Speed fiends mow down pedestrians

Over 750 pedestrians killed in accidents in 2015 - Study:

by Carol Aloysius

The number of young, middle aged and elderly people whose lives ended prematurely in road accidents caused by speed fiends has taken a sinister turn for the worse in recent years, worldwide. According to recent international statistics, a minimum of five-hundred people succumb to road accidents daily, and every three minutes a child would die in a road accident, while over forty percent of children in Asian countries become orphans after losing either a mother or father or in some instances both parents, in road accidents.

Pix: ANCL Media Library

A look at our country shows an even grimmer picture.

Just last week, on Monday, a schoolboy attending an international school at Homagama, died in a road accident after being dropped off at the Godagama junction and a chaperone was taking him across the road on a pedestrian crossing to the opposite side of the road where his mother was waiting for him, when a speeding bus mowed him down. Meraj Memuim wast eleven-years-old, when his young life was snuffed out by a speeding bus, which ironically happened to be a school bus carrying a load of students. His death was even more tragic as he was the only child in the family.

On the same day a group of three, including a child were run over and killed by a lorry on the Anuradhapura- Puttalam road. The driver is reported to be absconding.

In another accident in the previous week, (March 15) two motorcyclists collided head-on on the Galewala Moragolla Road, leaving one dead and the other injured.

Pedestrian deaths

Recent figures compiled by the Accident Service, National Hospital, Sri Lanka (NHSL) revealed that last year (2015), over 2,500 people died on the road, mowed down by speed fiends, who gave no thought to the trail of suffering and loss they leave behind.

Although the victims were all not pedestrians, collectively, they took the second highest place in the number of road deaths (777), with motorcyclists taking the prime slot. A total of 814 motorcyclists were knocked down fatally while riding bicycles and scooters. Passengers (486) took third place in the number of road accidents, followed by cyclists (250 in all) and last but not least, pillion riders (183).

"Most of these deaths and injuries could have been avoided if motorists and pedestrians had been more careful of their own safety," Director Accident Service, Dr Samidi Samarakoon told the Sunday Observer.

Acknowledging the fact that road safety is a right to which all road users are entitled, she said, "The trouble is that most people expect others to be responsible for ensuring this right. What they must realise is that every road-user must exercise that right and be accountable for the way he or she behaves while using a public road." A one-month study initiated by National Trainer Coordinator for Training, Accident Service, NHSL, Pushpa Ramyani Zoysa, in October last year (2015), where she did a detailed breakdown of the number of patients brought in for treatment at the Accident Service according to age, is an eye opener.

The study which does not include children up to five years who are treated at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, covers a limited number of road accident victims in the age group 5-9 years since they too are usually treated at the LRH.

"We counted only eight children of this age being brought for treatment to us when they accompanied their parents after an accidents," she said.

However, from the ages of 10-14 years and thereafter, the numbers she said rose alarmingly.

Those between 10-14 years numbered 417, while the number doubled to 874 in the 15-19 year category and peaked at 1,098 in the 20-24 age group. Thereafter, there was a gradual decline: from 921 in the age group 25 to 20 years, 761 for those between 30-34 years, 670 - 35-39 years, 667 for those who entered the forties ( 40-44 years), 512 for those between 50-59 years, 406 - 60-64 years, 258 - 65-69 years, and 243 for the age group 75-79 years.

When it came to the 80 years and above, the numbers plunged to a mere 36.

Asked how the numbers declined in the older age groups, she said it was because most of the elderly, especially very old people rarely used the roads or were accompanied by carers.

What do these figures imply?

Younger road users in the prime of their lives are most vulnerable to road accidents.

"They are impulsive and are willing to take more risks on the roads, such as over-taking other vehicles crossing their paths and swerving unexpectedly thus causing accidents," a medical officer from NHSL said.

Mobile phone users

"We have also observed that many young pedestrians are in a hurry. They don't like waiting at pedestrian crossings till the traffic lights turned green. They dash across the roads to the opposite side without observing any road rules to jump into a moving bus, thus taking needless risks, which often result in accidents, where either they injure themselves or even lose their lives," the medical officer said.

"Mobile phone users are among the worst offenders when it comes to road use," police sources said.

"The number of detections by our traffic officers in the recent past, showed a significant surge in the number of offenders who were mainly young people," they said.

Worried by this potential threat to life, of not just the offender but other road users as well, the Traffic Police Division in Colombo introduced a novel awareness program to educate young people on road use. "We began classes on Sunday mornings at our unit in Colombo. The classes were mandatory for all those who had been issued with a notice for violating road rules.

"For two to three hours, they were lectured on road rules, shown videos of road accidents and reminded that violating road rules was a punishable act under Road Traffic laws.

"This has resulted in being effective and have shown some promising results as we find there is a slight decline in the number of accidents," they said.

A recent step taken by the Traffic Police Division in Colombo is to re-implement the Lane Law. Police sources said the law existed but it had not been implemented.

"Traffic officers are now on the roads to detect offenders. Our aim is to reduce the number of road accidents and ease congestion on the roads," Police Media spokesman Ruwan Gunesekera said.

Accidents Service offers solution

"We are collaborating with the National Council for Road Safety to carry out several awareness programs for proper road use.

"These programs are under way and will be conducted across the country. Our aim is to teach schoolchildren and motorists including trishaw drivers, road safety rules.

"We will also teach them basic first aid with the help of our medical officers in the districts where we conduct our programs, which they can put into practice in an emergency, following a road accident", Zoysa said.

Ramyani Zoysa and Director Dr Samarakoon said the responsibility in road safety was with the user. "Discipline is the key. If children are taught early in life to cross roads in a disciplined and responsible manner, observing road rules, we will have less road accidents.

"Parents must also use roads in a responsible manner, because children imitate their parents. If a parent breaks basic road rules, how can you expect children not to do the same?" they asked. Attorney-at-law, and former Chairman of National Council for Road Safety, Gamini Ekanayake, citing Vietnam, which succeeded in curbing road accidents because they integrated a scientific method in 2008, suggested in a report compiled by him on World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2015, that Sri Lanka should adopt a similar plan of action as Vietnam.

Under this plan, institutions which worked for road safety, came together to create an integrated network with the goal of 'Safe Roads'. If such a plan is introduced, he said, "The number of road accidents could be reduced drastically and safe roads for the future would be within our grasp."

He added that society had a big role to play when it comes to road safety, stating in his report, "Civil society must obey road rules and support the government and other institutions to carry this out."

"Judging by the increasing number of accidents, Sri Lanka could soon be a 'centre' for road accidents in South Asia, this problem has to be viewed seriously, it is a question which undoubtedly is worth mulling," he said.

---------

[Latest death count]

According to the latest reports, at least ten pedestrians were killed or seriously injured at pedestrian crossings due to accidents in the first month of this year - January 1-31, while 930 persons had been run over by vehicles at pedestrian crossings across the country in the past ten years.

Our sister paper, the Daily News quoted National Council for Road Safety, Chairman Dr Sisira Kodagoda as saying that at least one person dies every five days due to road accidents in Sri Lanka. He said action would be taken to make pedestrian crossings safer in future with assistance from the Colombo Municipal Council and the Road Development Authority.