Road Traffic Accidents in Ireland - Term Paper Example

 «Road Traffic Accidents in Ireland» Driving way of young males Young people drive in a risky manner because of the predominant characteristics of young people. There are different empirical factors that are relevant to young males which cause accidents while driving on the roads. Most groups of people who end up in accidents are those who have a violent and destructive behavior. The degree to which a behavior is present in an individual varies greatly. These people because of their violent nature mostly drive the vehicle in an aggressive manner. “Aggressive drivers pose a high risk to other motorists, their reckless and impatient driving behavior can cause collisions, crashes and property damage as they pass on the right, make hand and facial gestures, scream, honk and flash their lights”(Mesriani 2009). Road rage is also a commonly found factor in such aggressive males and it is a very much observed reason for road accidents. Road rage is however seen as an extreme case of aggressive driving .It is counted as road violence and it is deliberately fatal and dangerous to the drivers on the road. Dehaas(2010) asserts “Researchers are citing aggressive driving as road rage, but the most commonly cited aggressive driving behavior is speeding”.Both aggressive driving and road rage is against the law. Aggressive drivers can be charged under the law as they can cost the lives of people. ”.According to Shvartsman(2010) “ Road rage is more serious than aggressive driving and can be considered a criminal offense. This kind of activity if happen in crowded roads can result in a big chaos and major accidents. Since young men are very impatient they have less control on their driving tactics. Young drivers are the focus of traffic department for a considerable time. The reason mainly for reckless driving in young males can also be due to the stress they have on them. Taylor (2006) claims that “These factors include stress and psychological states; sleep, fatigue, and alertness; and health status”.Stress can be also as a result of drug and alcohol abuse and also due to less care and attention from parents.Hanson (2009) says that “ For safe driving, never use illegal drugs. Illicit drugs are involved in a large proportion of driving accidents, injuries and deaths.” When children do not get the affection and care from their parents, they can become annoyed and distressed which they take on the driving skills. They try to get violent in driving due to the stress and vengeance towards their family. Disobedience is another reason which leads the driving of young males disastrous. These age groups because of their immaturity and ignorance always fall apart when it comes to driving rules and regulations. They don’t perceive the risk involved in the irresponsible driving. According to Shenge(2010)“Therefore, it becomes important for governments and other regulatory agencies to work towards having articulated road traffic policies”. The vehicle and environment conditions are not blamable for causing road accidents. This is because environmental conditions and vehicle cannot result in calamity unless a human being put forward action. However roads in Ireland can be considered as very scenic and many are narrow and winding. “Road accidents are the greatest cause of death among 15 – to 24- year old Irsih men.”(Downs)This nature of roads could be one of the reasons for the occurrence of accidents among young drivers. Reasons for accidents The accidents never happen by itself and it is always caused by the drivers. The main reasons which lead the young males in accidents are their inexperience, their willingness to take excessive risk and being invincible. It is very important to detail about these three issues which are the main contributing factors for the accident occurrence among young male drivers. Inexperience Steve(2008) claims that “Crash risk is highest in the first year of driving. Inexperience is the most significant factor in young driver crashes”. Young male drivers who are novice face high level of risk when becoming solo drivers from supervised drivers. They are less experienced and are not much aware of the techniques of driving on the road and take wrong steps while driving .They are also more likely to drive older cars which are small and more crashworthy which have lesser safety features. This makes them and the passengers at a greater risk in meeting with an injury or death in the event of accident. “Another obvious reason for this is that young drivers have had less time and fewer opportunities to develop the good hazard perception skills we all need to drive safely.”(Road And 2010) They don’t have an idea about a car crash and drive in a very casual manner .They can travel too closely behind other vehicles and can also drive too fast without limiting themselves. They don’t look far enough ahead in order to foresee hazardous situation. They can be very inexperience when it comes to roundabouts, intersections and turns. “A car can be a very glamorous weapon in the hands of a young man, but they hardly recognize this fact”(British Parliament 2007). Taking excessive risk “Medical science clearly shows that young people’s brains simply do not have the ability to foresee properly the consequences of actions. Research now clearly shows that young people’s brains develop much later than was previously thought and are not fully wired up until they are in their early 20s”.(Fitzgerald 2010)This is the main reason they have difficulty in assessing the consequences of what they are doing. They also are very highly driven because of their young age and they find driving very adventurous which lead to driving with high speed .They take any risk to get excessive pleasure from dangerous driving ways. “Young driver accidents of all types are found to be frequently the result of ‘risk taking’ factors as opposed to ‘skill deficit’ factors. It had previously been thought that one of the main problems that young drivers have is in the area of specific skills needed in the driving task”(Clarke 2005)The motivational factor which lead to the risk taking behavior of young drivers are varying according to the situation they are in. “Young drivers are involved in fatal crashes at more than twice the rate of all others the first year for a newly licensed teenage driver is the most dangerous, with more than one in five involved in crashes.”(Masterson 2010)The main reason they take risk is that in their tender age they see driving as more as a sport rather than a means of conveyance. They also don’t have the real picture of an accident scene and the harm that can bring to life and people. Being invincible Youngsters in their age are more excited and think that they are heroic. They assume that they cannot be conquered by anyone and whatever they do is always right. Kids used to multi-tasking may think nothing of using a cell phone while driving. “Young male drivers typically overestimate their own competence as drivers and, in the context of an impending collision, overestimate their ability to correct the situation”. (Fuller 2002)They often think that they are invincible and generally believe that their behaviors are not risky. Ass they lack experience in driving they are less able to anticipate the actions and reactions of other drivers. Since their exposure to failure has been minimal they feel invincible and are ready to take any amount of risk. “It is a fact that teens are invincible and cant control themselves when it comes to taking risks” (Sternheimer 2010).As a result they use cell phones and other gadgets during driving which distract them and end up in fatal crashes. They also do not have control on the speed limit and take high speed while driving in order to enjoy the feel of it. They also have the mentality of being superior while they are accompanied with other passengers and want to show off their skill in driving. Sometimes they want to establish that they drive fast than their class mates which lead to accidents. Lonaro(1997)informs that “ To learn to gain control over emotional reactions while driving, novices will require both insight and practice” Other factors leading to accidents Lack of skill and concentration The young drivers lack driving skill and they are less able to concentrate and maintain full attention on what they are doing. They don’t take full information which is needed to drive in a particular environment. They are not experienced in scrutinizing the environment and driving according to the environment. Excessive or inappropriate speeding is the cause of a quarter of all fatal crashes each year. “Young drivers represent a high risk for insurers and the cost of motor insurance in this age group is considerably higher than for others both in Ireland and throughout the European Union .”(CIB 2010) Knowledge of how to control a car is very important and this comes with much of experience. Concentration or paying attention to driving is extremely important because it allows space and time to avoid fatal crashes. Lack of concentration and attention is the major reason for death and injuries on road. “Lack of concentration or attention on the driving task can involve many things, some of which are talking, daydreaming, distractions inside & outside the vehicle, fatigue, "highway hypnosis." Multi-tasking whilst driving; smoking, eating, drinking, reading, using the phone etc”.(Welcome 2010) The real problem faced by human mind is to wander and this is very harmful when driving. Young minds are always restless and have numerous thoughts at a time. “ Driving while distracted can impact reaction time and good decision-making, lessen awareness of hazards, and make it more difficult to accurately predict the behavior of other drivers”(Carney 2009) Drink and drive Young male driver are more involved in driving under the influence of alcohol as they are too young to understand the aftermaths of drinking and driving. The changes may be very difficult to be noticeable soon after they drink but can come in to affect in due period of time and affect their driving. “It’s important to plan ahead and drink responsibly to avoid an alcohol related driving accident”.(Peterson 2009) “It's not a question of whether you are legally intoxicated, it's a question of whether or not it is safe to drive when you have consumed any amount of alcohol. Research shows that impairment begins long before a person reaches the blood alcohol concentration level necessary to be guilty of drunken driving”.(Buddy 2010)When the alcohol begins to take effect they can exhibit exaggerated behavior, poor muscle control, imbalanced speech and vision. They also find it more difficult to detect danger and cannot control self easily. There is also another fact that need to be looked into which is that the alcohol affects different people on different level. Some people have more affect on them and some can remain calm with certain alcohol consumption .But it can be widely seen that youngsters get intoxicated sooner when it comes to alcohol as they are beginners and are at a tender age. “If you are charged with driving under the influence your license also may be take immediately”(Haas 1991). Excessive Speeding Excessive speeding or inappropriate speeding is also one of the major cause of many accidents. “Speed is the single largest factor contributing to road deaths in Ireland. Over 40% of fatal accidents are caused by excessive or inappropriate speed .Bravado, peer pressure and a sense of invincibility often leads young men to take risks while driving, without realizing the dangers of these risks.”(Mcneely 2010)Speed reduces the time available for the driver to avoid the crash .Young drivers are more likely to speed than other drivers and involve in fatal crashes. “The Irish Penalty Points system has been introduced on a phased basis with speeding the first driving offence to be covered. Under the system a driver accumulating 12 points within a 3-year period will automatically lose their driving license for 6 months”.(Tracey 2010).Even if you are a skilled driver at a good vehicle excessive speeding can increase the risk of accidents. So the government introduces harsher penalties to deter excessive speeding. “There are many different reasons as to why people speed, which includes being in a rush, stress, the thrill, and also to put on an image. People who speed risk not only their own lives but also the lives of the others in the car and all other people on the road.”(Justice 2008).Speeding makes the young drivers to lose control of their vehicle especially when they intend to take turn or make lane changes. Prevention of accidents The risk of driving among young male drivers is rising exponentially and there should be a real investigation on this part. According to Tripathy (2000)“Police with much pain is striving hard to regulate the traffic and to prevent and control the accidents on the roads.” Driver education programs can be improved by teaching perceptual, psychomotor, and cognitive skills that are very essential for safe driving, and by educating them about the inexperience, risky behaviors, and other age-related factors that increase the crash risk among young drivers. Goodwin(2007) claims that “If driver education and training are to produce a safety benefit, it is clear that something needs to be done differently”. They also need to be made well aware of the consequences of driving under alcohol influence and drugs. They should be well guided to drive on different road conditions on order to minimize crashes. They should be made aware that driving on road is not a sport but very serious matter as there are number of vehicles on the road. It is necessary for them to know driving is not a thing to show ego and braveness but a thing to be done safely. Limiting speed is also to be instructed to them and they also must be informed on being concentrated while driving .Risk taking behavior of young male drivers should also be kept under control. Dorn (2008) says that “Risk taking amongst young people is also dependent on family structure, normative parental influences and social influences” So driving safe is very important to save their lives and others. Bibliography British parliament (2007). Novice drivers. london: Transport Committee.p149 Buddy,T. (2010). Why You Should Never Drink and Drive. Available: http://alcoholism.about.com/od/dui/a/impaired.htm. Last accessed 5th nov 2010 Carney,S.. (2009). Teens Who Text While Driving. Available: http://www.suite101.com/content/teen-who-text-while-driving-a99019. Last accessed 5th nov 2010 Condon,D. (2003). Most fatal road accidents due to driver error. 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