Road accidents are unfortunately rising with each passing day. Majority of these accidents are caused by human fault. It is imperative to be cautious, drive carefully and follow traffic rules. However, even if you are careful on the streets does not mean that the other drivers are too. There are several incidences when the drivers are not wrong, and it’s the pedestrian or the other vehicle that creates the havoc. One of the most common causes of road accident is distracted driving. The number of accidents occurring due to distracted driving has increased in the past decades. Undivided attention while driving is a must and drivers should inculcate the same within them. Reading messages, replying to texts, taking calls, reading, grooming, etc. behind the wheel can be fatal. It is quite tempting to push the accelerator and increase the speed when you are running late or are driving on an empty road. Speeding increases the intensity of accidents and is proved to be fatal most of the time. Hence, it is advisable to drive within the legal limits even when you are running late. Reckless driving mostly leads to horrible accidents. Take your time and remain calm behind the wheels to avoid unwanted accidents caused by mere neglect. The statistics of last few years show that on an average 3000 people lose their lives in fatal road accidents every year. Many more receive serious injuries and become disabled. In J&K, higher highway accident rate, claiming large number of lives is generally attributed to its dilapidated killer roads, mainly in hilly terrains besides rash and negligent driving However, J&K fares better, when compared to its neighbouring hilly states, where the condition of highway road infrastructure is equally bad. Official records maintain that the Ministry for Road Transport and Highways has defined protocol for identification of black-spot as per the circular no. RW/NH15017/109/2015-P&M (RSCE) dated October 28, 2015.As per this circular, Road Accident Black-spot is a stretch of National Highway of about 500 m in length in which either 5 road accidents (in all three years put together involving fatalities or grievous injuries) took place during the last 3 calendar years or 10 fatalities (in all three years put together) took place during the last 3 calendar years. Based on Road accidents data collected by police departments of State or UT governments and compiled by the Transport Research Wing (TRW) of the Ministry, black-spots are identified for undertaking immediate short term measures for mitigation and long term measures for permanent rectification.
Important points to keep in mind to avoid road accidents:
1. Develop the right attitude about driving.Make a commitment to yourself to practice a responsible attitude about driving.
2. Get as much supervised practice driving as possible. Your parents should take an active role in your practice driving. Make a firm schedule with them and stick to it. And keep it up until you take your test to get a license.
3. Always wear your safety belt. Get into the habit of wearing a safety belt whenever you are in a car, whether as a driver or a passenger – no exceptions.
4. Limit your passengers if you are a cab driver. The risk of a fatal crash increases with every additional passenger. When you’re a new driver, it is best to limit your number of passengers.
5. Limit your night driving. The risk of a fatal crash is three times higher at night than in the day for every mile driven. It’s better to avoid nighttime driving until you’re comfortable driving during the day.
6. Keep it slow and safe for starters. Fast-moving, high volumes of traffic can make you feel uncomfortable, so avoid them until you can get enough supervised driving experience. Then you can gradually introduce more difficult driving situations, like highway driving, merging and driving in cities.
7. Train for poor weather conditions. Even when you begin to feel confident driving on dry pavement, it’s best to avoid driving in bad weather conditions unsupervised. Keep it simple at first, and get as much supervised practice driving in poor weather as you can before trying it on your own.
8. Avoid use of Cell phones during driving.
(The author is a teacher at Govt. Higher Secondary School Damhall Anantnag. Views are his own)
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