Road Accidents in India for Drunken Driving- MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theRoad Accidents in India as a Consequence of Drunken Driving. Answer: Introduction Road accidents have been recognized as a major cause of disability and death. It is a now public health problem all over the world, but has shown some decline in US and China (Bayan, Bhawalkar, Jadhav, Banerjee, 2013). But the problem of road accidents in India is growing and in a substantial number of cases alcohol use by the driver is identified as a cause (Gururaj, 2008). The social determinant of health that plays a significant part due to error in judgement by drivers when they are under the influence of alcohol. According to the Press Information Bureau, Government of India, the number of road accidents has grown from 2014 to 2015 by 2.5 percent,. The number of people killed in road accidents have gone up from 2014 to 2015 by 4.6 percent. Injuries due to road accidents have gone up by 1.4 per cent from 2014 to 2015. Every hour 17 people lose their lives on Indian roads (Press Information Bureau, 2016). The analysis of data by the bureau also reveals that 54.1 per cent of the p eople killed during the analysed period were aged between 15 and 34 years. India is a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration and has to reduce the accidents to 50 per cent by 2020. Very few studies on the effect of alcohol consumption by drivers before an accident have been carried out in India. 17 per cent of drivers involved in road traffic injuries have been confirmed or suspected to have indulged in drunken driving in India (Esser, et al., 2016). A review of studies on alcohol consumption or substance use by drivers it was found that 2 to 33 per cent of injuries occurred because the driver was drunk at the time of driving. 6 to 48 per cent of the victims that were killed due to road accidents were under the influence of alcohol (Das, Gjerde, Gopalan, Normann, 2012). Impact of Drunken Driving on Road Safety The impact of drunken driving is severe. Use of motorised vehicles is the major means of transport in cities and rural areas. The road users that are most vulnerable and are more likely to be victims of road accidents are pedestrians, cyclists and people who use two wheelers, such as, mopeds, motorbikes and scooters. Use of helmets is not strictly enforced and the riders are complacent about using protective gear. This makes them more vulnerable to head injury in case of a road accident. Young male adults have been found to be at a greater risk of injury and fatality. Maximum number of road accidents were reported after sunset and until midnight. This could be due to lower visibility and poorly lit streets and roads. More accidents were also found to have occurred on Sundays or other holidays than other days of the week. About 54.24% victims of road accidents (among the non-fatal cases) have been found to suffer from multiple injuries (Bayan, Bhawalkar, Jadhav, Banerjee, 2013). 46.2 2 per cent of the injured in road accidents have admitted to have consumed alcohol just before the accident (Bayan, Bhawalkar, Jadhav, Banerjee, 2013). Irresponsible drinking leads to drunken driving and the awareness about exercising restrain on driving motor vehicles after drinking is the reason for a large number of road accidents. Drunken driving is found to be the major cause of road accidents. Other causes include, indecision, driver fatigue, not using seat belts, distraction while driving, use of mobile phones when driving and confusion. Drivers may be inexperienced, prone to taking unnecessary risks, casual about following traffic rules, unaware of signals and signs on roads, impulsive and even aggressive (Ruikar, 2013; Gopalakrishnan, 2012). In 77.5% cases, driver's fault has been recognised as the cause for accidents in India. According to a WHO report on road accidents, India scores only 3 on a scale of 10 in enforcement of traffic laws and prevention of drunken driving There is a considerable impact of road accidents on the healthcare system of India. Emergency care and a long rehabilitation process for the accident victims and a economic cost of 12.5 billion dollars is spent. This does not account for losses incurred due to permanent disability in case of some victims. An important reason for the high incidence of road traffic accidents is due to complexity of traffic in India. Mixed traffic consists of slow and fast moving vehicles, pedestrians and even animals share the road infrastructure (Annadurai, Mani, Danasekaran, 2015). According to a survey in the North Eastern state of Assam, about 15% of drivers do not have a license at the time of accident, many preventable injuries occurred because seat belts were not used by car drivers and passengers, 19% drivers had consumed alcohol in the 24 hours prior to driving (Bhuyan Ahmed, 2013). The same survey reported that 66% of the injured in a road accident suffered from head and neck injuries, 44% had upper limb injuries, 41% suffered from lower limb injuries and 14% suffered from injuries on the chest (Bhuyan Ahmed, 2013). According to a WHO report on road safety status in India, of the reported road fatalities in India, 85% were men and 15% were women. The Gross Domestic Product lost due to injuries and fatalities from road accidents amounted to 3%. India does not have fixed speed limits in urban and rural areas. Though the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit of 0.03gm/dl is fixed and random breath analysis is done, enforcement of the law is poor. The public is not scared of being found out and so the incidence of drunken driving is quite high. Only 60% compliance for using helmet while driving has been found. 26% drivers or front seat passengers use the seat belt. Enforcement of the law pertaining to seat belt use is only 4 on a scale of 10. There is no law restricting the seating of children on the front seat There is no culture of exercising restraint on drinking alcohol if a person is going to drive within the next few hours. The reason why driving after alcohol consumption is dangerous is because even low doses of alcohol impair driver judgement. There is no evidence of the lower threshold at which alcohol does not impair judgement by drivers. The clinical outcomes of injuries upon an accident due to impairment after alcohol consumption are always poor. Not only sensory, perceptual and motor behaviours are affected upon alcohol consumption but cognitive function decline leads to divided attention and increased mental workload. Such impairment occurs even at BAC as low as 0.02 grams/100ml. The fact that most accidents after alcohol consumption occur at night points to the fact that excessive fatigue, lack of sleep and disturbance in the circadian rhythms could also add to the impairment (Ogden, 2004). Stakeholders who can stop Drunken Driving The key to prevention measures against drunken driving is spreading public awareness. Current efforts by authorities and non-governmental organisations drunken driving need to be strengthened. The next step is use of breath analysers consistently throughout the year and strict enforcement of the law against drunken driving. The current penalty of INR 2000 is hardly a deterrent. The permanent cancellation of license after breaking the law on drunken driving is required. Police action against drivers with detectable levels of alcohol in their systems is very lenient. The problem of driving after alcohol consumption is serious enough to warrant harsher punishment Several approaches towards prevention of accidents have been used effectively to control injuries and deaths due to road accidents. Wide pavements for pedestrians and cyclists, zebra crossings, foot bridges or underground crossings for pedestrians can reduce the occurrence of road accidents. Use of helmets by two-wheeler riders and pillion riders must be enforced stringently, so that head injuries due to falls and collisions can be avoided. But all these steps must be taken in conjunction with a complete ban on drunken driving. Strict enforcement of traffic rules is often the key to prevention of road accidents. Awareness among the public, constant reinforcement through messages to spread awareness against drunken driving, strict punishment and enforcement of traffic rules among the public, stringent tests for driving license, and scientific engineering can bring a reduction in the incidence of road accidents (Gopalakrishnan, 2012). Easy availability of alcohol near highways had often been cited as the cause for easy access for drivers. A new Supreme court order disallows serving of liquor by restaurants and hotels within 500 meters distance from the state and national highways(Rautray, 2017). Paucity of research in India on the harms of drunk driving also reduces the pressure on the policy makers to frame newer, more stringent and strict laws. For the magnitude of the problem, the number of studies is quite small (Sivakumar Krishnaraj, 2012). Simulation studies on the effect of alcohol consumption on impairment of driver judgement need to be carried out in the Indian context. Experience of countries where law enforcement has reduced accidents due to alcohol consumption must be used to frame laws that prohibit irresponsible behaviour by drivers. Due to poor understanding of the scale of the problem, often the public at large underestimates the problem. The approach of law enforcers is also casual. Use of technology to detect alcohol consumption in vehicles can help control the problem. Cars and motor vehicles can be fitted with alcohol sensors or detectors in driver's breath so that the engine of the vehicle does not start upon detection of alcohol. Another approach is to use an alcohol sensor on the steering that can detect alcohol in the driver's breath and switches off the ignition of the car (James, Aparna, John, 2014). In conclusion, the statistics of drunken driving and fatalities and injuries due to drunken driving in India are alarming. While most countries have been able to reduce incidence, in India, the number of accidents continues to grow. Complexities of traffic and poor use of helmets and seat belts has compounded the problem. The vulnerable groups are pedestrians and drivers and riders of two wheelers. The extent of injuries is severe, many suffer from head injuries, suffer from fractures and some become disabled for life. The poor road infrastructure contributes to the problem. Poor lighting causes more accidents after sunset. Due to impaired judgement upon consuming alcohol drivers drive in a rash manner. Public awareness about the impact of drunken driving is low, so the problem continues unabated. No sale of alcohol near highways might improve the situation. But the enforcement of laws related to blood alcohol concentration of 0.02 grams/dl need to be more stringent. Harsher punishm ents like cancellation of license are required. Preventive steps to curb drinking and driving need to be strengthened. While protective strategies for pedestrians and cyclists can reduce accidents. Use of wide pavements, zebra crossings. well lit roads and foot bridges can reduce road accidents, more research on how to prevent accidents in Indian conditions is required. . Collaboration between various stakeholders, such as, policy makers, town planning experts, law enforcement agencies, public and the researchers is important to bring about the desired change. Use of technology that deters or makes it impossible to drive can be done by embedding cars with devices that stop the engine on detecting alcohol in the driver's breath. The road to safety is long and full of challenges but unnecessary loss of life and pain must end. References /PrintRelease.aspx?relid=146093. (2016, June 9). Retrieved from https://pib.nic.in/: https://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=146093 Annadurai, K., Mani, G., Danasekaran, R. (2015). Recurring tragedy of road traffic accidents in India: Challenges and opportunities. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, 19(7): 434435. 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