Prevention is better than being a Patient |
From the Desk of Sagar Galwankar, MD, FACEE, Diplomat. ABEM (USA)
Amongst all the media discussion about the court verdict in a
recent celebrity hit and run road traffic case I found myself thinking about
the complexities of this whole issue of road traffic injuries in India.
India is changing and it’s happening fast. International Cars
are now being driven on Indian roads. These are high speed cars. India has now
gotten expressways which are four lane to six lane. Heavy Motor Vehicle Travel
has also increased with economic growth and manufacturing industries making
India their home.
People can now own vehicles with ease, thanks to loans by
prospering banks.
In all this frenzy one thing hasn’t changed and that is the
behavior of the Indian Road Traveler.
The Road Safety Education and the Road Travel Skills still
continue to lag behind.
Drivers love to have cars which can easily speed 120 km/Hrs.
without realizing that if the tires burst then death is instantaneous.
I often wondered why there are speed limits on roads and
after much research found out that the speed limit is calculated based on the
probability whether an accident at that speed can enhance least damage and
survival. It also takes into account pedestrian traffic and volume of traffic.
So in all abusing the speed limit is high risk by itself.
Drinking alcohol and driving is a big No and the highest risk
because in a crash the first to die could be the driver itself.
Now in case of two wheelers the concept that the rider should
only need a helmet and the back seat rider doesn’t need one is something which
is very difficult to comprehend by me. In a crash both the riders will be
equally exposed so without a helmet the rider is at high risk of death.
People gathered and started beating up the driver who had
stopped, gotten out of the car and picked the rider and put him in his car and
was taking him to the hospital. The first response of the by standers was the
Driver in Car must have made the mistake …… Hammer the driver.
This is a wrong behavior which needs to be changed. The
thought that Car Drivers have more money so they can afford cars and if they
are in a crash it’s their fault so take justice into their hands and forget the
patient is absolutely wrong. Forgetting the patient is just wrong.
This leads to the phenomenon of drivers running away after
hitting other pedestrians / vehicles. If anyone wants to take the crash victims
to the hospital they will not and just run away because they don’t want to face
the mob mentality.
On the other hand drivers should be responsible whether on
bikes or in car to maintain slow speed and make sure they don’t hit anyone.
Wearing helmets, driving with car seats for children when with children , driving
within speed limits, wearing seat belts, checking their eyes, not driving if
they have high diabetes or seizures or pacemakers are some of the responsibilities
Citizens have to exercise on their own.
In many of my public events where I was called to inaugurate
Road Safety and Basic Emergency Care Training programs I ask one question: What
do you do when you see a crash on the road?
The truthful answer I get is: we don’t stop because we don’t want
to get involved with the Mob or the Police.
Why are we as citizens afraid of doing the right thing?
Police will not bother you if you helped a bleeding victim.
There is no use of learning Basic Life support courses if you don’t have the
intent to help someone in need. We still are far from having EMS within minutes
so the cars and bystanders are the first responders and hence going to a hospital
which has 24/7 Emergency Care with Radiology and Laboratory Back up is the
first important step after stabilizing the airway c spine and stopping the
bleeding.
Focusing on the Injured is very important and that’s a First.
We have crowded cities and vast rural corridors.
We have lack of space for pedestrians to walk that’s why they
walk on roads.
We have high speed corridors going through rural area without
crossings, overhead bridges or barricades.
This is all there because development and infrastructure are
in a mismatch.
What we can match is our behavior.
The vehicle industry and the road traffic license departments
have to take a lead role in education and regulation of behavior of travelers.
Just selling vehicles and issuing licenses is not the only responsibility.
Changing our behavior and educating the masses that a crash
is a crash and INJURED FIRST should be the focus is the responsibility of the
Social Media, Marketing and Medical Community.
Avoiding a Crash is better than being in one….still crashes will
happen.
We should be responsible and always remember the
INJURED IS ALWAYS FIRST !
INDUSEM has launched the Jan Suraksha Abhiyan on Injury Prevention which compliments the Prime Ministers Jan Suraksha Bima Yojana on Insurance of Accidents and Injured victim. www.indusem.org
Thanks to Web Images for the open source Picture !
INDUSEM has launched the Jan Suraksha Abhiyan on Injury Prevention which compliments the Prime Ministers Jan Suraksha Bima Yojana on Insurance of Accidents and Injured victim. www.indusem.org
Thanks to Web Images for the open source Picture !