The Bottlenecks - Causes of Road Accidents

The Bottlenecks - Causes of Road Accidents

According to the first Global Status Report on road accidents, the overriding causes of road accidents are low use of seat belts, helmets, speeding and drunken driving.(6^✔, 7^✔)

Affluence, a natural outcome of today's double income families, has led to a surge in the number of vehicles on the road. It is common to find a family of four enjoying the luxury of two cars. With the numbers of cars on the roads having doubled or even trebled, accidents happen easily.

Caution takes a back seat when most are in a tearing hurry to beat traffic and save time. Traffic rules are flouted, and what do we have here- a perfect recipe for accidents!

Drunken driving is a leading cause of road accidents.

Distractions take away focus and concentration from driving. It takes only a split second for accidents to take place. Talking on cell phones while driving or even chatting with passengers in the car can distract the driver and is a common cause of accidents.

Faulty Road Design- When road design is faulty ranging from improper or misplaced sign-boards or no sign-boards at all, this can lead to road accidents. For instance, when road dividers do not have an indication from the point where they begin, drivers may have no clue about their existence especially in poor lighting.

Poor lighting on roads is also one major cause of accidents. Blind spots on roads where drivers cannot see the oncoming vehicle have been the reason for many fatal head-on collisions.

Road defects also account for 10% of the accidents that occur on the road.

Lack of proper signals /indicators can wreak havoc on the roads. Speeding vehicles can simply ram into stationery trucks after dark, in the absence of parking lights or reflectors on the tail lamps.

Vehicle defects also cause road accidents. For instance, when tyres are not in proper condition or are not maintained as per stipulation, they can burst in transit and cause mishaps.

Bad weather conditions and decreased visibility can also cause road accidents.

References:

1. GLOBAL STATUS REPORT ON ROAD SAFETY 2018 - (https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2018/GSRRS2018_Summary_EN.pdf)
2. 400 Deaths A Day are Forcing India To Take Car Safety Seriously - (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/400-deaths-a-day-are-forcing-india-to-take-car-safety-seriously/articleshow/62439700.cms?from=mdr)
3. ROAD ACCIDENTS IN INDIA - 2017 - (http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/road%20accidents%20in%20India%202017.pdf)
4. A awareness: Prevention, Causes of Road Accidents in India - (https://www.change.org/p/human-rights-campaign-a-awareness-prevention-causes-of-road-accidents-in-india)
5. Road Traffic Injuries - (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries)
6. Causes of Road Accidents - (http://jhtransport.gov.in/causes-of-road-accidents.html)
7. World report on road traffic injury prevention - (http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTTOPGLOROASAF/Resources/WHO_full_report_en.pdf)
8. How to prevent road accident - (https://brainly.in/question/4385630)
9. Transport - (https://www.indiancye.org/portfolio/transport/)