Muscat, June 02: “When a road accident happens, many are reasons behind it and every single factor counts. A fatal vehicle crash could be the result of a combination of all. For instance, if the person occupying the driving seat is not alert or not in a state of equanimity before venturing out, chances for an accident are high. If the person’s vehicle is faulty and the road is bad, the possibility of a mishap triples. Any one or all of them are variable factors that have to be taken into consideration when an accident happens”.
(From a folder, published by the Royal Omani Police – ROP)
The 20 recommendations made by the Road Safety Symposium after five days of brainstorming sessions in which national and international experts participated to find solutions to limit traffic accidents in the Sultanate were exhaustive in application and immense in scope. The 20-point strategy to fight the scourge bedeviling the country is the quintessence of various studies, public comments and expert opinions.
The symposium, which concluded on the 29th of May, was held on the directive of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, who approved all the recommendations. Now, the mechanism of implementing them and the procedures to be followed are in the hands of various government departments. The key to success of any programme lies in its implementation. If the plan involves a host of private and official organisations, various sections of society and a great deal of interaction between people and officials, achieving results is not an easy task.
It calls for closer cooperation and coordination at every level of operation and the new measures, some of them may appear radical, are bound to throw up fresh challenges during the implementation process. Overcoming the hurdles and moving ahead necessitates new solutions to old problems.
The National Committee for Road Safety, the apex body for overseeing the 10-year plan from 2011 to 2020, has an onerous task on its head in setting targets, prioritizing focus areas and orchestrating harmonious functioning of all departments and organisations, both governmental and non-governmental. Among the new initiatives, announced on the 29th of May, October 18 was agreed upon as annual Traffic Safety Day. Additionally the setting up of a national centre for road traffic statistics and information are welcome steps. On October 18, 2009, during his annual Royal Tour, the Sultan ordered the symposium to be held.
Since then campaigns for road safety have been stepped up, culminating in the just-concluded symposium and a three-day exhibition. “To commemorate the importance of October 18, we should have an annual international symposium at which the progress of the 20-point plan could be assessed. Such programmes need feedback as it gives the planners positive areas and negative aspects of steps taken during the period under scanner. Response of road users is one way of evaluating a programme. For example, some motorists feel some spots are more prone to accidents, that there should be traffic controls during peak hours and exits from and entries to side roads need better attention”, declares a prominent committee-member.
While the government has drawn up an elaborate plan to save hundreds of lives and to protect double or triple that number of people from getting maimed in road crashes in the Sultanate, it’s the duty of every motorist in this country to shoulder some responsibility as well. It is incumbent upon drivers to think that their vehicles are only a means of transport, not killing machines. When the authorities’ concerned start implementing the measures listed in the 20-point plan, people should fully cooperate with them to make it a big success. At least it will take a year for the comprehensive programme to get under way and we hope it will start realising its well-defined objectives by then.
Sultan Qaboos resolute commitment in providing better safety measures on Omani roads seems to have found a positive and constructive response.
These elaborate recommendations, which have been researched and evaluated extensively during the days of the symposium, include the following concrete points:
1. The National Committee for Road Safety shall work out a national traffic safety strategy for the years 2011-2020, including unification of efforts, in participation with all parties concerned to minimise traffic accidents in line with legislations in force and international standards.
2. Establishing a National Centre of Road Traffic Statistics and information by the National Committee for Road Safety to provide comprehensive information for those concerned and researchers in road safety.
3. Fixing October 18, the occasion of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said’s Royal Order, as an annual ‘Traffic Safety Day’. A trophy and valuable prizes will be awarded to any governorate, region, wilayat, institution or individual initiative which excels in enhancing the traffic safety.
4. Promoting and intensifying traffic awareness in new and effective ways through media and modern techniques to all segments of society.
5. Enhance traffic education in the curricula of public and private education, colleges and universities in order to bring up a well informed generation that complies with traffic rules and contributes to spreading traffic awareness.
6. Extending ambulance service in primary medical care on roads, post-injury treatment at emergency sections, medical and psychological rehabilitation, to reduce the social impacts of road traffic.
7. Organisations shall study and assess the traffic laws and rules in force and review the punishments (court rulings, violations) in order to deter those who commit acts that constitute hazards to road users.
8. Creating traffic departments at courts for traffic violations for speedy trial and to achieve direct deterrence, on violators and those who cause accidents.
9. Enforcing more control on road traffic in line with the expanding road network and heavy motor traffic to ensure safe flow of traffic and to seize reckless drivers who tend to commit accidents.
10. Finding engineering solutions for black spots where frequent accidents occur, set up clear policy for correcting them according to international standards.
11. Organisations concerned shall review, assess the regulations of speed limit board signs on main roads, districts, residential and commercial areas in order to minimise road accidents.
12. Making roads safer for pedestrians by providing more facilities in line with road specification to ensure safe crossing of pedestrians and minimise run-over accidents.
13. Emphasis on authorities in charge of the assessment and construction of roads to construct roads according to the approved Road Design Manual in order to accommodate and minimise human errors.
14. Emphasis on authorities concerned with urban planning to continue maintaining road boundaries, traffic flow requirements and to keep land planning as far away from the roads as possible.
15. Develop the means and mechanisms of driving education by using a unified, systematic driver instruction system throughout the country to improve the standard of training and enhancing the output of driving schools.
16. Car driving instruction shall be a full-time job governed by rules, requirements, and to be included in the record of the Manpower Ministry, Public Authority of Social Insurance, and to be approved after passing a special course at the Traffic Safety Institute.
17. The importance of activating the Road Safety Institute and establishing branches throughout governorates and regions to play an effective role in the training of drivers and other road-users.
18. Enhancing the role of civic society associations, community initiatives and other collective and individual initiatives, involve the community in playing its significant role and responsibility in spreading traffic awareness.
19. Activate the role of private sector institutions (insurance, oil, transport, communications and car dealers etc.) to contribute to the training of road-users, support and produce traffic awareness programmes.
20. Scientific, academic and research institutions shall adopt more studies and researches on traffic safety, encourage and provide appropriate support for those interested or studying traffic matters.
Representatives of the Royal Omani Police are convinced that the media plays a constructive and informative role in this.
“Don’t forget the fact machine is a machine and its master is the driver. Despite the best efforts put in by manufacturers to make vehicles from small cars to heavy trucks as safe as possible on the road, mechanical failure could occur. So we should not take it for granted that once we are inside the vehicle everything is taken care of, a concept popularized by some Hollywood movies and TV series Knight Rider”, declares Lt-Gen Malik Bin Suleiman Al Ma’amari, Inspector-General of Police and Customes, at the concluding function of the five-day symposium.
And he adds: “Traffic Safety Symposium stressed the media-role in road safety. During their deliberations with a call to actively involve the media in publicizing the awareness programs, I sincerely hope that media organizations will be happy to extend a helping hand to this national task if they get full cooperation from authorities”.
—Agencies