| Many countries around the world including Sri Lanka kicked off the first global decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 this week.
The National Road Safety Council of the Ministry of Transport which is making efforts to control the alarming increase in traffic accidents hosted a road safety conference and released the framework of action for road safety last Tuesday.
According to the data, road traffic injuries have become the leading killer of young people aged 15-29 years and almost 1.3 million people die each year on the world’s roads. Road traffic accidents are the ninth leading cause of death globally. Road crashes caused between 20 million and 50 million non-fatal injuries every year. Data collected by the National Road Safety Council says 150 accidents are reported daily in Sri Lanka causing death to five to six persons each day.
In the 30-year period from 1977 to 2007 around 1,120,848 accidents were reported in which more than 40,000 people died and 370,000 injured out of which 68,440 were seriously injured.
More than three fourths of such deaths were young adults within the age group of 20 to 55 years. The breadwinners of such families left behind a burden for their dependents and the country.
The framework of action for the decade of road safety in Sri Lanka is based on five areas - build road safety management capacity, influence safety road design and network management, influence vehicle safety design, influence road user behaviour and improve post-crash care.
Building road safety management capacity is carried out through the conversion of the established national council for road safety to an authority to act as the lead while the influencing safety road design and network management is done through improving safety aspects of road design standards for new roads and effecting improvements to existing roads, carrying out safety audits and remedial actions for existing roads to ensure minimum safety standards, providing parking facilities for buses and other vehicle at strategic locations, minimizing human activities on the road, providing protection systems at railway crossings and developing public transportation.
Influencing vehicle safety design will be practised by improving the standards for registration, establishing an effective inspection programme for the inspection of roadworthiness of vehicle, regulating bicycles, motor bicycles and three wheelers, imposing restrictions on tractors and regulating import of vehicles.
Influencing road user behaviour will be educating road users by improving the system of issuing and monitoring licences, establishing of articulated vehicles category, supervising driving schools, improving drivers’ and riders’ testing, monitoring drivers’ health condition, enacting required legislation, improving the insurance system, improving welfare for victims, devising educational programmes on road safety in schools and carrying out public awareness campaigns.
Improving post crash care is evolved through establishment of sustainable organization leadership and financial commitment to implement injury prevention and management policy, providing appropriate pre-hospital care and basic emergency care available at primary, secondary and tertiary level health institutions, making appropriate rehabilitation care and integrated services available in the community with adequate compensation and updating and improving the hospital based information system.
The World Health Organization (WHO) will coordinate efforts over the decade and monitor progress towards achieving the objectives of the decade. The WHO will continue to provide technical support to National Road Safety initiatives aimed at decreasing drinking and driving and speeding, increasing the use of helmets, seat belts and child restraints and improving emergency care. |
E-mail
