3.5.1. Safety

Growth of transportation has a very unfortunate impact on the society in terms of accidents. Worldwide death and injuries from road accidents have reached epidemic proportions. Present indications are that about half a million people are killed and about 15 million injured on the road accidents annually.

Transportation has significantly increased the risks of accidents. As more vehicles are on the road and as they travel at varied speeds, the likelihood of accidents also rises. Every year, road accidents lead to the deaths of approximately half a million people and injure around 15 million others globally. These statistics show how serious the problem is.

Think of a busy intersection in your town during rush hour. With many cars, bicycles, and pedestrians all trying to navigate the same space, the chances of something going wrong increase. Just like that intersection, the vast network of roadways across the world creates similar situations where accidents can and do occur.

Increased variation in the speeds and vehicle density resulted in a high exposure to accidents. Accidents result in loss of life and permanent disability, injury, and damage to property. Accidents also cause numerous non-quantifiable impacts like loss of time, grief to the near ones of the victim, and inconvenience to the public.

When vehicles travel at high speeds and are congested, the risk of accidents rises sharply. These accidents can cause serious harm, leading to fatalities or lifelong disabilities for those involved. Beyond physical injuries, they also result in emotional distress for victims’ families and friends, loss of productivity due to injuries, and disruptions for everyone in the area.

Imagine a car accident occurring on a major highway. It not only affects the drivers involved but can also cause a traffic jam, leading to frustration for countless other drivers. The impact of the accident extends far beyond just those directly involved.

The loss of life and damage from natural disasters, industrial accidents, or epidemic often receive significant attention from both government and public. This is because their occurrence is concentrated but sparse. On the other hand, accidents from the transport sector are widespread and occurs with high frequency.

While events like natural disasters or industrial accidents may get a lot of media coverage when they happen, transport-related accidents occur much more frequently on a daily basis. They can be seen as a normal part of life, yet they pose a huge and ongoing risk.

Think of a major hurricane that causes destruction and loss of life, leading to urgent media reports. In contrast, every day, there are multiple minor accidents on the roads that don’t make the news but collectively lead to a significant level of harm across society.

For instance, a study has predicted that death and disabilities resulting from road accidents in comparison with other diseases will rise from ninth to third rank between 1990 and 2020. Road accidents as cause to death and disability could rank below heart disease and clinical depression, and ahead of stroke and all infectious diseases.

Future projections suggest that road accidents will become one of the leading causes of death and disability, surpassing many diseases. This rising trend is alarming and highlights the urgent need for improvements in road safety.

Think of how serious heart disease or depression is considered; they are often discussed in health campaigns. If road accidents become a leading cause of death, similar public health efforts would need to focus on improving transportation safety.

Significant reduction to accident rate is achieved in the developing countries by improved road design maintenance, improved vehicle design, driver education, and law enforcement. However, in the developing nations, the rapid growth of personalized vehicles and poor infrastructure, road design, and law enforcement has resulted in growing accident rate.

Efforts to reduce accidents focus on various areas: making roads safer with better designs, enforcing driving laws, improving vehicle safety, and educating drivers. In many developed countries, such initiatives have succeeded in lowering accident rates. However, in developing countries, the explosion of cars combined with inadequate infrastructure worsens the situation.

Consider a school zone where speed limits are enforced and crosswalks are well-designed, leading to fewer accidents. Now picture a crowded street in a city where traffic laws are not enforced; the difference in safety is stark.

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