The Importance of Road Safety

If you look around you these days, do you notice that the number of road
accidents occurs in our country is increasing day by day? Is this the price we have to
pay as we move towards a developed nation status? We need to do something
before the number of accidents rises and the situation becomes worst. We should
follow the road safety that is created the government in order to ensure our safety on
the road.
First and foremost, we should avoid standing in the middle of the road. The
road users such as drivers of vehicles are not always careful when driving. Maybe
they may not notice us when we stand in the middle of the road. There are many
factors that the accidents may occur such as the driver might not pay full attention on
the road because they are daydream or thinking about their family or work. They also
might be speeding because they are in a hurry. The other factor is the weather. If it is
a rainy day, the eyesight of the driver is more limited and unconsciously they might
accidently hit us and leaving us with serious or even fatal injuries. To avoid this, we
should use the facilities provided by government such as zebra lines and overhead
bridge.
To be safe on the road we have to be careful while transporting a large
amount of load or goods. Nowadays, we can see a few lorry and trailers to bring a
large amount of load or goods in order to save energy, time and money without
thinking about safety. This may cause danger to themselves and to other road users.
For example, if the lorry attendant and the goods fall onto the road, other driver will
try to swerve away to avoid hitting the goods and it may lead to accident and
fatalities. As a precaution, tie up the goods into small bundles and use a canvas to
cover the goods.
The road users should avoid driving recklessly. As we all know, over-taking at
the bend is very dangerous because the driver comes from the other side cannot see
the car that is heading towards them and the car may collide into each other. The
other examples of neglecting while driving or riding are using hand phone while
driving, driving when you are sleepy, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
and playing loud music while driving. All of this reckless act can be overcome by
taking some steps such as use blutooth phone devices when receiving or making a
call while driving. For those who are driving long journey, take a rest by stopping the
car at R&R or taking a nap to refresh their body to avoid from feeling sleepy. Other
than that, let somebody else such as your friend to drive if you are under the
influence of drugs and alcohol. Next, if you like to listen to music while driving, turn
the volume down to a suitable level. It is to make sure that we are aware of our
surroundings if there is another driver honking at you.
Another step to ensure the road safety is all road users should show respect
to other people when using the road. The road is not track for us to race or show off.
So, control our emotion when driving. The driver of a car should watch out and give
way to the rider of bicycle or pedestrian to avoid accidently hitting them. If you want
to turn left or right, give early signal, so that, the car behind can get ready to
slowdown and they can avoid from crashing into your car.
Pedestrians should be careful while crossing the road. If there is no facilities
provided, a pedestrian should wear bright colour shirt. So, the driver can be aware of
your presence. Pedestrians should be more patient. Look right and left before cross
the road to make sure the road is clear and it is safe to cross. While crossing the
road, pedestrian should avoid from jay walking to avoid from vehicle that appear
suddenly. The number of fatalities of pedestrians can be reduced if all the following
steps are taken before crossing the road. The relevant government agencies should
take appropriate action to educate children and public on the importance of road
safety. The first approach we need to adopt is to educate. We can start off with
school children as it is best to instil good habits at a young age by teach them how to
cross the road safely. The media can play their role by showing short documentaries
on television about the Road Safety.
Lastly, the road users should always abide by the rules. They should plan their
journey first such as start the journey early to avoid driving at night. Then the car
owner should send their vehicle for service. Make sure the lubricant oil, tyre pressure
and cooling solution are enough. Check the wiper whether it is functioning or not and
make sure the side mirrors are in the right position. They also have to wear seatbelt,
wear helmet, follow the speed limits that are fixed and use the right lane if you want
to over-take. Otherwise, use the left lane if you are drive slowly.
As conclusion, there are a lot of road safety rules that we should follow in
order to decrease the number of accident and made the road safe for the users. As
members of public, we must learn to be more civic-conscious.

(words 928)