The best drivers are aware that they must be ware

”The
best drivers are aware that they must be beware”

Improper
road safety is a global progressive tragedy, with ever-rising trends,
cutting across all ages, and could be categorized as single or
multiple vehicle accidents, “Approximately
1.35 million people die each year as a result of road traffic
accidents’’ (W.H.O. News room, 7^TH
December
2018).’

This could be attributed to heterogeneous genesis, amongst them,:
economic development, rapid population growth, industrialization and
motorization. This subject should be tackled in a multidisciplinary
approach as shall be discerned in this article. “The2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development has set an ambitious target of
halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic
crashes by 2020”
(W.H.O.
News room, 7^TH
December 2018).’ To circumvent this, I will touch on three major
points: Public awareness/education, law enforcement/government
support and proper road infrastructure.

I strive to see
every road user being well educated on safe use of roads. This
knowledge should be instilled right from primary school as a free
module, not just theoretically but practically with a board model
that consists the bare minimum road signs and traffic lights as would
be found on a typical road, that would demonstrate best pedestrians’
and drivers’ practices. A road safety booklet should be given to
every student, in accordance to level of understanding/grade, and a
monitoring and evaluation strata put in place for the same.
National
standards for all driving schools should be re evaluated annually to
ensure curricular being taught is up to par. Issuance of legit
driving licences should be properly regulated and guided by a strict
processes. Where necessary and possible, defensive driving should be
instituted to relevant drivers

As a paramedic
student, in my capacity, I endeavour to give proper health education,
by using my social media accounts to road users, by advising them on
drunk driving/driving under psychoactive substances and how one can
avoid this, not forgetting how companies can implement 0% tolerance
policy on the same, over speeding( above set laws by one’s
country), proper use of motor cycle helmets/child restraints/seatbelt
on regardless the distance and speed one has to cover, ’’Wearing
a seat-belt reduces the risk of death among drivers and front seat
occupants by 45 – 50%, and the risk of death and serious injuries
among rear seat occupants by 25%’’ (Defensive systems
institution, January 2017).’ Proper
maintenance of one’s vehicle and pre trip checks to avoid
unawareness of mechanical hazards that could lead to tragedy on the
road, in essence a failure of the breaking system. Avoidance of
distracted driving would definitely be a huge hammer towards this
subject as drivers
using mobile phones are approximately 4 times more likely to be
involved in a crash as compared to vice versa, as this slows one’s
reaction time and significantly reduces their focus on the road. I
would also wish to request the authorities to enforce the rules
already in place.

As a paramedic
student, I have witnessed delays in detection and initiation of care
to road traffic accident victims, significantly affecting the outcome
of treatment negatively. Medical care post an accident is extremely
time-sensitive as this impacts the difference between life and death.
Improving post-crash care requires ensuring access to timely
prehospital care, and improving the quality of both prehospital and
hospital care, such as through affordable and available specialist
training programmes, not only limited to medical related but other
resourceful disciplines e.g. rescue personnel, fire fighting
personnel and such related.

I would urge the
authorities involved with transport, to consider the
design of roads, as this can have a considerable impact on users
safety. This would mean making sure that there are adequate
facilities for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Measures
such as footpaths, cycling lanes, safe crossing points, and other
traffic calming measures can be critical to reducing the risk of
injury among these road users. Also the government’s traffic
department should continually enforce laws already in place and
continuously do monitoring and evaluation of statistics.

Bottom
line: there are numerous causes of this enigma, that could be nipped
in the bud, but we shouldn’t forget, it’s up to the driver to
adhere to road safety codes and maintain a positive road safety
culture. .”