TRAFFIC ATTITUDE CHANGE IN TURKEY

The most important attitude which should be changed and given importance about traffic in Turkey is being obeyed the traffic signs and light rules by pedestrians and vehicles. Starting point or reason of attitude change is education indeed. In that way, traffic accidents and injuries will be decreased in Turkey. If pedestrians and vehicles obey the traffic signs and lights rules more and the drivers are more conscious of driving, most of traffic accidents and injuries will be diminished in Turkey.

Securtiy General Directorate, Directorate General of Traffic Education and Investigation explained that there was 254.000 accidents at police responsibility zone in 2011 and 178.255 people were injured and 2.382 people were dead because of these traffic accidents. Other accidents which made at constabulary responsibility zone would be excluded in that 254.000 accident number. If we count all zones accidents in Turkey, this will be 4.000 dead people because of accidents in 2011 in Turkey. These are really huge numbers for the countries. If we look the numbers of traffic accidents in general, we can see that developing countries have higher traffic accident numbers. It might be prevented by education of course.

General president of Preventing Traffic Accidents in Turkey Institution, lawyer Hitay Güner, explained that there is no change or decrease in numbers of traffic accidents and deaths in comparison to 2010 in Turkey.

If we look at the education profile of faulty drivers who cause the traffic accidents, most of them are primary school graduate. Proportion of faulty primary school graduate drivers is 49% among all. It gives us the clue that we have to change our traffic education and having driving licence system. According to Highway Traffic Law 2000, to have A1, A2, B, C, D, E class driving licence, laid down requirements to people should be graduated from at least primary school. It might be a solution or decreasing reason of traffic accidents but with a new law, this previous preventive rule will be disappeared or even removed thanks to government. It will cause increase non-educative people and non-conscious drivers more, so the result will be more traffic accidents and injuries. If we want to change the attitude of drivers and decrease the traffic accidents, we have to more strict rules about the driver’s licence and punisments depend on like developed countries such as France, Germany and America.

If we have more conscious as a society and give importance to traffic, I am sure that these accidents and reasons will be decreased. For example, how many pedestrians are waiting on the red light that on for pedestrians on the street? I think, all of us know the answer which is NO, THEY DO NOT. As a simple example, If they wait the green light on pedestrian crossing and be conscious about that, it makes encourager thing for drivers, too and finally accidents will be decreased and attitudes of drivers and pedestrians will be changed in a good manner absolutely.

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According to Highway Traffic Law, there is a right of the way of pedestrians when they want to cross the street with one condition which they have to use pedestrian crossings where there is no traffic lighting system on the streets. If we explain the law, it will be clarified. It means drivers have to stop and wait the pedestrians to cross the street safely. In Turkey, pedestrians wait the drivers to go on the street for cross the street. We have to be more respectful to pedestrians as drivers and should not think “we have power” as drivers. One of police officer who I talked about that issue said that “ When our people engage the clutch and gas pedal, they assume as if they were good drivers and learn driving.” Yeah, police officer was 100% right about that and our people who has just driver’s licence are increasing in total population.

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As you see in the photo, I tried to cross the street by using pedestrian crossing by bike at Hasan Polatkan Boulevard, and the result was definitely seemly and proper for Turkish drivers. I waited car to go on the street and then I crossed the street looking both of my sides and insecurely thanks to unconscious and non-educated Turkish drivers. Actually, all people have to attend “driver education course” to have driving licence in Turkey and most of countries all over the world, right? However, we can understand that all the course informations and everything goes in at one ear and out at the other of Turkish drivers. It’s obvious that there is a mistake or wrongness of managing the driver education course system in our country. In addition, If we consider the traffic accident ratios and number of deaths and injuries depend of these accidents in Turkey, we can be more agree with the idea of managing driver education course system.

Education and conscious about general traffic is not only for drivers, but our people, society also. We do not give importance to that issue as required, we perceive that traffic conscious as unimportant and time consuming thing but in the real life we see the bad and fatal results of not giving importance to traffic conscious.

How many pedestrians go and walk with their pedway instead cycle path? Answer of that question is again discouraging and hopeless. I don’t know why but our people have contrast, adverse behaviours and attitudes. I might know the reason which is education definitely.

I also observed and photograph of pedestrians who walk from the cycle path instead their pedways. Hope you know the long, beautiful Atatürk Boulevard and also know the wide pedways both sides of the street and seperately cycle path both sides again. Here is the photos below from the observation of attitudes of pedestrians.

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We only can solve the traffic conscious problem and change the wrong attitutudes of people with increasing education of that issue and giving importance to that as required as much as possible and educate our children since a child.