Too many killed in road crashes: Vinit

A ROAD safety status report revealed that many people aged between 15 and 40 are killed in road accidents.
The report by national data co-ordinator Chief Insp Peri Kanguma and facilitated by the Health Department’s lifestyle disease unit under Dr Thomas Vinit, was presented to the National Road Safety Council last Friday.
Among some of the findings from the data collected nationwide, the report stated that the five top reasons for vehicle accidents were due to speeding, inattentiveness, pedestrians, drink driving and overcrowding and congestion.
“Many of the accidents were avoidable.
“The creation of pedestrian and bicycle pathways so that people can walk or ride bicycles safely on roadside is an immediate solution,” Dr Vinit said.
The report also recommended the establishment of trains, subways and bypasses as alternative modes of transportation to reduce the number of vehicle accidents, congestion and the amount of carbon emissions.
Others include traffic lights in front of schools, hospitals and the introduction of radar and speed cameras to capture speedsters.
The report found that the problems would only escalate due to the increasing number of vehicles on the roads.
“Creation of pathways will reduce the number of fatal accidents and many will also get the exercise they need to keep fit from cycling and walking,” Dr Vinit said.
Chief Insp Kanguma said one thing the public needed to understand was that the cost incurred from an accident was too much because of the cost of hosting a haus krai meeting hospital cost, funeral and transportation bills.
“Since it is better to be safe than sorry, the public must strictly observe traffic regulations,” he said.