Personal responsibility key ingredient in road safety
The decision to comply with road rules is a moral obligation and a principal concern of ethics. There is too much impunity, bad road safety behavior, silence when drivers over speed etc. PHOTO | FILE
Many of us have been playing the blame game on who is responsible for the high road carnage in Uganda. Could it be the police, Ministry of Transport, potholes, speed, human error and so on.
However, have you thought about your role as an individual in contributing to this epidemic?
Road safety is a shared responsibility and the first stakeholder is you and me.
Road safety is not only a transport issue but a health challenge too, and perhaps we need to change our mindset on how to address it. Road safety is a fundamental health and human right.
Road safety, therefore, starts with individuals valuing life as precious, and irreplaceable. That said, we need to take personal responsibility in ensuring that our safety on the road is not compromised by ourselves and others.
Personal responsibility is willingness to accept the importance of standards that society establishes for individual behaviours and to make personal effort to live by those standards.
How many of us are willing to comply with some of the basic road safety rules and regulations for instance wearing seatbelts and helmets, not driving while speaking on phone. These are basic known standards recognized and proven to work internationally, however, here we fail miserably to comply.
The decision to comply with road rules is a moral obligation and a principal concern of ethics. There is too much impunity, bad road safety behavior, silence when drivers over speed etc, so are we being responsible as individuals…?
Personal responsibility supports self-regulation and derails mental and physical health. Personal responsibility starts with a mind-set change, for instance knowing I need to prepare myself before I move to the road for instance a vehicle check, managing my time, resting enough, studying the weather, identifying the safer transport mode, appropriate dressing etc. Knowing your health condition before driving is a personal responsibility and your state of mind for instance after a fight at home, how it affects your driving or how you relate with others on the road.
I need to remind road users that the road is a public good not private, thus let us use the road responsibly, minding others, and not being selfish. Selfishness on the road is a sign of individual irresponsibility, period.
If we fail to manage basic personal responsibilities on the road then we shall not manage the complex and more advanced road safety interventions going forward.
Lastly, lack of personal responsibility reflects in how you care for yourself. Let us value life and take small steps towards compliance to safety precautionary measures currently at our disposal, which will then have a ripple effect and great impart in road safety totality. We only have to play our part first as individuals, and the others will fall in place.
My sincere condolences to the families of the deceased that have perished in road traffic crashes.
Mable N. Tomusange, Road Safety Specialist, Consult Afrika Usalama.
