GUEST COLUMN
Dr BKS Sanjay
Driving is an important skill which is needed in our day-to-day life because it is hard to undertake most routine works without being able to use a vehicle- be it education, business, employment or most other works which need travelling. Being an orthopaedic surgeon, I have seen all kinds of physical, mental, social and financial suffering of road traffic accident victims, of their friends and families. It’s painful to know from the newspapers that every day, dozens of people are dying in surrounding areas. Being a clinical researcher, I thought it would be worthwhile to do an epidemiological study of road traffic accidents. I deputed a staff member to collect, analyse and ascertain the pattern of the collected data. In our study, data revealed that 90 per cent of the road traffic accidents were due to drivers’ negligence. Hence, I have taken a life-long resolve to spread awareness among all stakeholders. I started this campaign from small schools and extended it to colleges, universities, and institutes of national eminence like AIIMS and IITs. More than 200 free public awareness lectures have been delivered in the last 25 years since 2001. Driving is a complex phenomenon.
Overspeeding, overloading, drunken driving, use of mobile phones while driving, driving in spite of tiredness and distractions while driving are the main causes of accidents. Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death and disability among people aged between 15 to 35 years, accounting for 60 per cent of the total accident-related deaths in India. According to the AAA foundation for traffic safety, drivers between the ages of 16 and 17 are more likely to be involved in car accidents than drivers from any other age group. Additionally teen drivers cause more injuries and deaths than other drivers, including injuries to themselves.
It is unfortunate that our country has only one per cent of the world’s vehicles but accounts for 10 per cent of the total road traffic accidents in the world. The extent of pain and trauma they cause is beyond imagination. The purpose of our awareness campaign is to highlight the ill effects of road traffic accidents through audio-visual means, so that people can witness and evaluate for themselves the loss caused by road accidents. Another intention is that viewing the consequences of road accidents may serve as a deterrent to others. Following traffic rules and violating them are behavioural actions.
Any epidemiological triad consists of host, vector and environment. Similarly, in road traffic accidents, one of them is the driver whose behaviour matters the most. Younger drivers are more likely to engage in risky behaviour. The younger the driver, the riskier the behaviour. As Buddhist philosophy says, “If there is a cause of a problem, then there is also a solution.” The main cause of road traffic accidents is the violation of traffic rules and the solution is to follow those rules. Since behaviour is the major contributing factor, the prevention of road traffic accidents should focus mainly on improving driver behaviour through education, training and counselling. Road safety education should be part of the school curriculum. Driving has become a daily necessity, without which any essential activities cannot be accomplished. One needs to either drive or ride a vehicle to carry out all day-to-day activities.
Therefore, it is very important that road safety education be part of the school curriculum like other basic subjects. There should also be a driver trainer training programme and provision for driving education just like conventional education. Considering the importance of driving in day-to-day life, there is a need for many driving schools. It is suggested that preferably every town should have driving schools and mandatory driver trainer training centres at district level. Every school should have a driving instructor, just like those who teach physical education or music. Humans are prone to errors; therefore, there is a need for counselling. I understand that there are many schools which already have counsellors.
It is suggested that these counsellors should be given the additional responsibilities to counsel the students, particularly those who exhibit aggressive behaviour and are habitual traffic violators. There should be a provision for counsellors in driver training schools. There should be a regular workshop for all drivers, more so for all commercial drivers. A counsellor should also be a member of the verification team before issuance of a driving license. Certain drivers who are known to have aggressive behaviour and are habitual traffic violators should be subjected to vetting. There is an urgent need to achieve the objective of road safety because India is paying a heavy toll to road traffic accidents in terms of human and economic resources. Human resources are the greatest resource on the planet while road traffic accidents have become the leading cause of death and disability among young adults. Traffic accidents are putting an increasing burden on an already strained healthcare system. These days hospitals are full with patients mainly of road traffic injuries and their complications.
According to World Bank estimates, India is losing about 3-5 per cent of its GDP annually due to road traffic injuries. Everyone becomes poor, and the poor become even poorer after such injuries.It is easy to instill any habit in childhood but difficult to get rid of it later in life. Having understanding of traffic rules and regulations, safe driving and the importance of road safety will give a sense of responsibility to those taught these aspects from childhood as well as to fellow citizens. Proper education and accurate training can help to reduce the number of road accidents, which can be attributed to inadequate knowledge and experience of drivers. Poor training and poor understanding of road safety are the prime factors in road traffic accidents. All should have the standardised learning about road safety and traffic rules and regulations. Drivers will understand easily the ill effects of overspeeding, overloading, overtaking and tailgating if they are made to understand the common principles of physics, economics, medical and social science etc. Hence there is a need to integrate them with driving education. There should be a nationwide public campaign or movement to promote safe driving habits. Road safety is not the responsibility of an individual or a single organisation.
It should be a collective duty and responsibility of individuals, society and the authorities. The goals should be that the public must learn and follow traffic rules, and the government must educate and enforce them. If there is a violation, the violator should be punished — keeping in mind that the punishment must be felt. It is proven that formal education can achieve what informal education cannot. Informal education in terms of hit and trial will not equate anyway to formal education.
Formal education will give consistent and accurate knowledge about traffic rules and road safety which will lead to safe driving. Teaching road safety from childhood will give proper education and understanding about safe driving. The students will develop responsible behaviour on the road. As driving is a behavioural issue, learning driving and road safety can boost the student’s confidence. They will have accurate knowledge and adequate practical skills about road safety which will not only make them good drivers but also better citizens.
(The author is a Padma Shri recipient orthopaedic surgeon; views are personal)
