Every time we march onto the roadway– whether or not as a chauffeur, traveler, biker, or pedestrian– we encounter an intrinsic risk of roadway accidents. In 2023, India noticed an unimaginable 4,80,583 roadway accidents, inflicting 1,72,890 casualties and leaving 4,62,425 people wounded. These numbers spotlight a extreme reality: roadway accidents proceed to be amongst theleading causes of fatality and damage within the nation. Pedestrians and two-wheeler bikers, that compose two-thirds of all casualties, are some of the vulnerable.
Yet, quite a few these lives can have been conserved with one thing as simple as the suitable use security and safety gear. Helmets, security belt, reflective garments, and child restriction methods are better than merely gadgets– they’re life conserving gadgets.
“What we need is an extensive awareness campaign at the level of the Swachh Bharat Mission to address the issue of road crashes. Many road crash events and their resulting injuries/deaths are to a large extent avoidable. For example, the mandatory use of seat belts, not just front but also rear, is the simplest behavioural change that each one of us can practise every time we step into a four-wheeler. With a simple click of the seat belt, each of us works towards ensuring our own safety as well as that of fellow passengers,” claimed Piyush Tewari, creator and chief govt officer, SaveLIFE Foundation.
Here’s why security and safety gear is important and what we will do to ensure all people takes roadway security and safety severely.
Why Safety Gear is Critical for Road Safety?
The key goal of security and safety gear is just not merely damage avoidance nevertheless survival. Here’s a extra detailed try some mandatory security and safety gadgets that may preserve lives in roadway accidents:
1. Helmets: Your First Line of Defence
A headgear is bigger than a lawful demand– it’s a lifesaver. Wearing a headgear lowers the specter of fatality by 42% and thoughts damage by 70% for two-wheeler bikers. However, not all security helmets provide the very same diploma of safety. Only ISI-certified security helmets provide reliable security and safety, in contrast to modern, cheap selections that may look enticing nevertheless fall quick to safeguard in extreme accidents.
2. Seat Belts: Simple Yet Effective
Seat belts are among the many most elementary and most dependable security and safety devices. They lower the specter of casualties by fifty p.c all through an accident. Importantly, security belt aren’t merely for front-seat residents– rear seat visitors likewise require to distort roughly stay secure and safe all through accidents.
3. Reflective Clothing: Visibility Matters
Many roadway accidents occur due to diminished publicity, particularly through the night time. Reflective coats, vests, and bands make pedestrians and bicyclists noticeable to vehicles, lowering the specter of crashes on badly lit roadways.
4. Child Restraint Systems: Protecting the Youngest
Child restriction methods, corresponding to security seat, aren’t merely deluxes– they’re lifesaving necessities. These methods preserve youngsters safeguard all through abrupt quits or accidents, considerably lowering the specter of extreme accidents.
5. Elbow and Knee Guards: Small Gear, Big Impact
Though not obligatory, elbow joint and knee guards can considerably lower the specter of cracks i n small accidents or drops, particularly for two-wheeler bikers. These simple enhancements provide an added layer of safety.
6. Footwear: Safety Starts from the Ground Up
Proper sneakers might not really feel like a security and safety mandatory, nevertheless it may possibly cease slides and skids, particularly on damp or irregular roadways. Whether strolling or using a motorbike, robust footwear improve safety and reduce the specter of drops.
Why Don’ t People Use Safety Gear?
Despite the life-saving benefits, many people in India nonetheless don’t make use of security and safety gear. Some important components include:
● Lack of Awareness: Many aren’t conscious of the number of available security and safety gear and its relevance.
● Cost Concerns: High- top quality security and safety gear can seem expensive, main people to pick more cost effective, a lot much less dependable selections.
● Cultural Mindset: There’s an understanding that security and safety gear is unneeded for transient journeys or day-to-day commutes.
● Complacency: The concept that “it won’t happen to me” brings about harmful habits when driving.
What Can Be Done to Bring About Change?
To develop a society of roadway security and safety, we require a multi-pronged approach:
1. Awareness Campaigns: Sharing real-life tales of collision survivors that took benefit of security and safety gear may be an efficient incentive.
2. Affordability: Subsidies on security and safety gear could make premium gadgets rather more simply accessible to an even bigger populace.
3. Enforcement: Authorities ought to implement stringent conformity with roadway security and safety laws,
consisting of fines for not placing on security helmets and security belt.
4. Design Innovations: People are extra possible to utilize security and safety gear if it iscomfortable, elegant, and easy to utilize.
The Role of the Community in Ensuring Road Safety
Every time anyone locations on a headgear, secures a seat belt, or protects their child in a baby seat, they’re taking an motion in the direction of safer roadways. Road security and safety is a standard responsibility, and tiny behavioral modifications may end up in appreciable decreases in roadway casualties.
At the center of this concern is a simple reality: security and safety gear isn’t a headache– it’s a life-saving monetary funding. By accepting a society of responsibility and making security and safety gear a element of our day-to-day routine, we will develop safer roadways for everyone.