WHAT IS ROAD SAFETY, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Irana Swila Willey, CF150111

Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia,
Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia.

Corresponding E-mail: irnswly@gmail.com

Abstract
Road crashes are the growing menaces on the roads the world over. Road safety poses serious challenges
considering phenomenal statics of road crashes involving nearly 1.3 million deaths every year globally besides
non-fatal injuries resulting in permanent disability to tens of millions. The problem resulting from road traffic
accidents, injuries and property lose is an emerging, challenging and one of the major concerning issues
(Mahmud and Hoque, 2011). In this paper, the authors briefly reviewed what is road safety and why is it
important. The key issues of this paper are to alert people the road safety importance in our daily life.

Keywords: safety, road, traffic

1.0 Introduction

Road safety is an important public health problem (Calinoiu, Furtunescu and Minca, 2011).
Besides that, road safety also is biggest issue at an international level, “The real enemy of safety is not
non-compliance but non-thinking” The safety for the human and safety for the world is of great
concerned for us. Roads, and means of transport, make a crucial contribution to economic
development and growth and bring important social benefits. Poorly maintained roads constrain
mobility, significantly raise vehicle operating costs, increase accident rates and their associated
human and property costs, and aggravate isolation, poverty, poor health, and illiteracy in rural
communities (Bank, Burningham and Stankevich, 2005). As we know, millions of peoples losing their
life just because of unsafe condition or we can say because of lack of safety (Cautiously and Patience,
2011). In this context, more focus is needed for the road safety related problems from all the national
stakeholders like the Government, the ministries (especially the Ministry of Administration and
Interior, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health), cut also the communities and the civil society
organizations (Calinoiu, Furtunescu and Minca, 2011).

2.0 What is road safety?

Road traffic safety is the process of reducing the risk of a person getting injured while using
road (Bagi and Dheeraj, 2012). Engineers design roads to protect people and get people to their
destination in a timely manner (Bagi and Dheeraj, 2012). Our governments are responsible for road
safety, but they clearly need help. And as with the other development issues, and the man-made
problems, help and support must come from the international community if the solutions are to work
(Cautiously and Patience, 2011).

Safe mobility should be a basic right for all. Like access to education, supply of clean water and
sanitation, and provision of health care, safe road transport must be a key foundation stone of modern
society (Cautiously and Patience, 2011). Yet many of the roads that are used by pedestrians in middle
and low-income countries have no adequate footpath; car companies are supplying millions of their
customers in emerging markets with vehicles that would fail to pass the United Nation’s basic crash
test standards design vehicles; governments fail to enforce speed limits, drink-driving, seat belt use or
motorcycle helmet wearing (Cautiously and Patience, 2011).
 Road safety is not an individual responsibility rather it is a shared responsibility (Shyam, Tyagi
and Kumar, 2018) . Reducing risk on road for the purpose of safety requires knowledge and
commitment towards following the road/traffic rules and the level of enforcement of traffic rules and
the severity of penalties for infringement also affects the behavior of road users (Shyam, Tyagi and
Kumar, 2018).

2.1 Why is it important?

Road safety is no accident. Over a million people are killed each year on the world’s roadways;
over 3,000 die each day, and tens of millions more are injured. Road traffic related crashes impose an
enormous public health burden globally (Sleet, 2004). All road designs should be a compromise
between the ideal and the reasonable outcome in terms of cost, safety, and service life, environmental
and social issues. Major emphasis needs to be given on the road safety aspects on our roads (OECD,
1997).

Sleet, (2004) stated in his study according to police statistics, there are about 4,000 deaths and
many more serious injuries each year on roads in Bangladesh. Fatalities 10,000 motor vehicle is one
of the highest in the world. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists and those using informal transport
including the bus and truck passengers are the most vulnerable road user group contributing almost 80
percent of road fatalities.

In Addition, there are the road the road safety parameter, to compare the different roads it is
necessary not only to look at the absolute number of accidents but to base this comparison on different
parameters. For this analysis all accidents from a three year period were considered. Based on these
accidents the parameters accident rate, accident cost rate; accident density and accident cost density
were calculated (Kathmann, Ziegler and Pozybill, 2016). Finally, the actual accident situation was
compared to an accident situation which can be estimated for a road completely according to the
guidelines. This difference in the accident rates is called Safety Potential (SIPO). This value only can
be calculated for all vehicles, not for certain types, as the necessary correlation values (gUKR) are not
available (Kathmann, Ziegler and Pozybill, 2016).

The causes of road accidents are a subject of statistical analyses and are used to determine the
required preventive measures. Besides speeding the most common (so-called typical) causes of road
accidents include collisions with other road users (cars, two-wheelers, pedestrians), running into
stationary obstructions (parked vehicles, roadside trees, utility posts, safety barriers), running over
surface defects (potholes, bumps, ruts). Another group of causes is related to technical problems
concerning the vehicle (defects of mechanical systems, lamps and tire problems) and road surface
condition (Dudziak, Lewandowski and Śledziński, 2017). The lack of road safety knowledge to
drivers and other road users is another cause of road accident and fatalities. It is also an open secret
that some people get driving license without knowing even traffic rules and road safety measures are
thrown to winds (Shyam, Tyagi and Kumar, 2018).

To create road safety awareness and encourage good habits an early development stage,
Ministry of Education (MOE) has included road safety education in its curriculum for primary school
students. The curriculum includes pedestrian safety, cyclist safety, causes of traffic crashes, use of
traffic lights, and safety on public transport. In addition to the formal classes, all primary five students
are given practical classes by arranging traffic games at Road Safety Park (Profile, 2015).
3.0 Findings

At the end, we have to realize that it is the attitude which is important to prevent road
accidents and make our roads safe. Let us take a pledge to make our cities safe and more livable.
Every person need to take their responsibilities to be more alert about road safety itself. In this
context, more focus is needed for the road safety related problems from all the national stakeholders
like the Government, the ministries (especially the Ministry of Administration and Interior, Ministry
of Education, Ministry of Health); cut also the communities and the civil society organizations.

References
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