FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1934
5
עי
ROAD ACCIDENTS COST MUCH TO COMMUNITY
*****
THE LATEST ESTIMATES PUT THE AVERAGE COST TO THE COMMUNITY AT $38 000 FOR A ROAD ACCIDENT AND AT $633 000 FOR A FATAL CASE.
THESE ESTIMATES ARE CONTAINED IN A STRATEGY PAPER ISSUED BY THE ROAD SAFETY COUNCIL RECENTLY.
+WHATEVER THE FINANCIAL COST TO THE COMMUNITY OR TO INDIVIDUAL FAMILIES, THERE CAN BE NO REAL RECOMPENSE FOR THE LOSS OF A HUMAN LIFE, FOR THE IMPAIRMENT OF A LIFE AND CAREER THROUGH DISABLEMENT, OR FOR THE MENTAL TRAUMA CAUSED BY EACH INJURY ACCIDENT, THE PAPER SAYS.
THE ROUNDED-OFF NUMBER OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS CAUSING DEATH AND INJURY WAS 22 000 LAST YEAR, DOWN FROM 24 300 IN 1982 AND 23 600 IN 1981.
WHILE WELCOMING THE DROP, THE REPORT POINTS OUT THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THERE WILL NOT BE AN INCREASE IN THE FUTURE.
+THE ANSWER IS FOR AN INCREASED EFFORT TO BUILD ON RECENT IMPROVEMENTS AND TO ENSURE THAT ROAD SAFETY IS DEALT WITH ON A FULLY INTEGRATED AND CO-ORDINATED BASIS, IT SAYS.
NOR IS IT THE +ROAD SAFETY IS NOT A SUBJECT IN ITSELF. RESPONSIBILITY OF ONE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT, FOR IT INCLUDES ASPECTS OF TRANSPORT POLICY, ROAD BUILDING, TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING, LAW PREPARATION, DRAFTING AND ENFORCEMENT, EDUCATION, PUBLICITY, AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, THE PAPER STATES.
IT POINTS OUT THAT EFFECTIVE ROAD SAFETY WORK WILL REQUIRE A MULTI-FACTOR AND MULTI-DISCIPLINE APPROACH, CO-ORDINATED BY A CENTRAL BODY.
THE ROAD SAFETY COUNCIL WAS SET UP IN 1983 FOR THIS PURPOSE, REPLACING THE STANDING CONFERENCE ON ROAD SAFETY.
THE COUNCIL IS CHAIRED BY THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, OPERATIONS, ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, AND HAS REPRESENTATIVES FROM TRANSPORT BRANCH AND THE CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION TRANSPORT, EDUCATION, INFORMATION SERVICES AND ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS BRITISH FORCES, HONG KONG; THE HONG KONG ROAD SAFETY ASSOCIATION: THE HONG KONG AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION; AND THE INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED MOTORISTS, AS WELL AS OTHER REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE.
THE AIM OF THE STRATEGY PAPER IS TO REVIEW PRESENT EFFORTS IN EACH FIELD, ESTABLISH STRATEGY PROPOSALS FOR THE FUTURE SQ THAT THE PERFORMANCE OF EACH PROGRAMME CAN BE PERIODICALLY EVALUATED.
16 ..