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TITLE (EDIT)
The Challenges Of Road Safety In The 21st Century |
DESCRIPTION
Quite simple...It issues a call for action...reflective upon World Health Day 2004.
[1,353 words] |
TITLE KEYWORD
Psychology |
AUTHOR
Kennedy O Obohwemu |
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Medical Doctor, Publisher, Editor, Novelist, Playwright, Poet
Dr. Ken�s books {Book 1: Frozen, Book 2: Nightfall, and the Omnibus Edition (paperback)} are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple:
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/doctorken
Barnes & Noble: http://ow.ly/zQm9I
Apple: http://goo.gl/QYpqH4
[August 2014] |
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (52)
A Fool At Fifty Three (Essays) A faulty federal system from the beginning... [1,020 words] [Mind]
A Season Of Grace (Poetry) It's for the lenten season...composed 24-30/03/03 [124 words] [Spiritual]
Be My Queen (Poetry) Pictures the earnest desire of a love-bird... [114 words] [Relationships]
Beyond The Sky (Poetry) If you really want to hit it big,don't let the sky be your limit;let it be your beginning! [126 words] [Motivational]
Born A Unique Being (Poetry) To the birth of Our LORD... [121 words] [Spiritual]
Breathe Again (Poetry) It's hard living without someone precious to you...you'd long to breathe again...composed 22/05/03. [117 words] [Relationships]
Can No Longer Fly (Poetry) This captures the thoughts of a heart-broken love-bird...composed 23/05/03. [110 words] [Relationships]
Cheers To Love! (Poetry) Happy cheers to the greatest of all... [105 words] [Relationships]
Come The Way You Are (Poetry) Come to HIM who loves us all,just the way you are...composed 19/02/04. [121 words] [Spiritual]
Enkindle The Fire (Poetry) It's not enough to have a dream...live it up! [117 words] [Motivational]
Every Step I Take (Poetry) Missing you every step of the way...composed 30/06/03 [122 words] [Relationships]
Found The Missing Link (Poetry) Should people cry when you're around?Something's not right...there's a missing link...composed 17/02/04 [121 words] [Mind]
Frozen (Twisted, Book 1) (Novels) An engrossing tale guaranteed to make your spine tingle and your pulse pound! [168 words] [Literary Fiction]
Gave You My All (Poetry) This love-bird's heart bleeds...has suffered disappointment from an unlikely source...composed 30/06/03 [118 words] [Relationships]
I Like Your Smile (Poetry) It's friendship all the way as this poetic piece gives insight on the lovely communication ensuing between two love-birds whose heartbeats rhyme... Dedicated to Nneka [125 words] [Relationships]
I Remember The Day (Poetry) This piece pictures how couples often settle - or should settle - their disputes...composd 24/05/03. [114 words] [Relationships]
I Was Wrong (Poetry) I'm really sorry for past wrongs...do give me another chance...composed 19/02/04 [118 words] [Relationships]
I Woke Up One Morning (Poetry) Ever woken up one morning to find a shocking surprise?This one pierced the heart of this love-bird...composed 24/05/03. [111 words] [Relationships]
If God Had No Time (Poetry) What would happen...if...if...if...HE had no time? Co-authored by Esther Ejovi. [136 words] [Spiritual]
It's Come Again (Poetry) It's a brand new year...expectations are high...composed 01/01/04,New Year's Day. [107 words] [Psychology]
It's Gone Again (Poetry) Last year was one of ups and downs,joy and laughter...it's gone,never coming back...composed 31/12/03 [122 words] [Psychology]
Lights Remain Aglow (Poetry) I wrote this poem 5th May,2003.It's one of my favorites.Sometimes we just feel down and there seems to be no one around to cheer us up.We need not be consumed by gloom.LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE.There's... [120 words] [Motivational]
Love Deserves All (Poetry) Love is so potent a virtue that it deserves all there is ...composed 23/04/03 [107 words] [Relationships]
Love Never Freezes (Poetry) I in the substance of love,the real thing.It does't just begin and end.True live never freezes,and this poem,dated 23rd-24th,2003,pin-points this fact. [115 words] [Relationships]
Major Breakthrough In African Literature (Essays) It's really very simple...I'd like the relevant authorities to prove me wrong... [581 words] [Self-Help]
More Than A Smile (Poetry) There's something more to your smile,I just know it...composed 22/05/03 [126 words] [Relationships]
Must Move On (Poetry) Composed May 22nd,2003,this poem gives insight on how to cope with grief.[It's one of my best.]There's none that hasn't been affected one way or the other.Grief becomes over-powering when we let it pe... [164 words] [Motivational]
My Visible Angel (Poetry) A special piece dedicated to my mother... [127 words] [Mind]
Nightfall (Twisted, Book 2) (Novels) An unbelievable piece of literature that will keep you biting your nails from start to finish! [151 words] [Literary Fiction]
Passionate Appeal To Dstv Concerning Big Brother Africa (Bba) (Non-Fiction) It's all about recognising the need to preserve the little virtues we have left...if at all we've not lost all of them! [389 words] [Mind]
Queen Of My Heart (Poetry) A love piece that pictures the made-up mind of a love-bird...No other captures the radiance of my love the way you do...you're Queen Of My Heart. composed 19/02/04 [113 words] [Relationships]
Running In The Track (Poetry) A great encounter for this love-bird right in the track...composed 19/02/04 [119 words] [Relationships]
Say You'll Be Mine (Poetry) All this love-bird needs is the hand of his soul-mate...he's losing his mind...composed 19/02/04 [114 words] [Relationships]
Softer Than Silk (Poetry) Speaks of a special quality of love...composed 11/05/03. [93 words] [Relationships]
The Biggest Problem Facing Nigeria This Century (Essays) An unending battle with a trouble that seems to have settled comfortably with individual minds... [750 words] [Psychology]
The Extra Mile (Poetry) Only an extra mile is needed to rise higher... Composed 09,20/04/03. [112 words] [Motivational]
The Faith We Need (Poetry) It's a simple principle - faith without works is dead...composed 17/2/4 [119 words] [Motivational]
The Fight Against Aids-Is There A Ray Of Hope? (Essays) All we need is a lasting solution...just how far have we gone?how far can we go? [902 words] [Health]
The Fire Of Love (Poetry) Love's the greatest there is,sure.It was in the light of this tradition-the greatness of love-that this poem was composed,23rd-24th April,2003,to consider this virtue in it's intensity. [107 words] [Relationships]
The Light Of Love (Poetry) It's the great light that love gives... [109 words]
The Living Ark (Poetry) Remember Noah's ark?It was made of gopher wood.The ark I speak of now is a living one...composed 01/07/03. [125 words] [Spiritual]
The Ocean And The Stream (Poetry) Someone once said to me,'The ocean and the stream never mix'.What do you think? composed 19/02/04 [135 words] [Relationships]
They Came From Afar (Poetry) Tries to picture why there's so much trouble on earth...where did they come from? [114 words] [Mind]
Twisted (Blockbuster Novel) (Novels) A compelling, provocative, masterful thriller guaranteed to leave you spell-bound with its suspense-filled intrigue and nail-biting finishes! [257 words] [Literary Fiction]
We'll Get There (Poetry) It's a motivational one,composed 9th-10th May,2003.It's all about remaining focused.It stemmed from my every day experience in the Medical School. [100 words] [Motivational]
What Have We Done? (Poetry) Look what we've done to the world,it's not a good sight...composed 19/02/04. [110 words] [Nature]
What Is It With Fecamds? (Essays) - [472 words] [Health]
When The Bells Began To Ring (Poetry) A reflection on the election of Cardinal Joseph Radzinger as successor to Pope John Paul II at St.Peter's Square,Rome.Composed April 19th,2005. [115 words] [Mind]
Where Did I Go Wrong? (Poetry) It was only a skirmish,do forgive me...this love-bird can't figure out what's wrong...composed 22,23/05/03. [113 words] [Relationships]
Where Love And Sorrow Meet (Poetry) It was Good Friday,April 18th,2003.Moved by the reflection of the Passion of Our LORD,I wrote the poem to picture the intense emotion and physical weakness Our LORD had to go through for our sake to c... [103 words] [Motivational]
You're The One (Poetry) It's the mind of a happy love-bird who found his missing rib...composed 25/05/03 [122 words] [Relationships]
'twisted (Short Stories) Before things went sour, he needed a minor miracle. Now he needs the Red Sea to part. http://wp.me/P3ZErB-F Full story coming soon on Amazon Kindle. #Novel #eBook #Kindle #Mystery #Suspense #Romance #... [334 words] [Fan Fiction]
|
The Challenges Of Road Safety In The 21st Century
Kennedy O Obohwemu
For far too long,road safety has been treated as a transportation issue,not a public health issue.Many
countries around the world have put far less effort into understanding and preventing road traffic injuries
than they do into understanding and preventing diseases that do less harm.
That road safety is the issue on the minds of experts for year 2004 is applaudable.The World Health
Organisation(WHO)has chosen "Road Safety" as the theme for 2004,with the slogan "Road Safety Is No Accident".
The organisation is aware of the alarming increase in road traffic crashes,a pressing issue that has disturbed
the minds of everyone on the street,vehicle-users and passers-by alike.From the youngest child to the most
senior officers of government,no individual is absolutely free from the risk of developing road traffic injuries.
Everyone is at least a potential victim.
Everyday,as many as 140 000 people are injured on the world's roads.More than 1.2 million are killed on the
road annually.Over 3000 die and some 15 000 are disabled for life.Each of those people has a network of family,
friends,neighbours,colleagues or classmates who are also affected,emotionally and otherwise.
The WHO Director General,Dr.Lee JONG-wook,has lamented the state of affairs."...Families struggle with poverty
when they lose a breadwinner or have the added expense of caring for disabled family members".He fears that if
the trend continues,"...by 2020,the numbers of people killed and disabled on the world's roads will have grown by
more than 60% ..." This will make road traffic injuries to number THREE on WHO's list of leading contributors to
the global burden of disease and injury.
In some low and middle income countries,road crash victims occupy up to 10% of hospital beds.These countries
indeed account for a disproportionate share of the global burden of road traffic injuries.Annual deaths from all
types of injuries are projected at to rise from 5.1 million in 1990 to 8.4 million in 2020-with road traffic
injuries as a major cause for this increase.In 2002 the global rate of death from road traffic injuries was 19.0
per 100 000 people.The rate was however,at 12.6 in high-income countries and higher,at 20.2,in low-income and
middle-income countries.The rates were lowest in high-income countries of Europe,averaging 11.0 and going as low
as 5.4 in the United Kingdom.The rates were highest in low-income and middle-income countries of Africa and the
Eastern Mediterranean region,averaging 28.3 and 26.3 per 100 000 people respectively.
The trend is disturbing indeed.Perhaps more disturbing is the economic cost involving loss of manpower
and resources,given the prevailing trend of events.Globally,economic costs of road traffic injuries are estimated
at US$518 billion per year.In low-income and middle-income countries,the costs are estimated to be US$100 billion
twice the annual amount of development aid to developing countries.Altogether,road traffic injuries cost
high-income countries an estimated average of 2% of their Gross National Product(GNP).
Already established,low-income and middle-income countries account for a disproportionate share of the global
burden of road traffic injuries.Folllowing this premise,road users most likely to be injured in crashes can be
identified -pedestrians and riders of bicycles,motorcycles and mopeds.These "vulnerable road users",per kilometer
travelled,are at far greater risk than the drivers and passengers of cars and large motor vehicles.
In all countries,males of any particular ageare more likely to be injured than females of that same
age.The WHO estimated that in 2002,the global rate of death from road traffic injuries was 19.0 per 100 000 people.
The rate was 27.6 per 100 000 males and 10.4 per 100 000 females.Males were almost 3 times more likely as females
to be killed in a road traffic collision.Globally,adults from age 35 to 44 years account for more than 50% of all
road traffic deaths;roughly 3 out of 4 of those killed are male.
Older peoplemay be less alert and agile than others,and therefore more prone to becoming involved in road
crashes.The WHO estimated that in 2002 the rate of death from road traffic injury in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
was 26.3 per 100 000 people,but it was 116.3 per 100 000 males who were 60 years of age and older and 46.0 per 100 000
females of that age.
Children,especially poor ones,are likely victims of road traffic injuries.Every year,more than 180 000
children under 15 years of age are killed in road crashes and hundreds of thousands are disabled for life.In 2002,
going by WHO estimate,of all children killed,96% were from low-income and middle-income countries.When a poor child
is injured,he or she usually gets less than the best medical care available in the country.As a result,the child's
injuries are more likely to result in death or disability.
One may at this point identify the risk factors predisposing the vehicle-user or passer-by to road traffic
injuries.The vehicle designmay be of interest here.Not all vehicle users can boast of crash protection such
as air bags for occupants,and vehicle soft fronts for those who may be struck by vehicles.Far too little attention
has been paid to this aspect of motor vehicles design,even in those countries with the best road safety records.
When,on 17 August 1896,Bridget Driscoll,a 44-year old mother of two,became the first person ever killed by a
motor vehicle,the consensus reached by relevant authorities was simple - "This must never happen again!".Unfortunately
it has happened again,even tens of millions of times!The driver of the vehicle,a young man,was giving free rides to
demonstrate a new invention,just outside Crystal Palace in London.Witnesses said the car was going at tremendous
speed.(The young man was trying to impress a young female passenger).Inappropriate and excessive speed is a major
risk factor for road traffic crashes and injuries apllcable to the personal habitsof the vehicle-user.Other
factors include the inability to interprete road signs,presence of alcohol and other drugs,non-use of seat-belts
and child restraint by vehicle users,fatigue,travelling in darkness,poor vehicle maintenance culture,poor eyesight,
making calls while driving,and a host of other factors.
The environmentis another potent factor affecting the vehicle user's performance at wheels.Unfavourable
weather conditions affect visibility,and poor visibility is akin to injury.Climatic factors,the harmattan,mirages,fogs,
vegetation,poorly maintained roads,broken down vehicles,are not uncommon elements predisposing the road user to injury.
Air pollution,noise pollution,and land degradation are leading factors.
Comparing what different countries have achieved,one is left with no doubt that what works best is a scientific,
comprehensive and systematic approach,coordinated by one agency given clear authority by national government.The agency
should be staffed by professionals and be independent of road building and other agencies that may have conflicts of
interest because they are not dedicated just to promoting public health through road safety,but also to mobility and
other objectives that may conflict with safety.
For sempiternal solutions,let road safety be viewed as a political priority.Appropriate road safety targets need
be set,and national road safety plans executed.Governments should enact and enforce legislation requiring the use
of seat-belts and motorcycle helmets,spped limits and the control of alcohol impaired driving.Road safety considerations
need be embedded in environmental and other assessments for new projects and the analysis of transport policies and plans.
Let funding of road infrastructure be made conditional upon compliance with safety standards.Budget lines for road safety
can then be created and increased investment in demonstrably effective road safety activities ensured.
In areas of public health,effective science-based information need be translated into policies and practices that
protect vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users.Prehospital and hospital care need be strengthened as well as
rehabilitation services for all trauma victims.Making funding for road safety part of grants for health,transport,
environmental or educational programmes will prove worthwhile.A good supplement would be to generate machanisms for
providing such fundingfor knowledge sharing and safety promotion in developing countries.
Road safety has failed to be addressed comprehensivrly in the past.For one thing,people take a fatalistic attitude
on the subject.Many of the risks associated with road crashes are entirely within our control,most crashes and injuries
are preventable and,therfore,not entirely accidental.Again,people rae not fully aware that road crashes do so much harm.
Nor do they realise that many crashes can be prevented and the adverse health consequences of many others can be reduced.
Improving road safety requires deliberate efforts by governments and its many partners.This piece issues a call for
action ,that all hands be on deck to reduce to the barest minimum,if not totally annihilate,the menace of road traffic
injuries in our society today for a better tomorrow.May our actions forever speak louder than our words.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2004 Kennedy O Obohwemu |
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
May 2004 |
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2279
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