Alarm call on accidents

Monday, 6 June 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

ACCIDENTS are rising alarmingly in Sri Lanka. As a nation that is aiming to become a developed country in record time, emphasis on the health of its citizens is important. Raising the standards of living in the country is directly linked to the physical and mental wellbeing of the people and the accident statistics of the nation prove the opposite.

It was reported over the weekend that accidents of all types – including home accidents – are on the increase, according to figures from the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL), Colombo. The categories of accident include road, train, home, medical and occupational accidents and injuries resulting from violence such as bomb blasts, gunshots and stabbing, as well as homicidal and suicidal actions.

Even though the end of the war was a huge relief, the untimely deaths in Sri Lanka have not decreased significantly. In the last three months, a total of 26,607 persons have received treatment at the National Hospital. Of these, 78% were caused by accidents and 12% were caused by road accidents. The victims of road accidents were largely between 20 to 55 years of age. In May, 184 vehicle passengers and 177 pedestrians suffered injuries.

With the Government slashing taxes last year, there was a huge influx of vehicles into the country – so much so that even motor traders were admitting that the situation was getting out of hand as cars and other conveyances clogged up roads, increasing accidents.

Earlier in the year Government data showed that imports of all types of vehicles to Sri Lanka rose 75.9% to 359,243 in 2010. Imports of motor cars rose fourfold to 23,072 in 2010 from 5,762 a year earlier after the State cut some taxes on cars imported by ordinary citizens. In December alone 4,583 cars were imported. Motor cycles imports rose 51.2 per cent to 204,811 in 2010, with 20,000 being brought down in December. Buses and other vehicle imports also increased several times over.

Therefore, it is no surprise that there has been a high concentration of road traffic accidents in recent months and a distinct increase in May. Road traffic accidents account for the majority of the sudden deaths recorded by the Chief Judicial Medical Officer, Colombo. Most of the post-mortems conducted by the Institute of Legal Medicine and Toxicology (ILMT) relate to accidents and more than 50% of these are the results of road accidents. There has been a significant increase in such accidents since the beginning of the year. On average, 600 medico-legal examinations are conducted each month, of which around 350 cases are caused by road traffic injuries, it was reported.

This gives a bird’s eye view of the problem. Lack of discipline and attention while driving has given birth to a problem that is distinctly unhealthy. Interestingly, it is not driving under the influence of alcohol that is causing these accidents, but indiscipline and high stress levels. The suppression of stress creates aggression on the roads that results in loss of life and limb.

Discipline, public awareness and practice of simple manners on the part of the drivers as well as the pedestrians can avert many of these untimely deaths and injuries. The economic and social costs behind these numbers have not been traced, but it is imperative that people use their driving privileges more wisely for the benefit of all.