8. OTHER CAUSES OF ACCIDENT
Due to zig-zag road, wrong installation of road
signs, improper lighting on the street, accummulation of sand, bricks and
stones on the common road causes accidents. Unguarded railway crossing also
causes accident.
Now it is high time to innovate and discuss how to
prevent accident. What are the traffic control devices that should be used in
the common roadway for the safety of road user. We shall plan & design the
road in such a manner that the traffic will move safely, timely, speedly,
economically to the destination with all parking facility on the road.
The various measures/ remedies decrease the
accident rates may be divided in to three groups. >Engineering
>Enforcement
>Education
These are termed as 3-Es
*Engineering Measures
a. Road Design: The geometric design features of
road such as sight distance, width of pavement, vertical & horizontal
alignment should be checked properly. Whenever necessary footpath, humps over
bridge, subways, road dividers, round aborts, islands should be constructed for
safe travel of traffic. When ever necessary by- passes may be constructed to
separate Express traffic from Local traffic. To minimize delay and conflicts at
the intersections, it may be essential to design and construct grade separated
intersection or fly-over.
b. Preventive maintenance of Vehicles: The braking
system, steering, tyre condition & lighting arrangements of vehicles
playing on the road should be checked at suitable intervals and penalty should
be imposed.
c. Accident Data: The record of accident and their
patterns at different locations should be maintained by collision and collision
diagram. After making necessary improvement in design, it is again required to
collect & maintain the record of accident data “before and after” to study
their efficiency.
d. Street Lighting: Proper street lighting will
decrease the rate of accident during night. Lighting is necessary at some
vulnerable point like at bridge sites, intersections, pedestrian crossing, and
at places where there are restrictions for traffic movements.
*Enforcement Measures
The various measures of enforcement may be useful
to prevent accident on roadways are enumerated here.
a. Speed control: Surprise checking of spot speed
of all fast moving vehicles should be down at selected location and timing and
legal action on those who violate the speed limits should be taken. Now mobile
interceptors are introduced in our country with all modern scientific technique
to check the spot speed of vehicle from a distance of two Kms by computerized
radar system and also it can check the driver who is driving taking alcohol and
accordingly they may be penalized as per M. V Act 1988.
b. Traffic Control Devices: At the intersections,
light signal system may be introduced if necessary. Similarly road signs, road
markings or chanellising islands may be installed/ constructed wherever found
necessary.
c. Training & Supervision: The transport
authority should be strict in testing & issuing license to drivers of
public service vehicles and taxies. Driving license of drivers may be renewed
after specified period, after conducting tests to check whether the driver is
physically fit to drive.
d. Medical check: The drivers should be tested for
vision at prescribed intervals, say once in three years.
e. Observance of Law & regulation: This is one
of the most essential steps in enforcement for prevention of accidents. The
transport authority should depute a study group assisted by police to different
locations of roadway to check whether the traffic regulations are being
followed by road users. The study group can provide useful data for deciding
about the necessity of certain traffic regulation.
*Educational measures
Education of Road users: It is very essential to
educate the road users for various precautionary measures to use the roadway
facilities with safety. The pedestrians should be taught how to cross the road
at Zebra crossing, how to use footpath, how to use subway etc.
The cyclist, motorcycle rider should be taught not
to use footpath, which is meant for pedestrians. They should use indicator
light or hand signals while taking left or right turns. Motorcyclist should use
headgear and two persons may travel on the motorcycle including the rider. Good
brakes, night lamps, head light and red reflector at the read should be clean
and proper while using the road. They should obey the light signals at
intersections. So road safety education occupies an important place in the
prevention of accident. The drivers of four wheelers should be taught to use
seat belt, to keep valid driving license with them and to abbey rules of the
road. All vehicles should maintain safe braking distance while driving on the
road.
Traffic education should be started from school
level, so that they will not face problem in future when they will drive bike
or four- wheeler on the road.
The rules of the road should be broadcasted
through electronics media or newspaper for general awareness of public/ road
users. Photographs / Hoardings/ picturising the result of accident should be
installed at the intersections to give the message to road users.
Without traffic education, life has no meaning at
all.
For safety of road, safety of vehicle, safety of
road users, we observe January 1st week as “road Safety week” in our country.
But it should not be confined in week but should be extended to whole life as
far as we are using the road. A little advice to schoolchildren who use road in
a nutshell.
“Do not be hurry
If you will be hurry
You may suffer injury
Resulting your parents
To feel very very sorry”
(By Er. Ranjit Ku. Das, from
Odishabook.com)
