National Drivers Day; A means to control road traffic accidents
There is no doubt that the wanton loss of human lives on our roads has reached alarming proportions while we seem to have thrown our hands into the air in discernible desperation.
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Over a decade ago, I wrote an article about the need to recognise and award hardworking drivers as a means of checking and reducing Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) (Ref; Daily Graphic, January 14, 2002 Page 7). A few months following that publication, a company was reported to have instituted some form of award for deserving commercial drivers at the local level. That was short-lived.
It is estimated that between 2000 and 2500 people are killed and many more injured on our roads annually as a result of RTAs, translating to about 6 deaths every day or one death every 4 hours. Most of these accidents were as a result of commission of errors on the part of drivers, chief among them being speeding and wrongful overtaking. Fatigue cannot also be ruled out. Long distance drivers are mostly the culprits.
It is also possible that drivers with dangerously high blood pressure may collapse and die behind the steering wheel which can cause fatal accidents. This may never be known in the event that there are no survivors.
In many districts, RTAs are among the top 10 causes of death. No one knows when and where the next accident will happen and certainly who will be involved. Everyone is at risk.
Existing control measures
Traditional control measures have largely been centred on arresting offending drivers at police checkpoints. Road safety campaigns are also embarked upon especially during major festivities. The use of seatbelts is being enforced to reduce or minimise injuries in the event of accidents.
The police have intensified efforts, of late, to apprehend drivers who are found using rickety vehicles for commercial purposes. Indeed, these vehicles are dangerous weapons, perhaps more dangerous than the gun.
There have also been suggestions for long-distance commercial drivers to keep log books detailing departure and arrival times to indirectly check speeding.
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All these measures are good but clearly have not been adequate enough to bring about significant decline in the carnage on our roads, which is a matter of daily occurrence.
Proposal
The fact that we have National Farmers Day and Teachers Day is significant. Whatever reasons that might have informed the organisers to introduce such measures may also hold true for the institution of a National Drivers Day. Commercial drivers work day and night to carry precious human lives and goods and their importance in the socio-economic development cannot be overemphasised.
There is no gainsaying the fact that selecting the best driver for the year based on clear-cut criteria may serve as motivation and also inspiration to all drivers. Districts will be expected to select their best drivers who will then compete for the ultimate national prize.
Criteria for selecting the best driver will, off course, include the number of years of driving without accident and evidence of proper and timely car maintenance. The best driver will certainly have to be healthy and a proof of blood pressure control and good eyesight will be prerequisites, among others.
I have said it here and abroad that most accidents are due to human error and, therefore, addressing this aspect by all means available will certainly be beneficial. We have tried education and also applied legislation to instil behavioural change in drivers without very good results.
What we have not explored realistically is empowerment of the drivers and the motivation aspect as tools for change. This, together with other measures, may hold the key to significantly reducing RTAs.
The writer is the CEO of the Royal Medical Agency
kwakukesey @gmail.com