Car accidents in Bahrain are now a ‘public health concern’

TDT | Manama                    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com  

Reported by Julia Cassano

Road traffic accidents are becoming a major public health concern, with citizens urging people to pay more attention when driving. As the Kingdom has seen a massive growth in population, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of vehicles and expansion of road networks, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.35 million people are killed on roadways each year around the world, and every day around 3,700 people are killed globally involving cars, buses, motorcycles, bicycles and trucks.

Additionally, the influx of people on the roads has increased the number of road accidents, injuries, and fatalities, as stated by the report. Many of these accidents, injuries, and fatalities could be avoided by people not using their phones whilst driving, paying more attention, and not speeding.

Accidents have been occurring regularly on the highways or on smaller roads and residents in the Kingdom have started to become concerned. Speaking to The Daily Tribune, a resident who wishes not to be identified said: “I drive most days, to and from work, mainly on the highways, and I have witnessed people using their phones often whilst they are driving.

“I notice them staring down at their devices, commonly placed on their lap, and it causes me to become more cautious when I am driving because they are not taking the correct precautions to drive safely.”

When driving on the roads, using your phone reduces your awareness of your surroundings and can compromise judgement of distances and your reaction time. “The influx of accidents is happening as people are not paying correct attention, and do not have enough time to make a good reaction,” he says.

If a driver has to slam on their brake quickly to avoid crashing into the car in front of them, if the car behind them is not paying attention, it could cause a serious accident. It only takes one person not to pay attention whilst driving for an accident to happen.

According to WHO, national road safety strategies have been set in place to urge those on the roads to drive more safely. However, the report adds that public compliance with these laws is generally poor. Users on social media have urged those on the road to use better driving practices to lessen accidents in the Kingdom.

A user online wrote, “nobody follows the driving laws in Bahrain.” “Today on my way to work, I noticed a car driving very slowly, and when I passed them, I saw the driver using his mobile phone.” The Kingdom has implemented many traffic rules and regulations to decrease the number of accidents on the roads; however, people are not following them.

Laws such as heavy fines (from BD50 to BD500) and prison terms of up to six months for using a mobile phone whilst driving have been enacted in Bahrain, yet people continuously do not stop, say reports. No phone call or text is worth causing a major accident which can lead to a fatality or serious injury.