Faces behind the crashes (II)

As I conclude today, I wish to state that in situations where the natural road speed is considered too high, notably on urban areas where speed limits below 50 km/h (31 mph) are used, then traffic calming is often also used. For some classes of vehicle, speed limiters may be mandated to enforce compliance and […]

As I conclude today, I wish to state that in situations where the natural road speed is considered too high, notably on urban areas where speed limits below 50 km/h (31 mph) are used, then traffic calming is often also used. For some classes of vehicle, speed limiters may be mandated to enforce compliance and this is one project that the Corps is currently driving with the on-going engagement with stakeholders on  the plan to commence the enforcement of speed limiters in the country soon. I hope to focus on this by next week.
In most societies where speed limits have been introduced, speed limits have been opposed by motoring advocacy groups, who either consider them to be irrelevant, set too low or set too high. I do hope that the reactions in the country will be different. For the records, road traffic crashes kill 1.2 million people every year and injure or disable as many as 50 million more globally. Behind each statistic, there is a story of a father or mother; there are faces behind the figures. There are Voices of road traffic crash victims if they survive and there are voices of their families too.
The WHO captures it succinctly when it said, ‘Behind every road traffic crash statistic, there are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, grandchildren, colleagues, classmates and friends whose lives are changed forever. For every severe crash, survivors, relatives and friends can suffer physical, psychological, emotional and economic devastation… Each of the 1.2 million deaths and 50 million injuries every year has a story to tell. These stories emphasize that if prevention measures and emergency rescue services had been in place, an enormous amount of suffering could have been avoided.’ A run down on most crashes recorded daily whether here or in advanced societies will equally emphasise that, if the right attitude is exhibited by motorists on our roads, no matter their state, crashes could be avoided. In the words of my boss, Osita Chidoka, bad roads don’t cause crashes. It is the bad use of the roads that result to crashes.
To capture these truths, I intend to run the stories of crash victims not in the order of any priority. First is the touchy story of the 15 sweet youngsters whose lives were cut short by a reckless driver in Plateau State. My friend and colleague, John Ogbodo, and three journalists died in separate crashes too, leaving wailings behind and abruptly ending their dreams and aspirations. Four family members of Ambassador Tanimu Saulawa, including his last daughter, and her baby were killed recently in a car crash along Dutsinma- Katsina road.
Thiago de Moraes Gonzaga of Brazil died in a car crash just a week before his 18th birthday. The car was being driven by an 18-year-old boy who did not have a driving licence. “It was as if our family had all died together,” recalls his mother, Diza Gonzaga, who now works to promote road safety. From Cameroon comes the story of Jane Njawe who died while waiting for treatment at the hospital for five hours after being injured in a road traffic collision. Her husband Pius Njawe recalls the trauma their five children went through. Pius has dedicated himself to promoting road safety in Jane’s memory. Seventeen-year-old Deana Blanchard from Egypt died while trying to cross a busy street without a pedestrian crossing in Maadi. “Every day I see men, women and children dashing and weaving through a blurred maze of cars, buses and trucks and I hold my breath, praying that the speeding steel does not end another life,” says her father, David Blanchard.
Mathilde (7 years) and her sister Elise Jurgensen (4 years) from France were killed on the way to their grandmother’s house when a drunk driver hit the car they were riding in. Their mother Genevieve Jurgensen talks about the emotional devastation she went through before coming to terms with their death. In Kenya inappropriate treatment for Lillian Mworia’s injuries following a road traffic collision contributed to her being paralysed. She recounts her experience that has forced her to stay in hospital for two years now.
Motorcycle taxi driver Satien Luangpiak from Thailand was involved in a road traffic crash but escaped with minor trauma to the head and shoulder partly because he was wearing a helmet. He strongly feels that helmet use should be strictly enforced as taxi drivers like him run the risk of losing income, or worse, their lives. From the USA comes the story of Aron Sobel who was working as a volunteer in Turkey.  25-year-old medical student, Aron, died along with 22 others when the bus he was in crashed into a deep ravine. Although the dangerous “death curve” had been the site of many road traffic crashes, no action had been taken to improve the road. Aron’s mother Rochelle Sobel recounts the strong sense of guilt she was overwhelmed with after her son’s death. Behind each of these unfortunate deaths, there are faces and voices behind the figures. . In most of these tragedies, while families wail over their losses, some like Rochelle Sobel have committed themselves to ensuring no other parent suffers similar fate. This, I believe, is the commitment we all must make.