How to Reduce Road Accidents: Knowing Features of Motion

Accidents can happen anywhere and at any time, but the road is among the most common places where they occur. According to the Road Crash Statistics in Metro Manila from January to August 2020, no less than 31, 811 accidents have been reported, noting 136 fatalities, 6614 non-fatal, and 25, 061 sustained damages to property. To be able to lessen these road accidents, the government has passed laws like Road Speed Limiter Act of 2016 and Anti-Distracted Driving Act of 2016. In spite of these efforts, over 121, 771 road accidents were tallied in Metro Manila in 2019, which increased 4.16% compared to the number of accidents from the year prior. In order to lessen, if not zero out the cases, we must all know how to be safe on the road and how to reduce road accidents. Thiis essay presents one of the sollutions - it is motion. Motion has a lot to do with road safety, so let us take a look at the different ways that they are related.

Avoidance of Overspeeding and Sea Belt Safety

Over speeding is one of the most common causes of road accidents. According to the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, the general speed limit is 60 km/h on highways and 100 km/h is the maximum on expressways. Exceeding the speed limit is treacherous because the faster you are moving, the longer it takes for the vehicle to stop when you apply the brakes, which reduces the time you have to react to the unexpected, like a car coming out from an intersection or a pedestrian crossing the road. The greater transfer of energy emerging from the higher momentum can cause appalling injuries, or even death. The impact or striking power of your vehicle is also greater the faster you drive.

A way to keep the driver and passengers safe is by wearing a seat belt. Upon sensing a collision, the seat belts lock in place. Seat belts reduce risk of death by 45% and diminish the risk of serious injury by 50%. According to Newton’s First Law, an object will not change its motion unless acted on by an unbalanced force. When a car crashes, there is no unbalanced force acting on the person, so they will not change their motion, but when the person is wearing a seat belt, the person moves against the seat belt, exerting a force against it. It is stated in Newton’s Third Law that for every action or force in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction, so the seat belt exerts force back to the person, which causes their deceleration.

Conclusion

Overall, it may be said that there are plenty of ways to reduce road accidents that are related to motion. Acts like controlling the speed of one’s car and wearing a seat belt are related to motion and can help diminish the number of road accidents. Furthermore, these practices must be taken to account at all times when one is on the road. If all people follow the actions aforementioned, then hopefully the number of road accidents that occur may be lessened or completely eliminated.

References

1. World Health Organization (WHO). (2021). Global status report on road safety 2018.
2. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). (2021). Traffic Safety Facts.
3. International Transport Forum (ITF). (2021). Road Safety Annual Report.
4. Global Road Safety Partnership. (2021). Road Safety Resources.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021). Motor Vehicle Safety.