During the health emergency of #COVID19 there are still traffic accidents #StayHome

We are experiencing a situation that we would never have imagined and that is causing hospitals and health services to be on the verge of collapse due to those affected by coronavirus. Most of the technical and human resources available are focusing on responding to this emergency and they can hardly assist the victims of traffic accidents, so it is more important than ever to drive carefully and show solidarity.

We are experiencing a situation that we would never have imagined and that is causing hospitals and health services to be on the verge of collapse due to those affected by coronavirus. Most of the technical and human resources available are focusing on responding to this emergency and they can hardly assist the victims of traffic accidents, so it is more important than ever to drive carefully and show solidarity.

The fact that there is less traffic should not be a reason to lower your guard, quite the contrary. Fastening your seatbelt, obeying the speed limits, not using your cell phone and not driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs are still necessary to save lives on the streets and highways.

The health emergency situation due to the Covid19 pandemic means that the efforts of governments focus their priorities on fighting the virus, which translates into fewer police officers monitoring Road Safety, delays in maintenance works and fewer campaigns of prevention. awareness.

Even understanding this focus, it is sad to see that road safety has lost weight in the assessments during the pandemic crisis. Saving lives must always be above any measure, including economic ones. Saving lives and saving jobs should not be treated as conflicting issues. And it should not be forgotten that life always goes ahead.

Therefore, there are some measures adopted that deserve some reflection:

Eliminating the rules on driving hours and rest periods in the transport and distribution of goods can keep some jobs, but is it the most appropriate for working conditions, job security and road safety? Why is the government not paying a bonus to some delivery people or their companies, so that they can keep their jobs? From P(A)T we think that it would also be more appropriate and more helpful to eliminate tolls during the health emergency situation and state of alarm decreed by the Government to facilitate the work of carriers, a sector that has proven to be essential for continue to cover the basic needs of citizens.

Another measure against road safety is to eliminate the service of ITV stations without the government making it very clear that this measure requires solidarity and responsibility from vehicle owners. The vehicle must always be in perfect condition. If it is not – a special penalty should be inflicted on the driver. In situations of health crisis, it is not convenient to lighten the pressure in the opposite direction, lightening road and car safety. Once again we are in a situation where road safety is at a lower level than other options in society.

It is clear that the confinement due to the virus greatly reduces (more than 60%) the traffic on streets and highways. Experts know that with considerably less traffic on the roads, the risk of driving increases – the number of accidents increases exponentially per kilometer driven. Every driver who hits the road has a much higher risk of suffering a traffic accident, since they tend to increase speed and decrease attention. This change in risk is not explained to drivers. We believe that road and street users do not receive adequate information. And when it turns out that despite the confinement measures and the decrease in traffic, there are still traffic accidents with victims, not everything can be hidden under the information blanket of the Coronavirus.

We only hear about the risk of contagion from the virus and not about other risks that are still a reality, for which there must also be protection.

P(A)T considers that it is necessary for the “vision of zero victims in traffic accidents” to remain a very clear objective in the minds of drivers and society as a whole. Now we all have a priority, to overcome this pandemic, but let’s not forget the, unfortunately, daily life of new victims of traffic accidents that there are every day.