March 3, 2021
Message to Tiger Woods
Posted by Ambassador T. Brikins
I was in my
early twenties. I went partying with my boy friends. We drank many bottles of
beer mixed with a local Nigerian dry gin known variously as ‘illicit gin’ ‘ogogoro’, ‘akpetachi’, ‘number
1’, ‘ push- me- I- push- you’,’sapele water’.
Time to go home. I climbed into the Honda Civic car driver's seat with a mountainous self confidence inflated by the mixed spirits & with no strapped seat belt on & drove off. I tuned the radio & the number one selling music @ the time "sincro system” by maestro king Sunny Ade consumed the interior of the car. We sang along, clapping our palms along & stomping our feet on the car floor along. Well, did we sing along or shouted along? Our babel of inharmonious music expressing our high spirited state. But not for long.
At the
popular Ring Road also known as king's square in Benin City, Edo State,
Nigeria, I suddenly smashed on the gas
pedal. The car tyres screeched pushing every one of us forward. Then, a loud
crash of metal halted our forward motion to a standstill. Broken windscreen splinters
showered like diamond grains on our bodies. We had rammed into the boot of a
rickety cab in front of us. The dent on the cab shrunk the boot halfway of its
normal size.
We saw the
traffic police man on duty walking towards us to do his constitutional duty.
To our astonishment,
the cabbie who had alighted to survey the damage done to his cab ran
back into his cab & sped away after sighting the traffic official walking towards the accident location. Apparently, he didn’t have the required vehicular
particulars.
What really
happened beyond the physical? I had often wondered why alcohol is also called
spirit. Now among other things I guess it is so called because it performs its
duties in the unseen realm. However Proverbs 23:29-35 (KJV) explains.
29. ‘’Who has
woe?
Who has
sorrow?
Who has
strife?
Who has
complaining?
Who has
wounds without cause?
Who has
redness and dimness of eyes?
30. Those who
tarry long at the wine; those who go to seek and try mixed wine.
31. Do not
look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in wine glass, when it goes down
smoothly.
32. At the
last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder.
33. [Under
the influence of wine] your eyes will behold strange things [and loose women],
and your mind will utter things turned
the wrong way [untrue, incorrect, and petulant].
34. Yes, you
will be [as unsteady] as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, and as [open
to thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that
lieth upon the top of a mast].
35. They
have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and
I felt it not; when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
Our despising of the above wisdom had procured for me my first car accident experience. There were two other ghastly ones before I accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Saviour & Lord & drove dominion over all accidents and stopped seeking wine again.
According to the Centres for Disease Control
and Prevention CDC, ‘’Every day, 29 people in the United States die in motor
vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driving. This is one death
every 50 minutes. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than
$44 billion’’.
Thank God,
there are effective measures that can help prevent injuries and deaths from
alcohol-impaired driving.
On February 23, 2021, Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer of all times and one of the most famous athletes of all times .
He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. Woods is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time and one of the most famous athletes of all time. He has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Tiger Woods suffered ‘multiple open fractures' in a serious car crash in California. This time, it was unlike in 2017 when he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence when he was found asleep at the wheel of his car. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
He had five
prescription drugs in his system as he recovered from the spinal fusion surgery
that ultimately gave him a second golfing career.
This time Tiger
Woods’ involvement in a serious car crash in California on
Tuesday and hospitalized. Hospital chief medical officer reports of “Open
fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the right tibia and
fibula bones were stabilised"; Woods is said to be “awake, responsive and
recovering in his hospital room", a statement on the 15-time major champion's Twitter page
said.
Woods
seriously injured, confirmed details:
The accident
happened shortly after 7am Pacific Time
Woods was
driving, no passengers, no other vehicles involved
He lost
control of his car "at high speed", the vehicle rolled several times
and sustained "extensive damage"
He was
conscious and able to communicate when emergency services arrived at the scene
Firefighters
pulled Woods from the overturned car after smashing the windscreen with an axe
Woods was
taken to Harbour-UCLA Medical Centre for surgery. He suffered significant
orthopaedic injuries to his "right lower extremity"
LA County Sheriff said there was no
obvious sign that Woods was impaired by drugs or alcohol.
In
another statement posted on Woods'
Twitter, Anish Mahajan, the chief medical officer and interim CEO of
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center said: "Open fractures affecting both the upper
and lower portions of the right tibia and fibula bones were stabilised by
inserting a rod into the tibia. Additional injuries to the bones of the foot
and ankle were stabilised with a combination of screws and pins
"Trauma
to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg required surgical release of the
covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling."
The LA
County Sheriff also stated there was "no obvious sign" that Woods was
impaired by drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of the accident,
although this could not be confirmed until tests were performed by
investigators at the hospital.
Sheriff Alex
Villanueva said Woods' car was travelling at a "relatively greater speed
than normal" descending down a hill in an area notorious for a "high
frequency of accidents." There were apparently no skid marks on the road,
and it was assumed that the car hit the barrier that separated the
carriageways, colliding with a curb and a tree before coming to rest.
Approximately
1.35 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.
The2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development has set an ambitious target of halving the
global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020.
Road traffic
crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product.
More than
half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users: pedestrians,
cyclists, and motorcyclists.
93% of the
world's fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even
though these countries have approximately 60% of the world's vehicles.
Road traffic
injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29
years.
Every year
the lives of approximately 1.35 million people are cut short as a result of a
road traffic crash. Between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal
injuries, with many incurring a disability as a result of their injury.
Road traffic
injuries cause considerable economic losses to individuals, their families, and
to nations as a whole. These losses arise from the cost of treatment as well as
lost productivity for those killed or disabled by their injuries, and for
family members who need to take time off work or school to care for the
injured. Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic
product.
Who is at
risk?
Socioeconomic
status
More than
90% of road traffic deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Road
traffic injury death rates are highest in the African region. Even within
high-income countries, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more
likely to be involved in road traffic crashes.
Road traffic
injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29
years.
From a young
age, males are more likely to be involved in road traffic crashes than females.
About three quarters (73%) of all road traffic deaths occur among young males
under the age of 25 years who are almost 3 times as likely to be killed in a
road traffic crash as young females.
The Safe
System approach: accommodating human error
The Safe
System approach to road safety aims to ensure a safe transport system for all
road users. Such an approach takes into account people’s vulnerability to
serious injuries in road traffic crashes and recognizes that the system should
be designed to be forgiving of human error. The cornerstones of this approach
are safe roads and roadsides, safe speeds, safe vehicles, and safe road users,
all of which must be addressed in order to eliminate fatal crashes and reduce
serious injuries.
An increase
in average speed is directly related both to the likelihood of a crash
occurring and to the severity of the consequences of the crash. For example,
every 1% increase in mean speed produces a 4% increase in the fatal crash risk
and a 3% increase
in the
serious crash risk. The death risk for pedestrians hit by car fronts rises
rapidly (4.5 times from 50 km/h to 65 km/h)...
In
car-to-car side impacts the fatality risk for car occupants is 85% at 65 km/h.
Driving
under the influence of alcohol and other psychoactive substances
Driving
under the influence of alcohol and any psychoactive substance or drug increases
the risk of a crash that results in death or serious injuries.
In the case
of drink-driving, the risk of a road traffic crash starts at low levels of
blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and increases significantly when the driver's
BAC is ≥ 0.04 g/dl.
In the case
of drug-driving, the risk of incurring a road traffic crash is increased to
differing degrees depending on the psychoactive drug used. For example, the
risk of a fatal crash occurring among those who have used amphetamines is about
5 times the risk of someone who hasn't.
Nonuse of ,
seat-belts, and child restraints
Wearing a
seat-belt like Tiger Woods did reduces the risk of death among drivers and
front seat occupants by 45 - 50%, and the risk of death and serious injuries
among rear seat occupants by 25%.
The use of
child restraints can lead to a 60% reduction in deaths.
Distracted
driving
There are
many types of distractions that can lead to impaired driving. The distraction
caused by mobile phones is a growing concern for road safety.
Drivers
using mobile phones are approximately 4 times more likely to be involved in a
crash than drivers not using a mobile phone. Using a phone while driving slows
reaction times (notably braking reaction time, but also reaction to traffic
signals), and makes it difficult to keep in the correct lane, and to keep the
correct following distances.
Hands-free
phones are not much safer than hand-held phone sets, and texting considerably
increases the risk of a crash.
Unsafe road
infrastructure
The design
of roads can have a considerable impact on their safety. Ideally, roads should
be designed keeping in mind the safety of all road users. This would mean
making sure that there are adequate facilities for pedestrians, cyclists, and
motorcyclists. Measures such as footpaths, cycling lanes, safe crossing points,
and other traffic calming measures can be critical to reducing the risk of injury
among these road users.
Unsafe vehicles
Safe
vehicles play a critical role in averting crashes and reducing the likelihood
of serious injury. There are a number of UN regulations on vehicle safety that,
if applied to countries’ manufacturing and production standards, would
potentially save many lives. These include requiring vehicle manufacturers to
meet front and side impact regulations, to include electronic stability control
(to prevent over-steering) and to ensure airbags and seat-belts are fitted in
all vehicles. Without these basic standards the risk of traffic injuries – both
to those in the vehicle and those out of it – is considerably increased.
Inadequate post-crash care
Delays in
detecting and providing care for those involved in a road traffic crash
increase the severity of injuries. Care of injuries after a crash has occurred
is extremely time-sensitive: delays of minutes can make the difference between
life and death. Improving post-crash care requires ensuring access to timely
prehospital care, and improving the quality of both prehospital and hospital
care, such as through specialist training programmes.
Inadequate law enforcement of traffic laws
If traffic
laws on drink-driving, seat-belt wearing, speed limits, helmets, and child restraints
are not enforced, they cannot bring about the expected reduction in road
traffic fatalities and injuries related to specific behaviours. Thus, if
traffic laws are not enforced or are perceived as not being enforced it is
likely they will not be complied with and therefore will have very little
chance of influencing behaviour.
Effective enforcement includes establishing, regularly updating, and enforcing laws at the national, municipal, and local levels that address the above mentioned risk factors. It includes also the definition of appropriate penalties.
What can be done to address road traffic injuries
Road traffic
injuries can be prevented. Governments need to take action to address road
safety in a holistic manner. This requires involvement from multiple sectors
such as transport, police, health, education, and actions that address the
safety of roads, vehicles, and road users.
Effective interventions include designing safer infrastructure and incorporating road safety features into land-use and transport planning, improving the safety features of vehicles, improving post-crash care for victims of road crashes, setting and enforcing laws relating to key risks, and raising public awareness.
WHO response
Providing
technical support to countries
WHO works
across the spectrum in countries, in a multispectral manner and in partnership
with national and international stakeholders from a variety of sectors. Its
objective is to support Member States in road safety policy planning,
implementation and evaluation.
In addition, WHO collaborates with partners to provide technical support to countries. For example, WHO is currently collaborating with the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) 2015-2019 to reduce fatalities and injuries from road traffic crashes in targeted low- and middle-income countries and cities.
In 2017, WHO
released Save LIVES a road safety technical package which synthesizes
evidence-based measures that can significantly reduce road traffic fatalities
and injuries. Save LIVES: a road safety technical package focuses on Speed
management, Leadership, Infrastructure design and improvement, Vehicle safety
standards, Enforcement of traffic laws and post-crash Survival.
The package
prioritizes 6 strategies and 22 interventions addressing the risk factors
highlighted above, and provides guidance to Member States on their
implementation to save lives and meet the road safety target of halving the
global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020.
Save LIVES: a
road safety technical package
Coordinating
the Decade of Action for Road Safety
WHO is the
lead agency – in collaboration with the United Nations regional commissions –
for road safety within the UN system. WHO chairs the United Nations Road Safety
Collaboration and serves as the secretariat for the Decade of Action for Road
Safety 2011– 2020. Proclaimed through a UN General Assembly resolution in 2010,
the Decade of Action was launched in May 2011 in over 110 countries, with the
aim of saving millions of lives by implementing the Global Plan for the Decade
of Acton.
WHO also
plays a key role in guiding global efforts by continuing to advocate for road
safety at the highest political levels; compiling and disseminating good
practices in prevention, data collection and trauma care; sharing information
with the public on risks and how to reduce these risks; and drawing attention
to the need for increased funding.
Monitoring
progress through global status reports
WHO's Global status report on road safety 2018 presents information on road safety from 175 countries. This report is the fourth in a series and provides an overview of the road safety situation globally. The global status reports are the official tool for monitoring the Decade of Action.
Comment below.
You may send your email address for latest Christian View issues to weightiermatter@gmail.com.
You may also ask questions concerning Christian perspective on issues in your mind now.
No comments:
Post a Comment