adminThe conditions can be either congested or relatively light. The speed of traffic can be fast or slow.
Traffic conditions vary in many ways.
Traffic conditions are affected by the time of the day. Rush hour means congestion and more drivers in a hurry.
“Night time death rate is greater than daytime rate.
“Where possible drive during the day and not at night. Day driving is safer than night driving” (SMS sent by TSCZ to cellphone subscribers during Easter 2013).
The day of the week affects traffic conditions. During the week there is heavy rush-hour traffic.
On weekends, people travel later in the day and usually it’s on longer trips.
This sometimes results in higher rate of early morning accidents.
Others include the time of the year, surrounding area and the type of vehicles in a stream of traffic affects traffic conditions.
There is heavy traffic during holidays and on weekends.
The number of vehicles on our roads becomes noticeably high during the festive season with a number of visiting drivers using foreign-registered vehicles.
In rural areas people may be tempted to travel at higher speeds but may come across such hazards as slow-moving farm equipment and stray livestock.
In urban areas there are such hazards as pedestrians, cyclists and stop-and-go traffic conditions.
The type of vehicle in a traffic steam affects traffic conditions. Abnormal load vehicles, haulage trucks and buses are at times difficult to overtake or pass.
Drivers of such vehicles are also discouraged from driving too close to the vehicle in front, forcing the drivers behind to overtake more than one car at a time.
If the speed of a vehicle is too fast, a driver can lose control of a vehicle and run off the road. Some drivers measure their driving skill by their ability to get out of a tight spot by quick and daring manoeuvres.
Some have unfortunately been involved in run-off-the road accidents after taking a chance once too often. A good driver, looks far ahead, anticipates traffic situations, uses good judgments and does not get into tight spots in the first place.
Condition 5: Vehicle
A vehicle must respond instantly and effectively to all controls.
It will not, unless it has all the components in good working order.
There are laws under our Road Traffic (Construction Equipment and Use) Regulations 2010 to ensure that dangerously defective vehicles are kept off the road until they are back into good working order.
The most common vehicle defects are worn-out tyres, faulty ad mismatched tyres, windshield wipers, a non-working hooter or even an exhaust system that allows carbon monoxide to escape into the driver’s compartment and cause drowsiness.
A defective hooter can cause an accident in situations where a driver who is overtaking fails to warn the driver ahead who may erroneously move to the right and force him/her off the road. Seatbelts fall under the vehicle conditions.
Failure to have seatbelts on or fasten them can increase the chances of being injured or killed in an accident.
A driver might make an evasive manoeuvre and lose control after being thrown out of the driver’s seat.
The chances of avoiding an accident are better off when your vehicle is in tip-top mechanical condition. There is therefore need for regular check-ups to keep it that way.
Condition 6: The driver
The driver’s condition is very critical in driving.
One must be mentally and physically fit to drive. Some of the adverse driver conditions are fatigue, alcohol, anger, worry or fear, defective hearing, defective eyesight and many others.
The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe encourages all travelling drivers to rest once every two hours.
A designated driver should not take alcohol while driving. Driving under the influence of alcohol is very dangerous and should be condemned in the strongest terms.
When one is also very excited, worried and even afraid, he/she must not drive. Drivers must have their eyesight checked as vision is central to driving.
Conclusion
Those are the six conditions of accidents. When the conditions are good, there is no problem. However, when they are less than good or very bad, a driver should be aware of them and adjust their driving accordingly.
One key point to note is that you seldom meet those conditions one by one. Usually they team up on you and make it difficult to drive safely.
The writer, Ernest Muchena (Jnr), is a defensive driving expert employed by Traffic Safety Council as the Product Development and Marketing Manager. For feedback call us on 04 751203/8 or email [email protected]/[email protected]
Online Reporter