Distractions, impatience & fatal errors in traffic

IT takes focus on the road to scan its vicinity and detect what can be hazardous, es­pecially if one enters space as a driver.

Driving is a skill that requires constant interaction with the en­vironment to take appropriate action and steer the vehicle to safety. However, the situation in­dicates that driving is inundated with distractions that compromise the safety on the road.

IMPATIENCE

Motorists multi-task while driv­ing, so much that they cause ac­cidents in the process, some of which are fatal. As if that is not enough, there is also a worrying element of impatience on the part of road users that they don’t wait for the perfect and safest moment to execute action.

This is a call to road users of all categories to ensure that they eliminate distractions and exercise patience on the road.

THE CELLPHONE DISTRACTS ROAD USERS

This gadget is by far the most distracting element on the road, especially to drivers. Prior, calling and receiving calls while driving was considered extremely dan­gerous, the upgrade of gadgets to smart phones has aggravated the distraction to fatality should there be an error while driving.

Motorists will fumble and fiddle with buttons on their phones while chatting and others are caught watching motion pictures while they drive.

In this precarious behaviour, ve­hicles have lost control, rammed behind others and have even col­lided with others way-off their course way.

The sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accidents Fund (SMVAF) inter­nal investigations have also un­earthed that a cellphone placed on the driver’s lap can slide and be trapped under the vehicle’s pedals, wherein they can obstruct braking, gear engagement or ac­celeration. In the event the driver bends to pick it up, they may cause a fatal accident.

Other drivers would have their gadgets in their handbags and each time they ring instincts would push them to ruffle through the bag in search with one hand, while the other is on the wheel. Several road crashes have been realised through that erratic be­haviour. Until an accident occurs, drivers are oblivious to the fact that the cell phone can be a fatal distraction engaged while one is driving.

EXECUTE

The impatient driver can be lethal

The road is demarcated such that drivers should be aware if it is safe to execute different moves and dif­ferent aspects in space.

There are places where for in­stance vehicles are not allowed to overtake because probably the space ahead is a corner or a bend. In some instances, overtaking is prohibited because there is non-motorised traffic like human beings going about business spaces or institutions like schools. Regardless of regulations, road markings and signage prohibitive of such exe­cutions, it’s normal to see drivers zooming past places.

This is an acute display of impa­tience where the motorists would not exercise regulated caution until the terrain is clear to engage more speed. Head-on collisions, overturns and loss of control are a direct result of impatient drivers.

Pedestrians have been caught on the web in that, while a care wrongly overtakes others, they may detour from the road to hit on innocent souls walking or standing by the road.