KMC Mangaluru Holds Road Safety Week Jatha
Mangaluru: KMC Hospitals organized a Road Safety Jatha to mark the World Road Safety Week from Jyothi to Light House hill road here on May 8.
The Road Safety Jatha was flagged off at the KMC Hospital New Block and culminated at the KMC Dental College Light House Hill Road.
Addressing the gathering CEO of KMC Hospital Mangaluru Saghir Siddique said, “Nowadays we see a lot of road accidents because people do not follow basic instructions which are needed for safety. We have organized the Jatha to create awareness among the people. Once we create awareness people will follow the basic instructions of road safety. Walking is a platform to create awareness among the people because when people holding placards in their hands march the streets, others will come to know about road safety. This is one of the events, in the coming days we will hold various programmes to create awareness among the people about road safety”.
Specialist in Emergency Medicine Dr Jeethu said, “The United Nations has called May 8 to 14 as the Worlds safety week. By 2030 the United Nations expects road accidents to be the major killer. If we don’t take action now, we may have to expect it by 2025. The UN wants to create awareness globally in this regard and has asked for support for the road safety week. KMC Mangaluru Campus has joined hands with the UN to create awareness. We have also distributed pamphlets on road safety. We will hold more programmes like slogans writing competitions, interaction with the Assistant commissioner of Police, Essay writing competitions etc.”
KMC Dean Dr M V Prabhu speaking on the occasion said, “Road Safety is very essential It is better to be safe than sorry, if we reach our destination late does not matter but safety is must while driving or riding. Today we are here to observe the road safety week, we need to be careful throughout the year. In the road accidents, the majority of them are the drink and drive accidents. Those who drink and drive have no concern for others, they drive and put the life of others at risk. We need to prevent road accidents instead of repenting later. Safety comes first and safe driving prevents mortalities.”
Dr Santhosh Rai compered the programme and delivered the vote of thanks.
Key facts
- About 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.
- Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among people aged between 15 and 29 years.
- 90% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately 54% of the world’s vehicles.
- Nearly half of those dying on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users”: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.
- Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product.
- Without sustained action, road traffic crashes are predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030.
- The newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has set an ambitious target of halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020.
- Every year the lives of approximately 1.25 million people are cut short as a result of a road traffic crash. Between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many incurring a disability as a result of their injury.
Road traffic injuries cause considerable economic losses to individuals, their families, and to nations as a whole. These losses arise from the cost of treatment as well as lost productivity for those killed or disabled by their injuries, and for family members who need to take time off work or school to care for the injured. Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product.
Age
People aged between 15 and 44 years account for 48% of global road traffic deaths.
Sex
From a young age, males are more likely to be involved in road traffic crashes than females. About three quarters (73%) of all road traffic deaths occur among young males under the age of 25 years who are almost 3 times as likely to be killed in a road traffic crash as young females.