Official figures recently issued by the National Statistics Office show that in 2013 there were 14,070 recorded traffic accidents. A total of 1,582 people were injured, including 18 fatally.
The fact that the total number of recorded traffic accidents showed a decrease of 3.3 per cent over 2012 is positive but one is still disappointed at the large number of accidents, especially fatal ones.
Why do traffic accidents occur? What can we do to prevent them? Who is to blame for them? These are some of the questions that we have been asking ourselves since the invention of moving vehicles.
What we have to give adequate attention to is the fact that there are several factors that cause traffic accidents and a number of these are unrelated to one’s actual performance when driving.
Let us start with one of the biggest causes of frenetic and irresponsible driving: getting up late for work. Have you ever noticed how some people drive almost crazily during the rush hour in the morning? The reason is simple: they wake up late and face a dressing down from their boss when they arrive at work or, perhaps, even a warning. So, what do they do? They panic and drive in a manner that endangers their life and that of others in order to try and arrive on time at their place of work.
The solution is, of course, an easy one but it calls for self-discipline which, unfortunately, some people seem to lack. If, tomorrow, you have to wake up early for work, don’t stay out late at night; don’t watch that movie which finishes very late; don’t stay reading that interesting novel in bed till well past midnight.
Furthermore, do remember to set the alarm clock if you are one of those who will easily go on sleeping well past the time when you have to wake up.
Another prime cause of traffic accidents is drink-driving. It is superfluous to state that one should not drink if one is going to drive because this is something that is so obvious. However, several people still fall into this potential deathtrap.
We sometimes think that several traffic accidents are the fault of heavy drinkers but this is not always the case. You may be a person who is easily affected by even two glasses of alcohol since you perhaps rarely drink spirit. This being the case, you should desist from drinking even very small amounts of alcohol because, in your case, this may affect your driving by slowing down your reactions and reducing your state of awareness when driving.
Then, of course, there are the equally-important factors related to actual driving.
Avoiding high speeds is obviously a big deterrent of accidents. One has to remember that a car driven at excessive speed is nothing less than a potential lethal weapon. Yet, some people still drive at speed either because they get a kick out of it or simply to show off. This is condemnable because the difference between a fatal traffic accident and a relatively minor one sometimes lies in the speed at which one is driving.
Carelessness also causes many traffic accidents. Why do so many people use their mobiles while driving? Why are stop signs often ignored? Why do some people chat with somebody else to their heart’s content while driving, oblivious to what is happening around them?
Caution is one of the biggest virtues when trying to prevent accidents
Why do we still have so many ‘mobile discos’ in such a way that the drivers of such cars drown out all noises from the road which can alert them to an impending accident? Why do we have so many motorists who drive slowly on the outer lane to the frustration of other those behind them who sometimes use dangerous manoeuvres to try and overtake?
Why do some people drive so close to the vehicle in front of them in such a way that if it brakes suddenly, it would be very difficult to avoid a collision?
Why do some drivers seem to be oblivious to the fact that they have to flash their indicator to signal a change of direction?
Caution is also one of the greatest virtues when trying to prevent accidents. If you’re still green, practise some more and gain more experience before driving in heavy rain and slippery roads. Be very careful and drive slowly when negotiating dangerous bends or driving through very narrow and constricted spaces.
Ensure that your car is always kept in good condition: replace those faulty wipers which can let you down badly when it rains; change that tyre which has been subjected to wear and tear and can become a potential danger when driving; clean that windscreen which is full of dust and can blind you when the sun is in your eyes.
I have tried to do my utmost to give some advice garnered from my many years of driving. If what I have written will serve to save even one single life, which may be lost through a traffic accident, then I would be content with the result of my work.