Road Safety Legislation

Introduction

Pedestrian deaths have increased greatly, and more people are either succumbing or being injured in the various accidents happening. Some of the drivers are usually inebriated or under the influence of other drugs that cause them to misjudge the speed and their driving while on the road. The pedestrians are therefore put at risk when such drivers are on the road. 48 percent of pedestrian death were alcohol related thus putting drunk driving at the top of the causalities of pedestrians on roads. The alcohol involved both the pedestrian and the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident (Peden et al., 2004). Most accidents have happened at night especially where it was dark, where there was not the intersection.

Furthermore, the accidents have happened in urban areas. Therefore, pedestrians and drivers to a small extent are in danger of death, especially when walking near busy roads. Injuries were more than the deaths as recorded in 2014. As such, various measures need to be put in place to ensure that pedestrians and drivers alike are safe when using the highways and roads. Every life is precious and mostly those who lose their loved may have lost their most dependent persons especially if they were the breadwinners. Such families are affected greatly due to lack of resources in following up the cases due to accidents. As such it is important in coming up with legislation that will help prevent the accidents largely. Therefore in coming up with various strategies that will deal with speeding in cars and the use of seat belts it is important for the public to involved and educated on the various changes that will take place especially among the drivers who form part of the causative factors regarding accidents.

The legislative process can help greatly to achieve safety on roads especially by enacting laws that will enhance surveillance of the roads and ensure that those who are not in the right states are apprehended before they get in the car. Since many accidents are caused by over speeding, legislation should be brought forth that requires every car to have a speed governor and seat belts especially in school buses that ferry children to and from their homes at various time intervals. Various personalities can reach out to the legislators like the mayor. The legislative process is thus an important arena that helped in the passage of laws that help deal with the accidents that may be preventable on the roads. Speeding will require laws that deal with speeding that require every car to have a speed governor. The seat belts should also be enacted in the legislative process to ensure that public service vehicles follow the laid down procedures.

Therefore, since there many deaths of pedestrians since they are drink related legislation should be passed to prevent drink driving especially in urban areas where most accidents happen (Guliš, 2014). The laws should be specific to the states and the transport sector. The legislation should include alcohol banning on drivers since such drinking affect the driver‘s judgement and, therefore, makes the driver prone to committing an accident. Such a legislative process should consider the drinking hours especially in the case where drivers are involved. It is, therefore, important for the national government to pass the laws, which will help in the reduction of accidents involving the pedestrians.

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