Road injuries are one of the greatest causes of 'disability adjusted life years' lost in Myanmar. Yet they are ignored by most 'noncommunicable diseases' NCDs initiatives.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f0tmzklkgr0nnxc/raod%20injuries.png?dl=0
http://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/
Injuries and deaths on the roads are caused by both poor road planning and poor driving. Addressing only one of these factors will be only partly effective.
Jamie
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New group aims to help cut Myanmar road deaths by half
Aye Nyein Win
Myanmar Times
Monday, 21 December 2015
Road deaths need to be cut by 2000 a year or they will exceed regional targets, a new traffic-safety NGO says.
ASEAN has called on member countries to reduce road deaths by half over the next five years, and the Myanmar Organisation for Road Safety (MORS), which was formed on December 19 at the Myanmar Engineers Society in Yangon, intends to try and make that goal.
The organisation chair, U Thit Lwin, said the new group will conduct research and driver and pedestrian education courses. U Hla Thaung Myint – vice chair of Ma Hta Tha – and U Aung Myint – vice chair of the MES – were appointed vice chairs of the MORS.
“As an NGO, we receive no help from the government. But we will draw on our experience to improve road safety,” said U Thit Lwin.
U Aung Myint, calling for greater “discipline” in obeying traffic regulations, said, “We should also remove roadside stalls so that cars can use the road capacity to the full.”
Accident rates have been rising for more than 10 years, with an average of 11.2 people dying every day. The number of vehicles in the country has also soared since 2011 with the relaxation of import restrictions, while road infrastructure has barely improved. “Since 2010, about 4000 people have been dying each year,” said U Thit Lwin.
According to a recent World Health Organization survey, Myanmar is the second-worst for road deaths per capita in the Southeast Asian region. Every year the deaths increase, with pedestrians accounting for the largest share of the fatalities. Only about half of motorcyclists wear helmets, there are few if any safety requirements and tests for imported vehicles, and there is no law against using mobile phones while driving, according to the WHO.
Many blame road conditions and lax enforcement of traffic rules for the fatalities.
“There is still spare capacity in the roads in Yangon, but we need better management. Death in a road accident is not due to fate, as many believe. We can act to improve road safety,” said U Aung Myint.
U Hla Thaung Myint suggested that filling stations and insurance companies could be approached to help fund MORS because it was in their interest to reduce accident rates.
U Nyan Htun Aung, Union minister for rail transportation, said the ASEAN targets will prove difficult to meet without making some adjustments.
“In Myanmar, there is no road safety fund. When a person with dependents dies, someone should think about helping them with the cost of living. We need to change attitudes and ethics, and we need to instil greater discipline” not just for drivers but for pedestrians as well, he added.
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/yangon/18229-new-group-aims-to-help-cut-myanmar-road-deaths-by-half.html
