Road accidents are very frequent in our country and cause a lot of damage. It’s a very sad fact to state, but according to statistics, road accidents cause one death every four minutes in our country. And what’s worse is that the majority of victims are youngsters; people in their twenties. A WHO (World Health Organisation) report stated that more young people aged between 15-29 die from road crashes than from HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis or homicide. This means that road crashes are a serious threat to youth, no matter where they are. There are a number of factors that have increased the number of fatal road accidents amongst youngsters.
According to Nandita de Souza, Developmental and Behavioural Paediatrician at Sethu Child Development and Family Guidance Centre, Porvorim, there are two main reasons that cause accidents and subsequent deaths of youngsters – speeding, and driving under influence. She feels that the only way youngsters can be made to follow the right traffic rules and drive or ride safely is by implementing and executing strict action against the rule breakers. “Youngsters who break rules should not at all be spared and all that is required, right from imposing fines to suspension of their license, must be carried out in case they choose not to abide by the rules like speed limit, wearing a helmet and seatbelt, etc. These rules should also be enforced by educational institutions in order to make their students more aware and responsible.” She thinks it’s strict action by authorities that will help prevent the youth from breaking rules the most. “If a person feels that he can drink and drive, or ride without a helmet and still get away with it, he/she won’t hesitate to do it,” Nandita maintains. She further adds that parents also can play a major role as they have the maximum influence on their children and thus can make them adhere to safety measures.
Along with the age-old reasons like bad roads, drunk driving/riding and speeding, another reason that’s a gift of the new era of technology and that is becoming the reason for most of the accidents at an alarming level is smartphones. Even parents find this to be the most worrisome reason. Sheela Natraj, a resident of Corlim, Old Goa, shares, “Youngsters today don’t hesitate to speak on the phone while riding or driving. I see many kids listening to music while riding bikes. According to me, this is one of the major distractions that leads to road accidents.” When asked about what can be done to prevent accidents among youth, she replies that it is up to them to decide whether to ride/drive responsibly or not. “As parents, we keep instructing our kids a lot when they leave the house. We tell them not to exceed the speed limit, not to overtake, not to listen to music and not to indulge in fights on the road. However, we cannot keep a check on them after they leave the premises. It’s really up to them if they want to follow the instructions or not.”
Thus, we can conclude that it’s the youngsters themselves who can prevent accidents. There are a few measures they need to take: the first and the most important of all being adherence to safety measures and traffic rules. If the youngsters start wearing seatbelts and helmets while driving and riding, it would help them reduce injuries even if any accidents take place. Further, stay away from your phones while driving or riding a vehicle. Due to the extensive use of smartphones by youngsters, the parents already call it their greatest enemy. Try not to turn your phone into a fatal habit.
