Asian Development Bank
Road Safety Guideline for the Asian and Pacific region

The ADB road safety guideline for the Asian and Pacific region summarizes the results of the Road Safety Seminar held in 1996. A number of useful recommendations are given in this report, a few pertinent points have been summarized below.

Road Safety Trends in the Asian Pacific Region

Virtually all countries throughout the world have, over the last 20 years or so, experienced increases in vehicle ownership, but in developed countries, by investing in road safety countermeasures, have managed to reduce the numbers of road accidents. Regrettably, developing countries appear less willing or able to spend the sums of money required to reduce road accident deaths and injuries and the situation continues to deteriorate in such countries, making the incidence of road accidents a matter of concern with regard to public health.

Pedestrians, users of non-motorized vehicles (NMVs), and motorcyclists, because of their much greater numbers and absence of adequate facilities, often appear much more frequently among casualties in developing countries than in developed ones. In countries further behind on the development scale, pedestrians generally and, under some circumstances, NMV users appear to be at high risk of accident involvement and particularly high risk of being killed.

Deaths and serious injuries as a result of traffic accidents represent a considerable waste of a nation’s resources and cause anguish and grief to family and friends of those killed or maimed. Even if the emotional consequences of traffic accidents are ignored, the cost to the community in purely economic terms is high. It is therefore necessary to include an estimate of the productive loss to the country of someone killed or crippled. The more seriously injured can remain in hospital for days, or in some cases, for months and some may require medical attention for the rest of their lives because of the seriousness of their injuries. Thus the use of some hospital beds and highly skilled medical staff can be attributed to the cost of traffic accidents. In addition, the costs incurred by police at accident sites and insurance processing costs should be added to other, more visible costs of accidents such as vehicle repair costs.

Road accident deaths have been climbing during the last decade and experience from other countries indicates that in the early years of motorization, road accidents typically rise in line with the number of vehicles. The Asian and Pacific region is still generally in the early stages of motorization. The rapid rises in vehicle fleet that are occurring and will continue to occur in future years as these countries attain a high stage of vehicle growth. There is, therefore, little doubt that the numbers of persons killed or injured on the roads in future years will rise substantially and will continue to increase unless effective action is taken urgently to address this growing and serious problem.

The major constraints inhibiting the improvement of road safety are as follows:

1.  Fragmentation of responsibility for safety issues.
2. General absence of accurate information on the scale, nature, and characteristics
    of the problem.
3. Inadequate action to coordinate and implement safety countermeasures in all
    sectors that require improvement.
4. Inadequate efforts being made to improve known hazardous locations or to have
    more safety-conscious planning and design of road schemes.
5. Inadequate technical and financial resources available for action.

Road Accident Data Systems

A road accident can be defined as ‘a rare, random, multi-factor event that is always preceded by a situation in which one or more road users have failed to cope with their environment, resulting in a vehicle collision’. Although, the causes of accidents are multi­factoral, there are likely to be common reasons for clustering. There should be potential for treating and even removing some of these problems. The targeting of road user groups, locations, routes, or areas on the network for special remedial action has proven to be effective.

Road Safety Education for Children

On average, 20% of all people killed in traffic accidents in developing countries are aged under15. This is twice as high as in the developed world. Human error plays a large part in road accidents, being a contributory factor in about 95% of accidents. Teaching road safety skills to children can provide lifelong benefits to society. The absence of traffic education can leave children exposed to unnecessary risk.

Driver Training and Testing

Recent studies have shown that in about 95% of recorded accidents, driver was a contributory factor in some form or other. It is vital that the human factor is addressed in attempting to solve the problems of road safety. Fundamental to this is an efficient driver testing and training regime, which is efficient, cost effective and has public confidence.

Most accidents are not accidents, but result from a lack of planning, anticipation, concentration, or control by those involved. Can any country afford to let its new drivers learn by trial and error and kill each other in the process? The development of driving as a skill for life must be instilled. Skill in control of the vehicle needs to be supplemented by many qualities relating to the vehicle’s interaction with its environment. These can be gained by a mixture of comprehensive training and real-life experience.

The need for an effective driver testing and training system is overdue in the Asian and Pacific region for the following reasons:

1.   The mixture of motorized and non-motorized modes with an inadequate road network and hierarchy, and poor traffic control methods contribute to a difficult driving environment.

2.  The rapid increase in motor vehicles and novice drivers will result in a proportionate increase in accidents
           unless there is a dramatic improvement in driving standards.

The practical driving test should include the following checks and exercises (as a minimum):

     1. Take proper precautions before starting the engine of the vehicle.
     2. Make proper use of all controls.
     3. Position normally on the road and make normal stops in a safe place.
     4. Drive at a speed appropriate for conditions.
     5. Make effective use of mirrors.
     6. Give all necessary signals.
     7. Show alertness and anticipation of the actions of other road users.
     8. Overtake, meet and cross the path of other vehicles safely.
     9. Act properly at road junctions.
   10. Take appropriate action at pedestrian crossings.
   11. Take prompt and appropriate action on all traffic signs, road markings, 
          traffic lights, signals by traffic controllers and other road users.

Theoretical driver training tests should include as a minimum:
      1. Traffic regulations.
      2. Vehicle handling.
      3. Vehicle maneuvering procedures.
      4. Hazard perception.
      5. Effects of weather and road conditions on driving.

No matter how elaborate or strict the driving test is designed to be, it can be effective only if driving examiners are properly trained and have adequate time to conduct the test. Driving examiners should be subject to frequent supervision to ensure that their individual assessment is checked and that tests are being conducted in accordance with the regulations.

The provision of a driver’s license should always be treated as a privilege not a right. Driving is a skill that takes years to master properly. Learning does not and should not stop when the candidate passes the driving test. This means that drivers must have real concern, not only for their own safety, but also for the safety of all road users, including pedestrians.

(Excerpts taken from: Road Safety Guidelines
For The Asian And Pacific Region, Asian Development Bank)

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