ROAD TRAFFIC
ACCIDENTS & SAFETY
Lecture#19
Dr. Iqra Ayaz(PT)
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INTRODUCTION
Road traffic injuries are the 9th leading cause of death
globally.
More than a million people die each year on the
world’s roads, and the cost of dealing with the
consequences of these road traffic crashes runs to
billions of dollars.
Current trends suggest that by 2030 road traffic
deaths will become the fifth leading cause of death
unless urgent action is taken. 2
KEY FACTS
Halfof those dying on the world’s roads are
“vulnerable road users”: pedestrians, cyclists and
motorcyclists.
Most of these deaths are preventable.
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ROAD TRAFFIC DEATHS
6%
Others
48% 46%
Pedestrian, cyclists and Car occupants
motorized two-wheels
riders and passengers
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48% of road traffic deaths are pedestrians, cyclists and
motorcyclists
KEY FACTS
91% of the world's fatalities on the roads occur in
low-income and middle-income countries, even
though these countries have approximately half of
the world's vehicles.
However, less than 35% of low- and middle-
income countries have policies in place to protect
these road users.
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RISK FACTORS
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RISK FACTORS
Riskfactors influencing Hand-held mobile
crash involvement: telephones
Inadequate visibility
Speed
Road-related factors
Pedestrians & cyclists Vehicle-related risk
Young drivers
factors
Alcohol Medicinal &
Distracted Driving recreational drugs
Driver fatigue
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RISK FACTORS
Risk factors influencing injury severity:
Non-use of crash helmets by two-wheeled
vehicle users
Non-use of seat-belts and child restraints in
motor vehicles
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WHAT CAN BE DONE ?
Road traffic injuries can be prevented.
Governments need to take action to address road
safety in a holistic manner, that requires
involvement from multiple sectors (transport,
police, health, education) and that addresses the
safety of roads, vehicles, and road users
themselves.
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WHAT CAN BE DONE ?
Effective interventions include;
1. Designing safer infrastructure and
incorporating road safety features into land-use
and transport planning;
2. Improving the safety features of vehicles; and
3. Improving post-crash care for victims of road
crashes.
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WHAT CAN BE DONE ?
Interventions that target road user behavior are
equally important, such as
i. setting and enforcing laws relating to key risk
factors, and
ii. raising public awareness about these.
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PILLARS OF PLAN
There are five pillars that guide national road safety
plans and activities over the Decade of Action
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SEAT-BELTS
• Wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of death
among front-seat passengers by 40−65%
57%
of countries
Have law for seat-belts
(front & rear)!
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MOTORCYCLE HELMETS
Wearing a good quality motorcycle helmet can
reduce the risk of death by ±40% and severe head
injury by >70%.
Only 40% of
countries have
a
comprehensive
law and
standards!
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CHILD RESTRAINTS
Infant seats and child seats can reduce deaths of
infants by ±70% and deaths of small children by
between 54%–80% in the event of a crash.
Less than 50%
of countries
have
a child restraint
law!
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SPEED REDUCTION
Urban speed limits should not exceed 50 km/h
and local authorities should be able to reduce
speeds where necessary.
Only 29%
of countries
have such
laws!
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PAKISTAN ROAD SAFETY
SITUATION
Indeveloping country like Pakistan, the poor are
disproportionately affected, with most of the
victims being pedestrian, bicyclist, motorcyclists
and passenger of public transport riders and with
more than half of them between ages of 15 to 44
years.
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PAKISTAN ROAD SAFETY ISSUES
1. Institutional issues:
Insufficient allocation of financial and human
resources to road safety program.
Unavailability of trained Traffic Operation
Engineers and Road Safety Auditors.
Lack of training and educational opportunities to
road safety professional.
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2. ROAD USERS ISSUES
Law for helmet usage is present but its
compliance is low.
Motorist generally do not wear seat belt. There is
currently no legislation mandating it.
Most of the vehicles plying on road are old and
not equipped with the seat belts.
Use of cell phone while driving, walking and
even motor-biking is increasing day by day.
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3. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONS
ISSUES
Upto20 years old buses are plying on our
roadway.
Shortage of public transportation is causing
overloading of Public vehicles.
Lackof government run public transportation
has resulted into many small transportation
companies and those are difficult to regulate.
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4. ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES
There is no policy on U-Turns. The illegal U-
Turns made by the business owners are causing
road crashes.
Parking spaces are not available in the major
cities, leading to congestion and road crashes
due to unauthorized parked vehicles.
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5. VEHICLE SAFETY ISSUES
The overloading of the trucks, which are not
designed for that amount of load, cause severe
damage to roads resulting in rutting of roads and
creates safety problems.
IllegalHigh intensity lights are being used by
the drivers, which are a cause of glare and
crashes during night time.
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6. HOSPITAL/EMERGENCY RESPONSE
ISSUES
Stateof the art trauma centers are generally not
available in Pakistan.
Growing congestion in urban area causes delay
in patient transportation to hospital.
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CONCLUSION
Inorder to combat the problem, there is a need for
close coordination and collaboration, using a holistic
and integrated approach, across many sectors and
many disciplines.
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THANK YOU
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