...Road Safety ROAD SAFETY IN BANGLADESH Introduction: Deaths and injuries as a result of road traffic accidents are recognized as global health issue. It is estimated that road crashes kill 1.2 million people and injure 20-50 million annually (daily road tolls more than 3000 i.e. nearly 140 deaths per hour). Transport is an extremely important part of the Bangladesh economy. Some 12% of GDP and 20% of the annual development budget is spent on transport, and 9.4% of the national employment is in the transport industry. Bangladesh has about 0.7 million motorized vehicle and 1.5 million non-motorized vehicles. But in Bangladesh, road accident problem grew over time and has been regarded as a massive outbreak of a fatal disease. Road fatalities are said to be correlated with a number of factors – number of population and its increasing numbers, length of roads, weather conditions, and mechanical condition of vehicles, drivers’ consideration of traffic laws, commuter safety skills and more. Road Accidents – this epidemic is related to faults of the drivers and the pedestrians and then our road infrastructures, social commitments, mechanical faults of vehicles, behavioral factors and more. Current Situation: Total Reported Road Accidents: According to police statistics, Road accidents in Bangladesh claim, on average 4000 lives and injure another 5000 a year. In Current prices, road accident in Bangladesh is costing community at least Tk. 5,000 crore /US$ 850...
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...Taking into account the above considerations, in 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed a program called “Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020”, whose overall goal is to stabilize and then reduce the forecast level of road traffic fatalities around the world by 2020 (Figure 2.4). The final document also included an economic support to low and middle income countries in order to achieve the objectives. Figure 2.4: Decade of Action. Objective [9] The program sets the guidelines to be used by nations in their road safety plans. Specifically, the program is divided in five pillars, which describe the direction that should be followed by nations [9]: Pillar 1 – Road Safety Management: • Strengthen institutional capacity...
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...Sometimes time is just not enough and we have to rush ourselves in order to make it to our commitments on time and to make things worse, traffic and speed limits get in our way. In moments like these a speed limit becomes more of an annoying suggestion rather that an enforced rule. Not necessarily by increasing or removing speed limits freeways would become dangerous, but also is not a matter of just take away these limits. Society should be better educated and trained in order to create a safer and more efficient road environment giving chance to reach longer distances in a shorter amount of time and why not, put our powerful line of super-vehicles to the test. In America, the average Maximum Speed Limit ranges between 55-75 mph. as a community, it’s necessary to create safety parameters in order to maintain a controlled environment and reduce the risk of fatalities, injuries and/or property damage since it’s believed that speed is one of the greatest killers out in the roads, it gives less reaction time and also in a vehicle traveling at a high speed, any defect or anomaly on the surface tend to be a high risk of loss of control of the vehicle. Also environmental issues have been part of the opposition and there has been an ongoing debate between environmentalists and fuel consumption. A car’s fuel consumption increases with speed and fuel conservation is a key factor in reducing air consumption. I love speed and I drive pretty fast as well. I know for sure I am “breaking”...
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...and fatality rate because drivers are now more involved with concealing their illegal behaviors. More citizen participation and drivers safety management should be more carefully considered in a transpiring situation such as this. More Americans should be made aware of the dangers of distracted driving, and become more involved in a reform for safety. Distracted Driving In the last decade, accidents resulting in injuries, or death caused by distracted driving has increased drastically as technology in wireless communications has advanced. Distracted driving is defined as operating a motor vehicle while simultaneously focusing your attention elsewhere (Goldfarb, 2010). Distracted driving includes texting and driving, using a cell phone or smart phone, eating and drinking, talking to passengers, grooming, reading (including maps), using a navigation system, watching a video, adjusting the radio, CD player, and/or MP3 player. About every 24 seconds there is an accident, and so far this year an estimated 1,013,123 crashes involved drivers using cell phones and texting (CDC, 2012). On a daily basis, more than 15 individuals are subject to fatality as a result of either being distracted, or being involved in a traffic accident with another distracted driver on the road (NHTSA, 2009). This is why drivers should be more educated on driver’s safety management, especially among our...
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...Texting While Driving 2200 words Texting While Driving In America, turning sixteen is a huge milestone for most teens because that is when they finally get to drive a car. You spend time studying for the test, even more than you would for your algebra tests. You endure painful driving lessons from your overprotective parents who are gripping on the passenger seats for dear life and lecture you just for going a little bit too fast. Finally, when you are ready, you take the nerve-wrecking driving test where, if you are unlucky, your driving examiner would be a grumpy looking man who looks so strict you lose your nerve and start making silly mistakes. However, after going through the pain and hardships, you finally do it. You get your license and you get a little taste of freedom. No more having your mother pick you up after school or getting a ride with your dad who might sometimes embarrass you in front of your friends. Unfortunately, once you start driving, everything you have learnt went out the window. You drive with your radio turned up, you rarely turn your head all the way to the back when changing lanes, and the worst habit of all, you start texting and even talk on the phone while you are driving. The advancement of technology has made different forms of communication so easily accessible. Social media is such a huge part of us and it is all in the palm of our hands. Sure, it is a good thing that it is so convenient for us but doing all that while behind the wheel...
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...The claim that the US should adopt the rule of 55 miles per hour as the national speed limit in order to : conserve fuel, save lives, reduce air pollutants, and provide a standard for safety reducing traffic accidents on American roads, highways, and interstates. The Union of Concerned Scientists tells us that dropping from 70 to 60 mph improves fuel efficiency by an average of 17.2 percent. Dropping from 75 to 55 improves fuel efficiency by 30.6 percent!. In an easy to vision example for the people to understand example: A family sedan, every 10 mph you drive over 60 is like paying 54 cents per gallon more for gas you bought at $3.25 a gallon. That extra cost is even higher if you're buying more expensive gas, and for big SUVs and other less-efficient vehicles. The carbon emissions percentage will also drop considerably reducing pollution by 33 percent, and the time you save by going easy on the accelerator may not add up to as much as you thought. On a 300-mile trip, driving 65 instead of 70 mph would cost you only 20 minutes time difference and save money and spew less carbon into the atmosphere. Most small to midsize cars get the best mileage between 45 and 55 mph The studies show that as speeds creep higher, fuel efficiency drops. For every mile per hour over 60 mph fuel economy drops by an average of 1 Percent which is lowering your fuel efficiency. The US Department of Transportation stated in a study dated 2010 that the factors will determine the amounts of...
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...”Road Rage” and Driver Aggression Prolonged or repeated exposure to stressful situations has been linked with heightened aggression [Cohen, 1980; Gibson and Wiesenthal, 1996]. Gulian et al. [1989b] have identified driver aggression as one potentially hazardous consequence of driver stress. The danger of driver aggression is evidenced through its relationship with increased accident involvement, a danger not only to the aggressor but to surrounding motorists [Furnham and Saipe, 1993; Hansen, 1988; Roy and Choudhary, 1985]. Public concern has recently been aroused over escalating incidents of “road rage” worldwide [Sleek, 1996]. Concern over road rage has extended to the Internet, where several Web sites have addressed highway agression. The America Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety commissioned three studies of aggressive driving (1997). The studies analyzed 10,037 police reports and newspaper stories concerning traffic incidents that were followed by violent behaviors. Congressional testimony indicated that aggressive behaviors were involved in nearly 28,000 American highway accidents according to Dr. Ricardo Martinez, head of the U. S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [Wald, 1997]. In Washington, there has been an increasing tendency for motorists to blame aggressive behavior for accidents on the Capital’s roadways [Reid, 1998]. The problem is also of concern in Canada, where the Ontario Provincial Police report receiving 500 telephone...
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...Neighborhood Public Policy Public health or public safety issue? Public health issues are ones that cause injury or disease to a population of people in the community (The Council of State Governments, 2009). Unexpected injury decreases the life expectancy of children (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). This is another reason this situation is a public health concern. The Neighborhood scenario involving the accident and injury of Marcus Young is a public health issue. In this scenario Marcus was hit by a speeding car. Millions of people are injured and killed in traffic accidents yearly (World Health Organization, 2014). These are preventable injuries and deaths. The World Health Organization is focusing on five risk factors contributing to injuries from accidents occurring on roadways. The five areas are speed, alcohol, seatbelts, helmets, and visibility. The accident involving Marcus Young has two of the five key areas; speed and visibility. One report identified an increase in accidents and deaths from drivers exceeding the speed limit. Mrs. Young wanted to create a safer environment for her children and the community. She called her local congressional representative and requested that speed bumps be installed as a deterrent to speeding. How does this scenario exemplify the legislative process influencing public health? This scenario exemplifies legislative process influencing public health by Mrs. Young working with her congressional representative to...
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...September–October 2004 Iowa LTAP Roads Scholar Program Training Workshops Technology News Calendar Safety Circuit Rider Library Catalog Publications Better Mousetraps Simplified spot speed studies Editor’s note This article is the first of five summaries of traffic studies described in the Handbook of Simplified Practice for Traffic Studies: (1) spot speeds, (2) traffic volumes, (3) sight distances, (4) crash analyses, and (5) school zone programs. The handbook was developed by CTRE and funded by the Iowa Highway Research Board (TR455). The handbook describes straightforward trafficstudy procedures to help local agencies “get their arms” around specific traffic-related questions or potential problems. Data collected from these studies can be critical to decision making and can help agencies communicate more effectively with community members and local officials. All procedures outlined in the handbook and described below follow national standards. Figure 1. Example stopwatch spot speed study layout Figure 2. Example radar meter spot speed study layout Spot speed studies are used primarily to determine the distribution of traffic speeds, or vehicle speed percentiles, at a specific location. These data help traffic engineers determine and/or evaluate traffic operations and traffic control practices at specific locations; establish design elements for roadways, pedestrian walkways, and bikeways; assess roadway safety questions; and make other traffic safety-related analyses. Rules...
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... In recent years there has been an alarming increase in traffic accidents and deaths related to cellphone usage while driving, the most notable being texting and driving. The purpose of this research is to identify the causes of traffic incidents and to propose solutions to help curb the number of incident and mortality rates caused by this highly dangerous and illegal behavior. In 2011, 23% of all auto collisions involved cellphones. That’s 1.3 million crashes. (Texting and Driving Saety.com/texting-and-driving-stats, 2013) “The minimal amount of time your attention is taken away from the road when you are texting and driving is 5 seconds. If you’re traveling at 55mph, this equals to driving the length of a football field without looking at the road.” (NHTSA, 2009) “A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last month found that 13 percent of drivers ages 18 to 20 in crashes admitted they were talking or texting on mobile devices.” (Halsey, 2012) That percentage among all drivers has dropped recently. Television PSAs (Public Service Announcements) and efforts by the cellphone carriers have had some effect on texting and driving. But the public perception of texting and driving is not the same as what it is for...
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...The Psychology of Road Rage: A discussion of psychological explanations of road rage and policy implications. Name: Graeme Standing Candidate #: 002351 015 Subject: Psychology – Extended Essay Word Count : 3993 School: Collège du Léman Date: February 2007© Graeme Standing (graemestanding@hotmail.com) Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................1 Is Road Rage Just a Media Invention?..................................................................................................... 1 What is Road Rage? ................................................................................................................................2 Stress and Anger .....................................................................................................................................2 Are Some People More Susceptible to Road Rage? ............................................................................... 3 Gender Stereotypes................................................................................................................................4 Intermittent Explosive Disorder.............................................................................................................. 5 Driving Pathology....................................................................................................................................6 Solutions...
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...red light cameras, Chicago doesn’t seem like it will be one to budge. The first red light camera in Chicago was placed in 2003 along with the impression that these photo enforced cameras will benefit all on the road including pedestrians and bicyclists. Red light cameras were introduced to the people as a form of protection to help ensure driver safety and reduce red light running. Since the first camera was installed, there has been a rapid spread all across Chicago to where there are even two cameras at one intersection. Based on the studies reported, there is, however, strong evidence that suggests that red light cameras are less effective than the high hopes that were placed at their inception. In this debate, I’m not asking to take down red light cameras because some people believe they are to create revenue, nor am I saying the cameras are worthwhile. The priority is to get them to work in the way they were intended to be used for not just for revenue as it has now become. Changes in the engineering aspect to create a better flow would do the best for the city of Chicago. A great amount of technology, contracting, design, and implementation goes into these traffic signals we use every day which help keep road regulation smooth and safe. Although road signals are organized, getting motorists to follow regulations is the hardest part. The problem the federal highway administration was faced with was the great amount of accidents resulting from motorists running...
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...understanding of road signs in Ghana: A case study along Ho – Afloa Togo route Maxwell Selase Akple*, Robert Biscoff Ho Polytechnic, Mechanical Engineering Dept, P.O.Box Box HP 217, Ho. Volta Region, GHANA Corresponding author’s e-mail : oomaxi@yahoo.com, Tel. +233 244979950 Abstract This paper examines driver’s knowledge concerning road sign usage along an international route in Ghana. There were two stages for the data collection. First, an observational study was conducted to determine the specific road signs along the route. Second, questionnaires were administered to 50 drivers who regularly drove on this route to assess their understanding of those road signs. The study shows that various road signs and markings are along the route. Hump ridge ramps are the dominant road signs observed coupled with pedestrian crossing warning sign posts. Most drivers do not recognize common road signs and markings hence their memorability, remembrance and application during driving is difficult. Main contributing factors are driver’s not professional trained and symbolic nature of the road signs. Challenges encountered during road sign usage include size of road sign indicating situations, visibility, reflectivity and placement. The result of the study recommended alphanumeric road sign and identified that most drivers do not comprehend road signs easily. Government should allocate more resources for training drivers on driving theories and road safety. Keywords: Road Signs, Drivers Knowledge...
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...Road Speed Limits Professor: Kanyo 08/03/2011 Mid-Michigan Community College Abstract Most of nations have their own road speed limits. This is also an argumentative problem in the modern society. A number of people think that it is necessary to use speed limits to protect people because they believe that lower speed limit can decrease fatalities, injuries and property damage. Others believe that we need to change this policy because it cannot correspond with the development of car quality. According to the data from many car manufactures, the technology of vehicles has changed a lot. I think we do not need to maintain the old standard. We should make new policy to accommodate new technology and new society. Lower speed do not means safer and not fast speed means dangers. I am the one who wish government can change this policy because I think that changing the speed limit cannot only save our time but also boost our economy. Road Speed Limits Most of countries have their own speed limit; it is used to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum, minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign. Speed limits are commonly set by the legislative bodies of nations or provincial governments and enforced by national or regional police or judicial bodies. The first speed limit legislation was created in the United Kingdom with the Locomotive Acts. Drives are required to control at a safe speed for...
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...Introduction Topic: Texting while driving is dangerous Hook: Did you know that texting while driving is now one of the most popular distractions that take a driver’s eyes off the road? Link to audience: Imagine that someone in your family, your mom, dad, or sibling were to be killed by a driver who was sending a text message. Was that text worth losing someone you love? Thesis statement: Today I will persuade you into thinking that texting while driving is too dangerous. Body Texting while driving kills people In 2009, 5,474 people in the United States were killed due to texting while driving. This number is an increase to the 3,210 people that were killed in 2007. (http://www.stoptextsstopwrecks.org/#facts) Teenagers are the most common age group that die because of texting (45% of accidents resulted in death). In addition, The Allstate Foundation’s recent survey showed that 82% of teens report texting while driving, while only 23% admit to drinking and driving. And according to data collected by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, more teenagers die on May 20 than any other day of the year. Over the past five years, May 20 claimed 63% more lives than any average day because of prom and other end of the school year celebrations. A report from Alberta’s Workplace Health and Safety confirms the death of a young landscaper working for the city of Edmonton, was caused by a distracted driver who never seemed to realize she had hit him. The landscaper was working...
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