Contributory Factors – an Insight

Accidents are an unavoidable part of transportation. They are inevitable in our motor vehicle culture. But what is dismaying is that they kill and maim millions of people across the globe every year. Its impact is colossal, that serious studies are being undertaken worldwide to determine the underlying causes and to initiate suitable preventive measures.

Does an accident happen by itself? We have often heard people say that accidents don’t happen; they are caused. And we are left to ponder how the accidents are caused. If we explore further various contributory factors become evident.

Do all drivers ‘stop, look and proceed’ at road intersections’? Most often than not, they don’t. They keep proceeding at their own discretion, unless the traffic is closely monitored by traffic police. Do all drivers park their vehicles as they should, follow lane discipline as they need to, or over-take the way they must, and follow the motor vehicle rules? Very often drivers prefer their own judgment.

During peak hours people at the wheels are often in a hurry. Whether they are driving a two-wheeler or four-wheelers is all the more significant. They want to make up for the delay at home and report for work on time. Some others want to catch up for the time they were held up in office and reach home early. Some other are rushing to make a delivery on time or to catch a flight and such excuses are abound.

Quite often many of them do not seem to have factored in the time required for driving to their destinations appropriately. With increasing traffic and ever tightening traffic control measures, journey times are bound to change constantly without notice. And if such changes are not anticipated there is urgency, desperation and frustration. Pressure mounts on the drivers leading to aggressive and rash driving. In such instances judgments fail, errors creep in and accidents happen!

Some people drive fast. Young drivers, who are possibly influenced by the high decibel sales campaigns of the car companies or wanting to set a style statement, tend to drive fast just for thrill and fun. They are often noticed to be putting their vehicles on speed tests, spontaneously transforming public roads into race tracks.And speed is very often the cause in many accidents.

Some drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drug or sick endanger the lives of other road users as they are severely incapacitated.

Therefore are humans solely responsible for causing accidents? Perhaps they are in most instances and perhaps not in certain other instances.

We do hear of tyre-burst as the cause for buses to crash, while mechanical factors like axles breaking, suspension giving way and brakes failing are cited as cause in several other accidents involving trucks and trailers. We also have come to know of faulty acceleration and braking systems in cars that are manufactured by some of the world’s top automobile companies. But, then it is also obvious that vehicle alone do not contribute to all accidents.

The conditions of road, weather hazards, lighting, environment and debatable regulatory measures by traffic governing authorities all play major roles in causing accidents. We propose to delve into these factors more vividly for broadening the understanding of the various factors leading to accidents, which are fast assuming demonic proportions, constantly consuming the lives of people worldwide every day.