Background of the Study

Rationale of the study

Life on road plays an important role in our daily lives; in transportation, in going to school, work,
or other places. It creates a connection between places that gives ease and convenience to the many. As
a matter of fact, road occurrences are associated with safety. Instances such as crossing the road,
walking along the gutter, driving towards an intersection, or slowing down the vehicle, shows common
occurrences on the road wherein if not treated responsibly, can lead to serious danger. Road safety acts
as an essential part to everyone’s welfare. No matter what age, social status, or differences each person
has, anyone can be affected on how people act and behave while on the road whether they may be
riders or drivers. Anyone is involved in ensuring the safety of oneself from the threats present on the
road.

The issues of road safety are widely seen all throughout the world including the Philippines.
Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) affects us people and the community itself. According to a status report
from World Health Organization (2018), stated that lives from over 1.35 million people every year have
been taken by road traffic accidents. It is also one of the leading causes of death across the world.

This is a major issue especially in our country where road injuries are frequent. While some are
relatively minor, thousands of lives are at risk everyday by these incidents which leads to the threat of
our own safety. Safety is very crucial and vital for everyone. Safety aids people on behaving in a safe
manner when either driving or crossing the road. We all ensure the welfare of ourselves and other
people for the sake of being away from the danger and risk occurring on the road.

Focus of the study

Since the study is a qualitative type of research, the aim of this study is to learn the practices

and perceptions of As exhibited in a recent statistical data, majority of vehicular accidents as a

result of irrational speed in Lancaster occur on weekends which alarmed Galing LNC, inciting

them to publish a public reminderriders before and during their travel. Another purpose of this
study is to describe a helpful campaign to make riders be more aware of road safety. This

campaign will be discussed and planned out together with adult partners and participants.

The aim of this study is to reduce the risk of road mishaps: accidents, injuries, road rages, etc. through
spreading awareness towards road safety. The researchers believe that the actions of an individual
reflects towards the safety of the whole, they would want to impart their voice and actions as young
students to address and encourage the people that road safety awareness is essential in our daily
livelihood and it is a topic we should always pay attention to.

According to Youth for Road Safety Organization, there are 5 main risk-factors that increases

the risk of road accidents and injuries: Helmet, speeding, drink-driving, seatbelts, and

distracted-driving.

helmets

Most injuries resulting from motorcycle crashes are head

injuries.
On a motorcycle or bike your body is totally exposed, with no metallic framework for
protection and no seatbelt to hold you in your seat. Check some of the myths about the
use of helmets below.

Reality
Unlike hats, helmets have four major components that work together to protect your
head from injuries: a rigid outer shell; an impact absorbing liner; a comfort padding; and
a retention system to buckle up. Only impact-tested and approved helmets that pass
certain government standards for safety should be used.

Reality
Full-face helmets can reduce your vision when looking down, but this is not what
matters. What is more important is your ability to see what is happening on your sides,
in your peripheral vision, and this is not affected when wearing a helmet. Helmets give
you full ability to see what is happening in your surroundings.

Reality
Helmets lower sounds and noises but do not eliminate them. Tests have shown that all
sounds can be heard very clearly when wearing a helmet so you do not have to worry
about missing any danger signals. Not only that, but helmets actually protect your ears
from wind sounds and from ear drum damage that can occur at speeds of more than
100 km/hr.

speeding

The faster you are going the more likely you are to be involved in a crash. Don't
speed.

Crashes at higher
speeds cause more
severe injuries than
those at lower speeds.
When motorized traffic
mixes with pedestrians
and cyclists, the speed
limit should be under
30km/h.
The chances of avoiding a collision become smaller as your
speed increases.
The greater your speed, the more distance is covered while you make decisions and
take action to avoid a collision.Also, the faster you are going, the longer it takes for the
vehicle to stop when you do brake.

Crashes at higher speeds cause more severe injuries than those at lower speeds.
Why?
The higher the speed, the more kinetic or movement energy the vehicle and you (the
driver or passengers) are carrying. Therefore more energy is released when colliding
into another vehicle or stationary object, such as a tree or wall. Part of the energy
released will be absorbed by the objects involved in the crash and part will be absorbed
by the human body, causing injuries. Our human body is vulnerable and there is only so
much energy it can handle without being seriously damaged. The more energy, the
greater the damage.

When motorized traffic mixes with pedestrians and cyclists,

the speed limit should be under 30km/h.
Pedestrians, cyclists, and persons in lighter vehicles will have more severe injuries if hit
by a speeding vehicle. An adult pedestrian has less than a 20% chance of dying if
struck by a car at less than 50 km/h but almost a 60% risk of dying if hit at 80 km/h.

Drinkdriving

No person is too skilled, too big, or too clever to avoid the effects of alcohol behind
the wheel.

Alcohol and drug

consumption by road
users results in a higher
crash rate. These
substances impact on
human behaviour and
judgment.
Alcohol reduces your ability to make coordinated decisions in many different ways.
Explore the effects below.

Even a small quantity of alcohol can have the following

effects:
 Poor coordination: trouble doing more than one thing at a time, difficulty steering the car.
 Longer reaction time: reacting more slowly when something unexpected happens (a car
approaching you from the side, people crossing the street).
 Poor judgment: trouble judging your and other people’s behaviour (including speed,
distances, movement) and estimating risks.
 Reduction in concentration, memory, vision and hearing:
focusing only on the road
ahead, losing track of what is taking place in your peripheral vision area, missing out on
things you see and hear.
 False sense of confidence and overestimation of abilities: feeling more confident and
taking risks that you would not usually take.

Conclusion: the combination of reduced ability and more risk taking is a

dangerous mix!
Remember...
 If you drink, do not drive. Even one drink will affect your driving performance.

 Plan alternative ways to get home before you go out: designate someone who
has not been drinking; use public transport; catch a taxi; stay the night; ask a
parent if it is possible for them or another driver to pick you up, etc.

 Have a back up plan so if your original plan doesn’t work out you know what to
do.

 Q: Why does alcohol have such an effect?

 A: Alcohol is a nervous system depressant or a ‘downer’. It has a numbing effect

on the brain making it slower and less able to concentrate.

 Q: How soon does the effect of alcohol start?

 A: After it enters your blood it only takes 10 minutes for alcohol to reach your
brain.

 Q: How much can I drink?

 A: To stay safe do not drink at all when you will be driving. Research shows that
a single drink increases the risk of death or serious injury by five times.

 You do not have to be drunk for alcohol to affect your driving. Your driving
abilities will be reduced even if you feel perfectly normal. If you are awake and
can hold a conversation with your friends it does not mean that you can drive
safely.

 Q: What can help reduce the concentration of alcohol in my blood?

 A: The only remedy to alcohol is time, allowing your body to break down the
alcohol. The liver breaks down alcohol at a rate of approximately one standard
 drink per hour.

A standard drink is a drink which contains about 10 grams of alcohol.

Restaurants usually serve alcohol in standard drink size glasses. Wine, however,
is normally sold in 140 ml or 200 ml glasses. One 200 ml glass of wine contains
approximately two standard drinks. Glasses used at home are likely to be bigger
than the standard drink size. The labels on alcoholic drink bottles and cans
sometimes show the number of standard drinks they contain.

Exercising, drinking coffee, taking cold showers, vomiting, fresh air, and other
things can make you feel more alert but will not reduce your blood alcohol
concentration.

Seatbelts

eatbelts save lives: it is now known that the simple action of belting up has saved
more lives than any other road safety intervention in history.

Even still, some people

think that wearing a
seatbelt is a waste of
time or will cause them
more injury in a crash...
let's explore the facts!
Reality
Really? Bad excuse! Seatbelts can be uncomfortable to start with, but you get used to
them. As for restraining, that’s what they are supposed to do!

A seatbelt restrains you in your seat in the event of a crash so that you don't shoot out
of the windscreen.

Buckle up! No excuses...

The simple fact is seatbelts save many lives. Coupled with good driving behaviour, extra
safety features and safer roads, your much more likely to survive if involved in a road
crash.

Reality
You’re kidding. Unrestrained passengers in rear seats are a threat not only to
themselves but to those sitting in the front seats. In case of a crash, they can be thrown
into the back of the front seats or hit other passengers, causing injury.
Reality
Well, actually... Check out what it says on the air bag: SRS, meaning supplementary
restraint system. Airbags are not designed to work alone but to supplement the work of
seatbelts. An air bag will not prevent you from being thrown out of the car, as a seatbelt
will, and might actually cause severe injuries in high impact crashes. Seatbelts are by
far the most important protection you can have in a crash.

Reality
Most crashes happen within 4 km of home and at speeds less than 60 kmph. Even at
low speeds, the impact of a crash without a seatbelt can be serious and sometimes
fatal. Wearing a seatbelt at all time is therefore crucial to your safety.

Hmmmm. Not more than you will be hurt without one. Seatbelts are meant to restrain you in

your seat and prevent you from being smashed into the steering wheel or back of the front seat,

or thrown out of the car. Three quarters of people who are thrown from the car in a crash are

killed. Seatbelts rarely cause any injuries and if they do they are usually surface bruises.

Distracted driving
Multitasking and driving don’t mix! Even for skilled and experienced drivers, driving
safely requires that you use most, if not all of your mental capacity.

It's proven that your

brain cannot do two
mentally demanding
tasks at the same time,
it doesn’t take much for
your driving to be
distracted.

Multitasking is a myth!
Have you ever noticed that when you're on the phone and watching a film, you simply
can't give both your full attention? That's becuase the brain cannot focus on more than
one cognitively demanding task at a time, but rather 'toggle tasks'. Now imagine the
danger this causes behind the wheel...

A driver is distracted when they pay attention to something else while driving. People simply

cannot multi-task, especially while driving, which is considered a 'congnitively demanding' task.

Doing something else while you are driving, puts extra demands on the driver, which may

reduce his or her driving capabilities. For example, it may cause the driver to become less

observant or to make worse decisions about how to control the vehicle safely. This lower

standard of driving means that a driver is more likely to fail to anticipate hazards, and means

accidents can occur due to the distraction.

The result is that drivers using a phone to talk, text, or browse the internet are less able to stay

in the appropriate lane, detect any changes around them and respond in time. Drivers talking on

the phone are also more likely to exceed the speed limit and not maintain a consistent speed.

When texting, people often drive at lower speeds, but their delayed reaction time and inability to

maintain appropriate lane positions and assess traffic conditions still makes texting while driving

extremely dangerous.

The science behind distracted driving

Distracted driving is a leading cause of road traffic crashes the world over. One of the
most common causes is the use of mobile phones while driving, whether that's talking
on a phone, texting, checking your social media profiles or simply browsing, the risks of
crashing rise dramatically.

Visual distractions start with your eyes...

Taking your eyes off the road, even for a split second can have disastrous
consquences. A visual distraction can be anything from the passing billboard, to the
passenger next to you. One of the most common visual distractions is looking down at
your mobile phone. With more and more people owning mobile phones, and the rapid
introduction of new “in-vehicle” communication systems, this problem is likely to
escalate globally in the coming years.
It is now evident that if you are using a mobile phone while driving you are
approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash than a driver who is not
using a phone.

A physical distraction starts with taking your hands off the wheel...
Physical distractions means moving around in the car to do anything other than driving.
Taking your hands off the wheel to do other things such as eating and drinking, fiddling
with the radio all the way to touching a passanger etc. all lead to physical distractions,
which significantly increase your risk of a crash. The best way to stay free from physical
distractions is by focusing on the road and using your hands to drive only!

Thinking about something other than driving? That's distracted driving...

Also known as 'cognitive distraction', this occurs when a driver is thinking about
something else other than driving. For example, talking, arguing, speaking on the phone
(even using handsfree), shouting at the drivers infront of you, daydreaming etc. are all
mental distractions. These mental distractions cause 'inattention blindness' whereby you
are blinded to what is happening around you because your mind is elsewhere. While
driving, this can be incredibly dangerous as the dynamic nature of the road, in that it is
always changing means that you are paying less attention to potential hazards.