Evaluation of the Topic
‘Causes of Road Fatalities’

Roadway accidents or fatalities, is a globally increasing problem. This problem consumes the lives of persons, mainly males, daily in the most violent of ways. We see in many cases the government of various countries, where this monstrous problem is more prevalent, establish institutions that in turn develop strategies and implementations to tackle and take down this mighty colossus, thereby injecting millions of dollars into these programmes to ensure that every effort is taken to do this. In this Expository piece, we look at that the ‘Causes of Road Fatalities’. But what exactly are we talking about when we say the ‘Causes of Road Fatalities’? To properly investigate the ‘Causes of Road Fatalities’ we need to fully or completely understand what this means. The ‘causes’ of anything speaks about its direct root, where it originates, what allows it to occur or what induces it. Road Fatalities only exist upon the creation of a road accident. Therefore in order to be successful in this investigation, the topic ‘Road Accidents’ is needed to be evaluated and not necessarily Road Fatalities. ‘Road Accidents’ can be defined as, a roadway mishap that in most cases leads to damage of property, injury or death to person(s). Bringing the two together, we can therefore conclude that this expository-piece’s sole purpose is to look into the specific or direct reasons that induce or create an unpredictable occurrences that is staged on the roadway. Based on this we are able to ascertain the exact ‘Causes of Road Fatalities’.
INTRODUCTION

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Rammonn Clarke and I will be speaking on a major problem lurking among the shadows of our society. Now this is the problem of ‘Road Fatalities’, and the topic I will be addressing is ‘The Causes of Road Fatalities’. Being a typical male there are certain elements that one would unquestionably be drawn to. These elements or attributes, to a certain extent, help to define ones’ individual self and prove ones' manhood to meet the stereotypical expectations of the society.

This presentation was inspired by my immense love for modified and exotic automobiles. As a male I am extremely passionate when it comes on to automobiles. And I am sure I can speak for the majority of the males in this room, that when a “sweet, sexy and seductive” vehicle passes us on the roads, we in some way or the other acknowledge this beautiful creation by either standing in awe with our mouths open and saliva dripping from it or just merely watch as it goes by. Yes, I am guilty of the saliva part, just like the other day when a gorgeous Infiniti G35 passed me going down on Hope Road, I just stood their in amazement watching it pass me, when someone slapped me and told me to wipe my mouth. Anyway the fact of the matter is that most males share the same passion and adoration I possess and there is indeed nothing wrong. But the problem, Ladies and Gentlemen is that most of us males are just plainly excited by these exquisite machineries and are not yet fully matured to be able to appreciate them, as we have not yet learnt the responsibilities that are attached to driving a vehicle. Regularly I see in the newspapers and television reports where thousands of persons are dying globally due to Roadway accidents due to the carelessness of mostly male drivers at the ages 15-29. I personally hate the fact that the thing that us males have in common and share an interest in is actually what is ending our lives. I see this as a direct threat to a very important aspect of our manhood and therefore have decided to do my presentation on ‘The Causes of Road Fatalities’. Hopefully at least one person will be enlightened and a difference made as I feel it is my duty to do so.

Along the course of this presentation, several issues were raised, I’m sure you all were able to pick up some of them. Well the first and the major issue was that of the direct causes of Road Fatalities. The second was the issue of the indirect causes of the topic. Alongside these major topics were minor ones, such as the male and the satisfaction of his ‘adrenal rush’, females and their poor driving skills, the matter of better roads being subject to accidents and the corruption
The Occurrence of Road Fatalities In The Jamaican Society

As most of us may not know, Road Fatalities is a globally increasing problem. It consumes the lives of hundreds of persons, mainly males as stated before, daily in the most violent of ways. We see in many cases the governments, of various countries where this monstrous problem is prevalent, establish institutions that in turn develop strategies and implementations to tackle and take down this mighty colossus, thereby injecting millions of dollars into these programmes to ensure that every effort is taken to do this. For example, here in Jamaica the National Road Safety Council is implementing the policy, which states that the police officers belonging to the traffic division should be equipped with 50 radar guns, and strategically placed at various locations across the island to detect, apprehend and penalize speeders. Now in a September 26, 2006 report by Daraine Luton, a reporter for “The Gleaner”, it is stated that, and I quote “Death is likely to come knocking in one of three forms if you are between the ages of 15 and 29 years [these forms are] – motor vehicle injuries, child cluster diseases and HIV/AIDS”, end quote. These conclusions were drawn from a report by Dr. Lucien Jones, a representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO)/World Bank. According to this report, In the age 15-29 cohort, road fatalities comes second behind HIV/AIDS and third behind HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in the 30-44 age group as the cause of death. This trend has caused the United Nations (UN) to believe that the so-called silent killer, motor vehicles injuries, could eclipse HIV/AIDS as the world’s leading traumatic killer by the year 2020. In 2002, approximately 1.2 million people died from road traffic injuries, while another 50 million persons suffered injuries. Based on their projections, the total number of road fatalities worldwide could increase by 65 percent between 2000 and 2020. If this holds true, approximately 2 million people could die in roadway accidents in this 2000-2020 period. This therefore proves that ‘Road Fatalities’ are indeed a major problem as, if the trend remains, constant 2 million people will die in 13 years. And remember that males contribute to 81% of the ‘Road Fatalities’. Imagine that, 1,620,000 males will die in 13 years due to ‘Road Fatalities’ alone. Can you envision the monstrous effects that this will cause? Just think about that.

Now the causes of ‘Road Fatalities’ can be divided into two main categories: Individual Carelessness and Defectiveness of Machinery. Though Individual Carelessness can be found to stem from other factors: failure of policies, management, and governance, Individual Carelessness is what directly executes the incident. These two categories, house all the causes of ‘Road Fatalities’. Individual Carelessness includes speeding, senseless actions, neglecting proper driving ethics, for example drinking and driving, neglecting vehicular maintenance and general disobedience of roadway laws. Defectiveness of Machinery includes faultiness of automobile parts, roadway devices and services. In the interest of time we will only be looking at the main ones. Speeding is the number one cause of ‘Road Fatalities’ and it is found that the men dominate this factor. They purposely ignore speed limits to either showcase their extreme driving capabilities, prove their manliness or just to satisfy themselves with that adrenal rush. Senseless actions take into account the ‘stupidity’ that is seen on Jamaican roads everyday. In 2003 this included: tailgating the immediate vehicle (17%), failing to keep ones lane (8%), crossing intersections heedlessly (6%), improper overtaking (6%) and turning without taking necessary precautions, (for example, looking or waiting for oncoming traffic to pass) 4%. Without any trace of bias it is found that women cause most of these incidents, as they tend to do the most unintelligent of things when placed in these situations. As explained by Dr. Ken Feldman of NIFS, "Women have a chemical imbalance that prevents them from successfully doing two things at once...this leads to erratic driving and general stupidity". I do not necessarily believe this, but it is one explanation. Neglecting proper driving ethics do have the potential to cause major roadway accidents. They can be thought of as small and petty but do need to be carried out, for example, not indicating that you are about to turn by turning on indicator lights, will cause the person tailgating you to plow into your vehicle when you suddenly start braking to make the turn. Based on information supplied by a traffic police, driver error or negligence caused 11 per cent of the accidents that took place between 2000 and 2003. One never knows what can happen on the roads, so all the necessary precautions must be taken. Therefore these ethics should be thought of as minute things that are capable of causing astronomical problems. Neglecting vehicular maintenance, such as servicing the vehicle, changing break shoes/pads, changing tires, etc. do cause accidents. It is now visible in Jamaica that the wearing of tires has become an increasing problem where ‘Road Fatalities’ are concerned. According to a report in the ‘Jamaica Observer’ by Dwight Bellanfante, “tyre failure is now projected to figure more prominently in accident statistics. Jamaican road surfaces improve, but increased friction [due to speeding] shows up faulty tyres. While normal speed limit ranges between 50 and 80 kilometres per hour (kph) for cars, the speed limit on the highways is 110 kph”. He also stated that “improper storage outside in the sun, and the unregulated importation of used tyres do contribute to dry rot of the tyres. This is a significant factor in a tyre blowout caused by the friction of tyres at high speed on the hot asphalt, such as on a highway”. As stated earlier, Individual Carelessness is caused by the gross inefficiencies and corruption in the process by which Jamaicans are tested and licensed as drivers. If motorists were properly educated in regard to the roadway codes and laws, this negligence mentioned above would in most cases not exist and there would be fewer ‘Road Fatalities’; this general disobedience for roadway laws would decrease significantly. Defectiveness of Machinery is in the minority pertaining to ‘Road Fatalities’. Automobile parts, roadway devices (traffic light) and facilities (roads) are all the creation of man and are therefore subject to faultiness at any point, without warning and therefore possess the potential to cause ‘Road Fatalities’. Though this, defective vehicles and ‘bad’ or poorly maintained roads, which have been said to lead to swerving to avoid potholes, are not major causes of traffic accidents. There were only 29 cases in 2002 and 28 in 2003 in the case of bad roads, and 131 and 75 cases respectively in the case of defective vehicles. The main causes of ‘Road fatalities’ can be divided into two categories: Individual Carelessness and Defectiveness of Machinery. Individual Carelessness includes speeding, senseless actions, neglecting proper driving ethics, neglecting vehicular maintenance and general disobedience of roadway laws. Defectiveness of Machinery includes faultiness of automobile parts, roadway devices and services. We are now aware of this surreptitious problem that has been moving behind the scenes for decades, now we must find a solution for each one of these causes, else as projected by the WHO, an estimated 2 million people could die from roadway accidents.

Issues Raised &

Challenges Experienced

Several issues were raised along the course of this research. Firstly, the issue of the direct causes of ‘Road Fatalities’ was brought out. Secondly, the issue of the indirect causes of ‘Road Fatalities’ was raised. Alongside these main issues were minor ones, such as the male and the satisfaction of his ‘adrenal rush’, females and their poor driving skills, the matter of better roads being subject to accidents and the corruption within the Jamaican drivers licensing system. All these subtopics came out in the research. The challenges experienced while exploring the topic did make it very difficult to place everything in its correct position and to meet the requirements of this assignment. Such challenges were inadequate information on certain topics, and also articles were found that contained related information, and sometimes just plainly stated ideas, without any trace of evidence to support them. This would enable the reader of the material to differentiate whether the idea was a fact or an opinion.

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Rationale

This expository piece was inspired by my immense love for modified and exotic automobiles. I believe that I can speak for most, if not all young men are in some way attracted to these types of vehicles. Also that most of us are just plain excited by these exquisite machineries and are not yet fully matured to be able appreciate them, as we have not learned the responsibilities that are attached to driving a vehicle. Statistical analysis shows that the majority of road fatalities caused by speeding, involves male drivers at the ages 19-35. Hence the above described are my primary audience. Persons who can be categorized into this group, based on the analysis, are more likely to become victims of this rapidly increasing problem, which therefore explains the reason for them being my intended audience. For this piece the main topic ‘Causes of Road Fatalities’ was selected and investigated. First, the topic was dismantled and properly evaluated. Then the sources of the information gathered to execute the investigation, were thoroughly evaluated to ensure authenticity and credibility of it. Afterwards, an explanation on the carelessness of Jamaican drivers revealed how the topic is played out in the Jamaican society. Then a conclusion was reached based on the evidence found in the information gathered. This piece is intended to make persons aware of this life-threatening situation by pointing out the reasons as to why there are so many deaths on our roadways, home and abroad. These findings of course are based on actual events, making them credible. After reading this piece, the individual should then look into himself and contemplate whether he would want his life to end because of one careless and irresponsible mistake or, would he want to aim to be a careful and responsible motorist, ultimately preserving his life and being an example to others.