Road Safety- Time for Action Essay
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With the increase in our transportation requirements, the number of vehicles on the roads has increase exponentially. The increase in number of vehicles, jam-packed roads and the haste to reach one’s destination results in accidents and mishaps. Hence, all of us must follow certain rules in order to make roads safe – for pedestrians as well as the drivers. Any neglect from drivers or the pedestrians can cause accidents and may result in serious injuries or even loss of life. Therefore, it is absolutely essential for each one of us to follow the road safety rules and make them safe for us as well as others.
As a pedestrian, we should cross roads only when the light for pedestrian crossing is on. Wherever possible, we should use zebra crossings to cross the roads. We should walk on footpath and should refrain from jaywalking. If we use public transportation, like buses, we should board the bus at the bus stop only. We should get down from the bus only when it has completely come to a standstill. Taking out hands and head from the windows may result in injuries; hence we should refrain from that. While riding bicycles or two-wheelers, we should wear all the necessary safety gears like helmets. As drivers, we should obey the speeding limits and should not over-speed to reach our destination. Who hasn’t read a board randomly places on the roads saying – “It is better late than never”? We should obey the traffic rules and should be responsible for the pedestrian crossing too. It is a driver’s responsibility to keep his/her vehicle in a proper condition (eg take care of brakes, engines etc.) so that any failure in the machinery might not result in a mishappening.
It is essential for each one of us to follow traffic rules and stay alert on roads in order to make roads a safer place. As the saying goes –“Prevention is better than cure”. Road safety should be taught in school. When giving driving license, there should be a proper test to check the candidate’s awareness regarding traffic rules and signals. Media should also increase awareness regarding the need of road safety. Only when everyone joins their hands, we can prevent accidents and reach our destinations safely and happily.
Answer:
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Sidewalks, curbs and traffic signals in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States
Speed limits in different areas, unusually with only a "recommended" limit (130 km/h) for the Autobahn
DRIP [Note 1] Variable Message Sign guiding traffic on the Dutch A13 motorway
Vehicles experiencing a breakdown or an emergency can stop in the emergency lane; these lanes may themselves present risks to traffic.
Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders, and passengers of on-road public transport (mainly buses and trams).
Best-practices in modern road safety strategy:
The basic strategy of a Safe System approach is to ensure that in the event of a crash, the impact energies remain below the threshold likely to produce either death or serious injury. This threshold will vary from crash scenario to crash scenario, depending upon the level of protection offered to the road users involved. For example, the chances of survival for an unprotected pedestrian hit by a vehicle diminish rapidly at speeds greater than 30 km/h, whereas for a properly restrained motor vehicle occupant the critical impact speed is 50 km/h (for side impact crashes) and 70 km/h (for head-on crashes).
— International Transport Forum, Towards Zero, Ambitious Road Safety Targets and the Safe System Approach, Executive Summary page