Role
of an OT in prevention of Road Accidents
Occupational Therapist plays different roles in various application areas
of OT as a science. The need for its diversification of application is
tremendous which provoked me to explore its scope in the area of the prevention
of the disabilities. As we all know that road accidents are major causes of the
disabilities of various types ranging from total escape to falling prey to
death.
As a professional of OT, I thought that why should not I do something in
this area? It was really interesting to come on the road as a vehicular driver.
I started driving a car in Delhi Roads and could see that there was a lot to
explore and ponder upon in this area. Then question come as to how to do it. On
enquiry I came to know that I need to be trained and educated by Delhi Traffic
Police. On contacted control room of Delhi Traffic Police, I was advised by them
to seek and an appointment with DCP (Dy. Commissioner of Police (Traffic))
Delhi.
On speaking to her our famous Smt. Kiran Bedi, the then DCP (Traffic)
Delhi Police, she interviewed me about an hour or so on phone. During this
conversation on phone with her, I tried to satisfy her my association with her
dept. to work and join hands with the dept. to work in the area of prevention of
road accidents which as per there statistics annually showed that maximum deaths
were due to this reason. There own Traffic Constables were getting disabled
while they were performing their duties at Traffic intersection in Delhi, which
was a big Occupational hazard for them.
As different vehicular drivers are also getting injured during accidents,
it caused her concern to allow me to be trained for 6 days @ one hour a day from
8.00 a.m. to 9.00 a.m. This training actually taught me as to how I have to
posture for different Traffic signals, knowledge on Traffic laws, motor vehicle
act, driver behavior, speed limits, road signs, road directions, road rules,
licensing, checking and checking of the road drivers.
When this training at the traffic-training park was over, after for about
4-˝ hrs. I was shown some films on various aspects to traffic regulations,
management, signaling, negotiation of routes, driving, driver behavior etc. this
was followed by issuing me a challan book, a whistle, a badge. I was
commissioned as a traffic warden on 30.09.1982.
Since then I perform my duties as traffic warden till to date at ITO
traffic intersection, which is one of the busiest crossing in Delhi. During this
period of about 20 years or so, I have given various suggestions to Delhi
Traffic Police, which were accepted and implemented.
To
mention a few are:
a)
To include a medical certificate before issue of a driving license to
prove mental and physical fitness of the concerned to be road worthy to drive.
b)
To remove road hoardings because they divert the driver attention to
cause an accident.
c)
To curb frequent verges on the road so that linear traffic has less
accident.
d)
To have speed limits on city roads and national highways as speed
accidents were either fatal or with serious disabling disabilities to the
victim.
e)
To have overhead traffic roads marking that they are well within the view
of the driver while driving.
f)
Amended Motor Vehicle Act, which showed increase in the fine of
particular offence committed by the driver to use it as a deferent to commit
such errors in future.
g)
To have a fully equipped mobile vans with display of various aspects of
road safety rules and regulations with projection facilities in the van.
h)
To vigorously monitor traffic by celebrating different rules “week”
so that we educated road user as a driver on rules to road safety to prevent
accidents.
i)
The pedestrians educated also because they are also a sizable number to
get injured on roads due to various reasons.
j)
To educate road users to take care of themselves to prevent disabilities
on their person due to their own errors by way of programmes on AIR and
Doordarshan.
As
to how I do this, work of road safety and control, please see a video film to
this effect.
I
thank Director, IPH, New Delhi the organizing committee of AIOTA to permit me to
make my presentation here. Thanking you all for patiently listening to me, I
submit a special thanks to Delhi Traffic Police without whom this presentation
would not have been possible.