Every year 1.35 million people die due to road accidents. These accidents also leave people with life-long injuries. They have serious implications for the individual involved, their family, and the public as well.
People suffer from the loss of life and property. They also have to bear the cost of treatment and suffer from loss of productivity due to injuries. They can miss their education or job and their caretakers will also have to miss out on work. And when such casualties are in millions, it hurts a nation’s economy.
Most countries have liability laws where a person can get compensated for death or injury because of another driver’s mistake. Car accidents and truck accidents are commonplace. You can get legal help from an experienced 18 wheeler accident lawyer in Houston.
Legal counsel can help you get compensated fairly and will leave no stone unturned.
How To Reduce Road Accidents:
Road accidents are becoming so common that people have become desensitized towards them. They have become a statistical value for us because we do not know the victims personally. People think that road accidents occur because road transport has an inherent factor of being dangerous so these accidents are unavoidable.
There are multiple ways to reduce road accidents. The first approach is to follow the Safe System. The Safe System calls for road transport infrastructure to be designed in such a way that it takes into account the chances of human error and other mishaps to reduce the chances of fatal accidents and serious injuries.
The Safe System incorporates safe roads, safe speeds, safe vehicles, and safe road users. This way the accidents can be reduced.
Road infrastructure needs to be maintained. This means that the road surface should be smooth. There should be no potholes and bumps because they can cause a driver to lose control of their vehicle and crash.
The Safe System recommends that the roads should be narrower because they make the crossing of roads easier for pedestrians. It will also make the drivers remain more attentive and careful while driving.
Managing speeds is also necessary because higher speeds increase your chances of being in a fatal accident. Speed limits and other interventions can reduce the chances of accidents. Speed cameras and rumble strips can make drivers remain attentive and warn them that they are being monitored.
Enforcing Existing Laws and Regulations can help control fatalities and injuries. They can help make the roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Using seat belts and child restraints can have a great impact on road user behavior. Fines and legal proceedings can reduce the violations of driving under influence and over speeding.
The licenses for driving a vehicle should be issued after proper testing. One such example is the graduated license system of New Zealand, it has reduced the fatalities of young people by more than 20 percent.
The use of modern safety technology can also help vehicles avoid collisions with other vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. Early warning braking systems can stop vehicles when they detect any object in front of a vehicle. The use of Artificial Intelligence will make vehicles autonomous and this will reduce the accidents caused by human errors.
