Deana: Angel of the Nile

While pondering on what to write as the United Nations marks the 3th Global Road Safety Week with the theme, Keeping Children Safe, I thought sharing this tragic story will cause a rethink especially for parents and guardians who daily indulge in transporting children in the most irresponsible manner; some either lap children while others […]

While pondering on what to write as the United Nations marks the 3th Global Road Safety Week with the theme, Keeping Children Safe, I thought sharing this tragic story will cause a rethink especially for parents and guardians who daily indulge in transporting children in the most irresponsible manner; some either lap children while others allow children who are less than three years to sit in the front passenger seat. The most daring ones play the good daddy or mummy role by carrying them on the tummy while driving. Some are too caring that they allow the children; no matter how tender, to share the driving with them.
This Egyptian father is different. his story is not just about the pains and the trauma he suffered but the fact that rather than becoming a recluse after this tragedy, he chose to stand up and act to prevent the death of more Deanas. Besides his confession, there are also materials culled from the World Report on road traffic injury prevention especially the emphasis on interventions such as the use of child restraints that could save thousands if not millions of children not just in Nigeria but across the globe. The use of child restraints has been captured in the 2012 National Road Traffic Regulations as an offence. Section 126(1) states that,’’ Every vehicle shall have fitted in the front and rear seats, seat belts and child safety seats which shall be securely worn by the driver and other occupants of the vehicle while the vehicle is on motion. Section 126(3) further states that the driver of a vehicle shall be responsible for children who are passengers in such a vehicle and shall ensure the proper use of child locks in every vehicle where one is installed;(b) the proper use of child safety seats for every child that is 7 years and below and that child seats are not installed in the front row of any vehicle.
“.Deana is my daughter. She was 17 years old when her life was cut short. Deana was with four friends going to a birthday party.
They had just got out of a taxi and were trying to cross the Nile Corniche in Maadi. The traffic is heavy, chaotic. There are no traffic lights, no crosswalks, just a constant stream of speeding, weaving cars, trucks and buses. You have to dart across several lanes of traffic  to get to the other side. Deana was hit and killed by a speeding bus as she tried to cross the road. The bus driver didn’t even slow down.
I was in Damascus at the time, travelling for my work. My brother-in-law called me to tell me the terrible news that my baby girl had been hit. You can imagine my guilt. I should have been in Cairo. I could have driven her to the party.
Deana loved so many things, she loved life. She had an infectious smile. She always had time for other people more than for herself. She wanted to be a paediatric dentist – she loved kids. She had a special love of angels. She always had pictures or figurines of angels in her room. For us, she has become the “Angel of the Nile”.
Everyone was deeply affected by Deana’s death, her family her friends, the entire community. I think of ripples of pain, an ever-widening circle of those who were affected. My wife, son and I had to leave Cairo after Deana’s death. It was too painful, too many memories. We came back to Cairo just a few months ago. I guess that early on I made a decision. I could roll up into a ball in a foetal position and never wake up. It would be very easy to do this and give up. But I felt that I had tried to make sense out of the senseless, the unbelievable. I decided to do something tangible, something that would save other people’s lives. An NGO, the Safe Road Society, started because our daughter lost her life. It is dedicated to making the roads in Egypt safer for its citizens. Our first project is the building of a pedestrian tunnel under the MaadiCorniche El Nile. Governmental permits have been obtained and request for construction bids sent. Our next step is to ensure sufficient funds are raised through voluntary donations to complete this life saving project. This busy road of death runs alongside the serenity of the Nile River. Many concerned and dedicated Egyptians and foreigners have joined together with the goal to make the tunnel a reality. Also, a scholarship was started in Deana’s name at her school and every year a graduating senior who smiles and brings light to another student’s day is awarded a helping hand. By building a pedestrian tunnel, we hope to save lives and, in my dreams, to see my Deana, my Angel of the Nile, looking down upon us and smiling in approval.
Deana is but one of the many children whose lives and aspirations have been cut short by a road crash. This is why the 3rd UN Global Road Safety Week has chosen keeping children protected, as the theme. According to the WHO Global Burden of Disease project, in 2004 nearly 1.3 million people of all ages were killed in road traffic crashes around the world and up to 50 million more were injured or disabled.
Globally, 21% of road traffic deaths were among children. In 2004, road traffic injuries accounted for approximately 262 000 child deaths among children and youth aged 0–19 years – almost 30% of all injury deaths among children. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 19 years and the second leading cause among 5-14 year-olds. . Globally, these deaths on the roads account for nearly 2% of all deaths among children.
The global losses due to road traffic injuries are estimated to be US$518 billion per annum (36), with the annual cost of road crashes in low-income and middle-income countries estimated at between US$65 billion and US$100 billion. This means that road traffic collisions and their consequences cost governments up to 3% of their gross national product.
As the World reflects on the need to save the Deanas of the world, the World report on road traffic injury prevention describes proven interventions one of which is the systems approach. The systems approach is of particular value in child road safety since it moves away from the idea that children should adapt their behavior to cope with traffic, in favour of an approach that recognizes that children’s needs should be addressed in the design and management of the whole road system among others. Another intervention is the however use of  child restraints which has been made mandatory by the National Road Traffic Regulations, earlier cited. With this legislation, the onus now lies on traffic officers to strictly enforce the use of child restraints. However, the greatest responsibility lies on parents and drivers who had been mandated the traffic law to ensure that children are properly restrained in moving vehicles. This is one way to ensure that another Diana does not die through a road crash..The headline for this piece is mine. But the tragic testimony about Deana is not mine. It is that of an Egyptian father pained by the death of his little Princess. While pondering on what to write as the United Nations marks the 3th Global Road Safety Week with the theme, Keeping Children Safe, I thought sharing this tragic story will cause a rethink especially for parents and guardians who daily indulge in transporting children in the most irresponsible manner; some either lap children while others allow children who are less than three years to sit in the front passenger seat. The most daring ones play the good daddy or mummy role by carrying them on the tummy while driving. Some are too caring that they allow the children; no matter how tender, to share the driving with them.
This Egyptian father is different. his story is not just about the pains and the trauma he suffered but the fact that rather than becoming a recluse after this tragedy, he chose to stand up and act to prevent the death of more Deanas. Besides his confession, there are also materials culled from the World Report on road traffic injury prevention especially the emphasis on interventions such as the use of child restraints that could save thousands if not millions of children not just in Nigeria but across the globe. The use of child restraints has been captured in the 2012 National Road Traffic Regulations as an offence. Section 126(1) states that,’’ Every vehicle shall have fitted in the front and rear seats, seat belts and child safety seats which shall be securely worn by the driver and other occupants of the vehicle while the vehicle is on motion. Section 126(3) further states that the driver of a vehicle shall be responsible for children who are passengers in such a vehicle and shall ensure the proper use of child locks in every vehicle where one is installed;(b) the proper use of child safety seats for every child that is 7 years and below and that child seats are not installed in the front row of any vehicle.
“.Deana is my daughter. She was 17 years old when her life was cut short. Deana was with four friends going to a birthday party.
They had just got out of a taxi and were trying to cross the Nile Corniche in Maadi. The traffic is heavy, chaotic. There are no traffic lights, no crosswalks, just a constant stream of speeding, weaving cars, trucks and buses. You have to dart across several lanes of traffic  to get to the other side. Deana was hit and killed by a speeding bus as she tried to cross the road. The bus driver didn’t even slow down.
I was in Damascus at the time, travelling for my work. My brother-in-law called me to tell me the terrible news that my baby girl had been hit. You can imagine my guilt. I should have been in Cairo. I could have driven her to the party.
Deana loved so many things, she loved life. She had an infectious smile. She always had time for other people more than for herself. She wanted to be a paediatric dentist – she loved kids. She had a special love of angels. She always had pictures or figurines of angels in her room. For us, she has become the “Angel of the Nile”.
Everyone was deeply affected by Deana’s death, her family her friends, the entire community. I think of ripples of pain, an ever-widening circle of those who were affected. My wife, son and I had to leave Cairo after Deana’s death. It was too painful, too many memories. We came back to Cairo just a few months ago. I guess that early on I made a decision. I could roll up into a ball in a foetal position and never wake up. It would be very easy to do this and give up. But I felt that I had tried to make sense out of the senseless, the unbelievable. I decided to do something tangible, something that would save other people’s lives. An NGO, the Safe Road Society, started because our daughter lost her life. It is dedicated to making the roads in Egypt safer for its citizens. Our first project is the building of a pedestrian tunnel under the MaadiCorniche El Nile. Governmental permits have been obtained and request for construction bids sent. Our next step is to ensure sufficient funds are raised through voluntary donations to complete this life saving project. This busy road of death runs alongside the serenity of the Nile River. Many concerned and dedicated Egyptians and foreigners have joined together with the goal to make the tunnel a reality. Also, a scholarship was started in Deana’s name at her school and every year a graduating senior who smiles and brings light to another student’s day is awarded a helping hand. By building a pedestrian tunnel, we hope to save lives and, in my dreams, to see my Deana, my Angel of the Nile, looking down upon us and smiling in approval.
Deana is but one of the many children whose lives and aspirations have been cut short by a road crash. This is why the 3rd UN Global Road Safety Week has chosen keeping children protected, as the theme. According to the WHO Global Burden of Disease project, in 2004 nearly 1.3 million people of all ages were killed in road traffic crashes around the world and up to 50 million more were injured or disabled.
Globally, 21% of road traffic deaths were among children. In 2004, road traffic injuries accounted for approximately 262 000 child deaths among children and youth aged 0–19 years – almost 30% of all injury deaths among children. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 19 years and the second leading cause among 5-14 year-olds. . Globally, these deaths on the roads account for nearly 2% of all deaths among children.
The global losses due to road traffic injuries are estimated to be US$518 billion per annum (36), with the annual cost of road crashes in low-income and middle-income countries estimated at between US$65 billion and US$100 billion. This means that road traffic collisions and their consequences cost governments up to 3% of their gross national product.
As the World reflects on the need to save the Deanas of the world, the World report on road traffic injury prevention describes proven interventions one of which is the systems approach. The systems approach is of particular value in child road safety since it moves away from the idea that children should adapt their behavior to cope with traffic, in favour of an approach that recognizes that children’s needs should be addressed in the design and management of the whole road system among others. Another intervention is the however use of  child restraints which has been made mandatory by the National Road Traffic Regulations, earlier cited. With this legislation, the onus now lies on traffic officers to strictly enforce the use of child restraints. However, the greatest responsibility lies on parents and drivers who had been mandated the traffic law to ensure that children are properly restrained in moving vehicles. This is one way to ensure that another Diana does not die through a road crash..