By Amin Kef Sesay
Sierra Leone Roads Safety Authority and the Police Traffic division have a lot of work to do in terms of curbing what seems in the recent times like an increase in the number of motor vehicle accidents on our roads, especially the highway from Freetown to Masiaka and Makeni.
Investigation by The Calabash pointed to a number of well-known reasons for these motor accidents, many of which result in fatalities.
For example, just before the first tollgate from Masiaka, at a place called Masorie village, a delivery van slammed into a stationary ten-wheel truck, killing two people with the van damaged beyond repair.
The causes of these accidents include drivers giving their vehicles to apprentices that have not yet fully qualified and licensed, drivers using kush, marijuana, cheap local made alcohol, tiredness behind the wheels, and the most common cause, over-speeding with not too road worthy vehicles.
Road safety is so important that it has to be followed at all times to ensure the safety of the operators of vehicles, passengers, and pedestrians.
Road users, this medium interviewed, pointed accusing fingers at Traffic Wardens and Traffic Police Officers of paying very little attention to checking on vehicle road worthiness and more on their huge daily takings from the various “booking” points across the cities and the country that they mann.
Traffic experts recommend that to reduce the number of accidents on our roads, traffic rules and guidelines have to be set in place and strictly followed so that serious accidents and injuries can be averted.
The measures and methods taken to establish road safety include the use of various road safety products.
Well-designed and uniquely engineered road safety products ensure the constant safety of vehicles and pedestrians. These road safety products intimate people about parts of a road they should avoid and accident-prone zones as well as simply organize traffic and vehicles in an orderly manner.
Some important road safety products that are used worldwide are road barriers, road fences, and safety barricades.
It is very important to be aware that road traffic injuries remain an important public health problem. When road safety products are utilized correctly or efficiently, they can help save lives, prevent accidents and injuries, and keep a society functioning in the most optimal way.
Vehicle maintenance forms another very important axle of road safety. Smooth tires and faulty brakes often are causes of accidents.
Check headlights. Before you jump in your car and start your normal driving schedule, here are some things to check: Check oil and water in radiator, Check all the tire pressures, Drive your car using the brakes a few times and listen for any strange noises.
