Global Report on Human Settlements 2007 - PoA-ISS

228
Natural and human-made disasters
Legislation
prohibiting drinking
and driving is
included in most
countries’ traffic
laws; but
enforcement is
lacking and public
awareness is poor
consumption, injury, infirmity, fatigue, the natural ageing
process and distractions including mobile phone use, or a
combination of these factors. A recent global review
indicates the role of impairment as a cause of traffic
accidents. 66 In Bangalore (India), 28 per cent of crashes
involving males over the age of 15 were attributable to
alcohol. Roadside breath tests conducted as part of the same
project concluded that 30 to 40 per cent of night-time
drivers were in a state of intoxication. One study in
Colombia found that 34 per cent of driver fatalities and 23
per cent of motorcycle fatalities are associated with alcohol.
They also report that a study in Argentina found 83 per cent
of drivers acknowledge that they drink and drive.
Substance abuse is also a key cause of road accidents.
A recent study in France of drivers aged less than 30 and
killed through road accidents indicates that as much as 39
per cent of the drivers had consumed cannabis. 67 The study
highlights the increasing prevalence of substance abuse
among French drivers, especially drugs such as cannabis,
amphetamines and cocaine. While legislation against driving
under the influence of drugs has been introduced by the
French government, the need for greater public sensitization
through campaigns and roadside testing is noted. 68 Similarly,
a study of fatally injured drivers in Sweden between 2000
and 2002 showed a significant increase in the detection of
illicit drugs, from 5.4 to 10 per cent. 69
Fatigue caused by overwork, excessive hours of
driving, lack of rest and lack of nourishment may also cause
driver impairment. In Ghana, demands for increased returns
by transport owners force drivers to speed and work when
exhausted. 70 In Kenya, on average, a public minibus (or
matatu) driver works 14 hours a day for seven days a week.
Traffic regulations in many countries often limit driving time
for commercial drivers, including coach and bus drivers. As
with drinking and driving, enforcement is greatly improved
by information campaigns.
A global review of alcohol-, drug- and fatigue-related
impairment found systematic data collection, comprehensive
legislation and rigorous enforcement lacking in most middleand
low-income countries. 71 Only in Latin America was it
common to find a government agency with responsibility for
coordinating road safety: Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
Costa Rica and Mexico all have an institutional framework
based on a National Road Safety Council, with Costa Rica
leading in a national campaign to reduce drinking and
driving.
Legislation prohibiting drinking and driving is
included in most countries’ traffic laws; but enforcement is
lacking and public awareness is poor. In many countries, a
legal alcohol limit is in force, backed up by frequent public
information campaigns and enforcement operations by the
police. In Australia, since 1993, random breath testing has
led to an estimated reduction in alcohol-related deaths of
around 40 per cent. In some countries, such as the US,
lower thresholds are in force for younger and inexperienced
drivers. Information campaigns are used to increase awareness
of the risks of driving after drinking alcohol and of the
legal penalties imposed, but can also help to make drinking
and driving less socially acceptable. Legislation for other
causes of driver impairment is less advanced and, alongside
enforcement mechanisms, represents a major area for
enhancing road safety.
The limited existing levels of engagement with
impaired driving in developing countries suggests that there
is significant scope for reducing traffic accidents through
controlling drinking, drugs and fatigue through education,
legislation and enforcement. Small reductions in the amount
of drunk driving can result in significant reductions in the
incidence of traffic accidents. Drivers’ perceptions of risk,
police powers and monitoring equipment all need to play a
role in reducing impaired driving. While most countries have
legislation in place, coordination that can bring political will
to this area is lacking. Political will is needed if the scope of
education, legislation and enforcement is to reach beyond
drunk driving to include other causes of impairment, such as
fatigue, and new causes of distraction, such as mobile phone
use.
Accident response and recovery
First responses are critical in reducing loss from traffic
accidents. The capacity to respond to traffic accident injury
and to minimize bodily harm varies according to levels of
economic development. Half of all fatalities in European
countries occur at the scene of the traffic accident or on the
way to the hospital, while death before arrival at the hospital
can be as high as 80 per cent in low- and middle-income
countries. 72
Trained first-aiders not only save lives, but also
prevent unnecessary injury sustained through inappropriate
action taken following an accident. As with disaster
preparedness work, the piggybacking of transport first-aid
skills onto more established public service or civil society
delivery programmes is cost effective. In low- and middleincome
countries, there is little access to emergency
vehicles, increasing the benefits from widespread public
education programmes in first aid. Such training has been
given to police in Uganda and the general public in India. 73
Traffic management
Basic traffic regulations and signage to manage traffic are
essential instruments for enhancing road safety.
Enforcement of such regulations remains a key challenge in
cities worldwide. Table 9.5 makes a sharp distinction
between Kuwait, the US and the UK, where regulation and
enforcement for road users is in place, and other countries
where road safety is yet to have been addressed comprehensively.
Mortality as a proportion of car ownership rates is an
order of magnitude lower in the former group of countries.
This is a clear indication that traffic mortality is a product of
social policy and cultural context as much as engineering. 74
Managing traffic safety in the future will need to consider
the specific characteristics of the automobile culture of each
country.