Factor in the Reduction in the Number of Auto Accidents, Essay Example

Road safety is a major challenge in many countries across the globe. Many lives have been lost as a result of grisly road traffic accidents including pedestrians and riders of non-motorised vehicles such as bicycles and carts. A higher number of road traffic fatalities do not emanate from motor vehicles. These are damning findings given that road traffic accidents cost the government and the citizens so much, financially and emotionally. As a matter of fact, it has been established that road traffic accidents in developing nations costs as much as 2% of the GDP because they consume scarce medical, technical and financial resources in the form treating the injured, compensating the families of the injured and replacing the damaged vehicles (Bradsher, 2011). Training is listed as a major factor in the reduction in the number of auto accidents. Educating the road users on the influence of drunk driving is a very important accomplishment in the reduction of reduction in the number of auto accidents. It is important for the relevant authorities to try as much as possible to curb drunk driving by enacting punitive legislations and liaising with advocacy groups to create awareness on the ills of drunk driving. Improvements in the status of the roads also contribute significantly to alleviation on the problem.

The government must also express a political goodwill to implement strict road safety regulations for fear of public backlash. As a matter of fact, governments lacks the political goodwill with politicians, police and the judiciary considering road safety as a low priority problem in a country that has more “serious” issues to address such as territorial aggressions by neighbours (Richburg, 2012). Many drivers have tendency to flout traffic regulations by engaging in illegal actions such as drunk driving, overloading, and reckless driving without care for other road users, and driving without proper licences. For instance, the public transport drivers are known to overload their vehicles in order to maximise profits.

References

Bradsher, B. (2011). ‘Road Safety Problems Pose Dire Threat in China’, The New York Times,  July 26.

Richburg, K.B. (2012). In this driving test, gear up for almost anything. Washington, D.C., United States.