bad road problems and solutions essay

Solutions to Poor Road Conditions

When you’re driving, you expect the road to be in good condition so that you don’t have any unexpected problems. But roads aren’t always properly maintained, or sometimes other factors have caused wear and poor conditions, like bad weather. These poor road conditions could lead to serious accidents.

Of course, there are solutions to poor road conditions. That way, drivers can feel safe again and know that the road beneath them is properly maintained. Let’s take a look at what are considered poor road conditions, how they can affect drivers, and the solutions that can fix and prevent hazards on the road.

What Are Poor Road Conditions?

When you hear poor road conditions, you might initially only think of potholes and bad weather. But there are other factors that play into bad roads, like the layout of streets and their accessibility for cars, bikes, and pedestrians alike. All of these factors play into how easily people can exist on these roads and how many accidents occur .

Traveling should be as easy and painless as possible for everyone on the road, which is why poor road conditions are so damaging—they create more traffic from confusing navigation as well as collisions because drivers are more preoccupied with avoiding poor conditions than actually driving. Here are some of the dangerous conditions that could be present on Maryland roads:

• Poor visibility around corners
• Narrow streets
• Poor spaces for pedestrians
• No specified crosswalks
• Lack of bike lanes or space for bikes
• Confusing signs
• Hard to spot signs
• Not enough signs
• Damaged guardrails
• Malfunctioning stoplights
• Defective railroad crossings
• Ice and snow
• Steep shoulders
• Fresh oil and chips

All of these conditions make it harder to drive your vehicle. Roads can be too cramped, have low visibility for traffic lights or around corners, have poor signage, or are just poorly laid out, and can cause you to have trouble navigating through a city or rural area.

When you are more focused on your surroundings because of poor conditions, that could cause a distracted driving accident , bike accident , or a pedestrian accident . Whereas poor road conditions that deal with the road being poorly maintained and facing hazards could lead to car accidents as well as single-vehicle accidents .

With all these dangerous conditions on the roads, it’s important to know if there are solutions that could improve roads and keep them as safe as possible. The good news is that there are.

Solutions to Those Poor Road Conditions

Below, you’ll find a list of solutions to the problem of poor road conditions. Many of these solutions will be handled by the Maryland Department of Transportation ( MDOT ) since they’re in charge of most roadways in the state, which means it will be up to them to seek out the problems and effectively fix them.

Here are some of the ways poor road conditions can be fixed and potentially prevented, depending on the condition:

• Proper city planning
• No parking within 25 feet of a corner
• Widen the street or make it one way instead
• Marked and visible pedestrian crossings
• Clear sidewalks
• Updated and visible signs
• Easily interpreted signs
• Regular road maintenance
• Repainting and repairing roads often
• Repaired railroad crossings and proper lighting
• Salted roads in winter
• Other preventative measures for bad weather
• Warning signs for construction

In cases of road hazards that can cause accidents, prevention is often the most cost-effective method for cities and states because it can deter these conditions from happening and thus cost less in repairs in the long run. Many of the solutions listed above would fall under prevention, because they would keep the conditions from happening.

Some of these measures double as solutions and prevention. Roadway repairs can be considered both because while the repair is a solution to the problem, keeping up with the repairs is a form of prevention from the condition reappearing.

Mainly, vigilance and action from MDOT are the best solutions—they enact change and keep drivers and other safe.

How to Report Dangerous Roads in Maryland

When you’ve experienced a poor road condition, whether it led to an accident or not, you should report that hazard so that it can be corrected and others don’t have the same experience. In many cases, the Maryland Department of Transportation is responsible for these roads, which means you’ll need to report the dangerous road to them.

You can find a list of different contacts within MDOT here . From there, you can determine exactly which type of issue you’re facing with this road condition and whose help you need from their list.

One of the most important things to know is if MDOT is actually responsible for that road. You can check here if MDOT is responsible for a road you’re attempting to report and have improved. If MDOT is not responsible, then you’ll likely need to inquire locally about whether the road is publicly or privately owned and who is responsible for the maintenance.

For example, in the city limits of Baltimore, their roads are maintained by the Baltimore City Department of Transportation instead of MDOT. In that case, you’ll need to contact Baltimore City DOT instead of the state.

If those conditions cause you to get into a collision of any kind and sustain injuries in Baltimore or other areas of Maryland, then you could use the help of a personal injury lawyer from Belsky & Horowitz, LLC.

Belsky & Horowitz, LLC Will Help You

When you’ve been in an accident that was caused by a dangerous condition on a road, you could use the help of one of the personal injury lawyers from our firm. There are various different types of claims you could file depending on what you experienced, which is why it is important for you to reach out to us—we’ll be able to help you determine exactly which type of claim your collision falls under.

At Belsky & Horowitz, LLC, we’re dedicated to fighting for victims and getting them justice. Reach out to our office today so we can schedule a free consultation and get started working for you right away.

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Traffic: Why It’s Getting Worse, What Government Can Do

Subscribe to the brookings metro update, anthony downs anthony downs former brookings expert.

January 1, 2004

• 17 min read
• Introduction

The Real Problem

Coping with the mobility problem, the principle of triple convergence, triple convergence and other proposals, how population growth can swamp transportation capacity, low-density settlements, possible improvements.

Rising traffic congestion is an inescapable condition in large and growing metropolitan areas across the world, from Los Angeles to Tokyo, from Cairo to Sao Paolo. Peak-hour traffic congestion is an inherent result of the way modern societies operate. It stems from the widespread desires of people to pursue certain goals that inevitably overload existing roads and transit systems every day. But everyone hates traffic congestion, and it keeps getting worse, in spite of attempted remedies.

Commuters are often frustrated by policymakers’ inability to do anything about the problem, which poses a significant public policy challenge. Although governments may never be able to eliminate road congestion, there are several ways cities and states can move to curb it.

POLICY BRIEF #128

Traffic congestion is not primarily a problem, but rather the solution to our basic mobility problem, which is that too many people want to move at the same times each day. Why? Because efficient operation of both the economy and school systems requires that people work, go to school, and even run errands during about the same hours so they can interact with each other. That basic requirement cannot be altered without crippling our economy and society. The same problem exists in every major metropolitan area in the world.

In the United States, the vast majority of people seeking to move during rush hours use private automotive vehicles, for two reasons. One is that most Americans reside in low-density areas that public transit cannot efficiently serve. The second is that privately owned vehicles are more comfortable, faster, more private, more convenient in trip timing, and more flexible for doing multiple tasks on one trip than almost any form of public transit. As household incomes rise around the world, more and more people shift from slower, less expensive modes of movement to privately owned cars and trucks.

With 87.9 percent of America’s daily commuters using private vehicles, and millions wanting to move at the same times of day, America’s basic problem is that its road system does not have the capacity to handle peak-hour loads without forcing many people to wait in line for that limited road space. Waiting in line is the definition of congestion, and the same condition is found in all growing major metropolitan regions. In fact, traffic congestion is worse in most other countries because American roads are so much better.

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There are four ways any region can try to cope with the mobility challenge. But three of them are politically impractical or physically and financially impossible in the United States.

Charging peak-hour tolls. Governments can charge people money to enter all the lanes on major commuting roads during peak hours. If tolls were set high enough and collected electronically with “smart cards,” the number of vehicles on each major road during peak hours could be reduced enough so that vehicles could move at high speeds. That would allow more people to travel per lane per hour than under current, heavily congested conditions.

Transportation economists have long been proponents of this tactic, but most Americans reject this solution politically for two reasons. Tolls would favor wealthier or subsidized drivers and harm poor ones, so most Americans would resent them, partly because they believe they would be at a disadvantage.

The second drawback is that people think these tolls would be just another tax, forcing them to pay for something they have already paid for through gasoline taxes. For both these reasons, few politicians in our democracy—and so far, anywhere else in the world—advocate this tactic. Limited road-pricing schemes that have been adopted in Singapore, Norway, and London only affect congestion in crowded downtowns, which is not the kind of congestion on major arteries that most Americans experience.

Greatly expanding road capacity. The second approach would be to build enough road capacity to handle all drivers who want to travel in peak hours at the same time without delays. But this “cure” is totally impractical and prohibitively expensive. Governments would have to widen all major commuting roads by demolishing millions of buildings, cutting down trees, and turning most of every metropolitan region into a giant concrete slab. Those roads would then be grossly underutilized during non-peak hours. There are many occasions when adding more road capacity is a good idea, but no large region can afford to build enough to completely eliminate peak-hour congestion.

Greatly expanding public transit capacity. The third approach would be to expand public transit capacity enough to shift so many people from cars to transit that there would be no more excess demand for roads during peak hours. But in the United States in 2000, only 4.7 percent of all commuters traveled by public transit. (Outside of New York City, only 3.5 percent use transit and 89.3 percent use private vehicles.) A major reason is that most transit commuting is concentrated in a few large, densely settled regions with extensive fixed-rail transit systems. The nine U.S. metropolitan areas with the most daily transit commuters, when taken together, account for 61 percent of all U.S. transit commuting, though they contain only 17 percent of the total population. Within those regions, transit commuters are 17 percent of all commuters, but elsewhere, transit carries only 2.4 percent of all commuters, and less than one percent in many low-density regions.

Even if America’s existing transit capacity were tripled and fully utilized, morning peak-hour transit travel would rise to 11.0 percent of all morning trips. But that would reduce all morning private vehicle trips by only 8.0 percent—certainly progress, but hardly enough to end congestion—and tripling public transit capacity would be extremely costly. There are many good reasons to expand the nation’s public transit systems to aid mobility, but doing so will not notably reduce either existing or future peak-hour traffic congestion.

Living with congestion. This is the sole viable option. The only feasible way to accommodate excess demand for roads during peak periods is to have people wait in line. That means traffic congestion, which is an absolutely essential mechanism for American regions—and most other metropolitan regions throughout the world—to cope with excess demands for road space during peak hours each day.

Although congestion can seem intolerable, the alternatives would be even worse. Peak-hour congestion is the balancing mechanism that makes it possible for Americans to pursue other goals they value, including working or sending their children to school at the same time as their peers, living in low-density settlements, and having a wide choice of places to live and work.

The least understood aspect of peak-hour traffic congestion is the principle of triple convergence, which I discussed in the original version of Stuck in Traffic (Brookings/Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 1992). This phenomenon occurs because traffic flows in any region’s overall transportation networks form almost automatically self-adjusting relationships among different routes, times, and modes. For example, a major commuting expressway might be so heavily congested each morning that traffic crawls for at least thirty minutes. If that expressway’s capacity were doubled overnight, the next day’s traffic would flow rapidly because the same number of drivers would have twice as much road space. But soon word would spread that this particular highway was no longer congested. Drivers who had once used that road before and after the peak hour to avoid congestion would shift back into the peak period. Other drivers who had been using alternative routes would shift onto this more convenient expressway. Even some commuters who had been using the subway or trains would start driving on this road during peak periods. Within a short time, this triple convergence onto the expanded road during peak hours would make the road as congested as it was before its expansion.

Experience shows that if a road is part of a larger transportation network within a region, peak-hour congestion cannot be eliminated for long on a congested road by expanding that road’s capacity.

The triple convergence principle does not mean that expanding a congested road’s capacity has no benefits. After expansion, the road can carry more vehicles per hour than before, no matter how congested it is, so more people can travel on it during those more desirable periods. Also, the periods of maximum congestion may be shorter, and congestion on alternative routes may be lower. Those are all benefits, but that road will still experience some period of maximum congestion daily.

Triple convergence affects the practicality of other suggested remedies to traffic congestion. An example is staggered work hours. In theory, if a certain number of workers are able to commute during less crowded parts of the day, that will free up space on formerly congested roads. But once traffic moves faster on those roads during peak hours, that will attract other drivers from other routes, other times, and other modes where conditions have not changed to shift onto the improved roads. Soon the removal of the staggered-working-hour drivers will be fully offset by convergence.

The same thing will happen if more workers become telecommuters and work at home, or if public transit capacity is expanded on off-road routes that parallel a congested expressway. This is why building light rail systems or even new subways rarely reduces peak-hour traffic congestion. In Portland, where the light rail system doubled in size in the 1990s, and in Dallas, where a new light rail system opened, congestion did not decline for long after these systems were up and running. Only road pricing or higher gasoline taxes are exempt from the principle of triple convergence.

A ground transportation system’s equilibria can also be affected by big changes in the region’s population or economic activity. If a region’s population is growing rapidly, as in Southern California or Florida, any expansions of major expressway capacity may soon be swamped by more vehicles generated by the added population. This result is strengthened because America’s vehicle population has been increasing even faster than its human population. From 1980 to 2000, 1.2 more automotive vehicles were added to the vehicle population of the United States for every 1.0 person added to the human population (though this ratio declined to 1 to 1 in the 1990s). The nation’s human population is expected to grow by around 60 million by 2020—possibly adding another 60 million vehicles to our national stock. That is why prospects for reducing peak-hour traffic congestion in the future are dim indeed.

Shifts in economic activity also affect regional congestion. During the internet and telecommunications boom of the late 1990s, congestion in the San Francisco Bay Area intensified immensely. After the economic “bubble” burst in 2000, congestion fell markedly without any major change in population. Thus, severe congestion can be a sign of strong regional prosperity, just as reduced congestion can signal an economic downturn.

The most obvious reason traffic congestion has increased everywhere is population growth. In a wealthy nation, more people means more vehicles. But total vehicle mileage traveled has grown much faster than population. From 1980 to 2000, the total population of the United States rose 24 percent, but total vehicle miles traveled grew 80 percent because of more intensive use of each vehicle. The number of vehicles per 1,000 persons rose 14 percent and the number of miles driven per vehicle rose 24 percent. Even without any population gain in those two decades, miles driven would have risen 47 percent.

One reason people drove their vehicles farther is that a combination of declining real gas prices (corrected for inflation) and more miles per gallon caused the real cost of each mile driven to fall 54 percent from 1980 to 2000. That helped raise the fraction of U.S. households owning cars from 86 percent in 1983 to 92 percent in 1995.

Furthermore, American road building lagged far behind increases in vehicle travel. Urban lane-miles rose by 37 percent versus an 80 percent increase in miles traveled. As a result, the amount of daily traffic that was congested in the 75 areas analyzed in studies by the Texas Transportation Institute went from 16 percent in 1982 to 34 percent in 2001.

Another factor in road congestion is accidents and incidents, which some experts believe cause half of all traffic congestion. From 1980 to 2000, the absolute number of accidents each year has remained amazingly constant, and the annual number of traffic deaths in the United States fell 18 percent, in spite of the great rise in vehicle miles traveled. So accidents could only have caused more congestion because roads were more crowded, and each accident may now cause longer back-ups than before.

Incidents are non-accident causes of delay, such as stalled cars, road repairs, overturned vehicles, and bad weather. No one knows how many incidents occur, but it is a much greater number than accidents. And the number of incidents probably rises along with total driving. So that could have added to greater congestion, and will in the future.

Another crucial factor contributing to traffic congestion is the desire of most Americans to live in low-density settlements. In 1999, the National Association of Homebuilders asked 2,000 randomly-selected households whether they would rather buy a $150,000 townhouse in an urban setting that was close to public transportation, work, and shopping or a larger, detached single-family home in an outlying suburban area, where distances to work, public transportation, and shopping were longer. Eighty-three percent of respondents chose the larger, farther-out suburban home. At the same time, new workplaces have been spreading out in low-density areas in most metropolitan regions.

Past studies, including one published in 1977 by Boris S. Pushkarev and Jeffery M. Zupan, have shown that public transit works best where gross residential densities are above 4,200 persons per square mile; relatively dense housing is clustered close to transit stations or stops; and large numbers of jobs are concentrated in relatively compact business districts.

But in 2000, at least two thirds of all residents of U.S. urbanized areas lived in settlements with densities of under 4,000 persons per square mile. Those densities are too low for public transit to be effective. Hence their residents are compelled to rely on private vehicles for almost all of their travel, including trips during peak hours.

Recognizing this situation, many opponents of “sprawl” call for strong urban growth boundaries to constrain future growth into more compact, higher-density patterns, including greater reinvestment and increased densities in existing neighborhoods. But most residents of those neighborhoods vehemently oppose raising densities, and most American regions already have densities far too low to support much public transit. So this strategy would not reduce future traffic congestion much.

While it’s practically impossible to eliminate congestion, there are several ways to slow its future rate of increase:

Create High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. Peak-hour road pricing would not be politically feasible if policymakers put tolls on all major commuter lanes, but HOT lanes can increase traveler choices by adding new toll lanes to existing expressways, or converting underused high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to HOT lanes, and leaving present conventional lanes without tolls. True, HOT lanes do not eliminate congestion. But they allow anyone who needs to move fast on any given day to do so, without forcing all low-income drivers off those same roads during peak periods. In some regions, whole networks of HOT lanes could both add to overall capacity and make high-speed choices always available to thousands of people in a hurry.

Respond more rapidly to traffic-blocking accidents and incidents. Removing accidents and incidents from major roads faster by using roving service vehicles run by government-run Traffic Management Centers equipped with television and electronic surveillance of road conditions is an excellent tactic for reducing congestion delays.

Build more roads in growing areas. Opponents of building more roads claim that we cannot build our way out of congestion because more highway capacity will simply attract more travelers. Due to triple convergence, that criticism is true for established roads that are already overcrowded. But the large projected growth of the U.S. population surely means that we will need a lot more road and lane mileage in peripheral areas.

Install ramp-metering. This means letting vehicles enter expressways only gradually. It has improved freeway speed during peak hours in both Seattle and the Twin Cities, and could be much more widely used.

Use Intelligent Transportation System devices to speed traffic flows. These devices include electronic coordination of signal lights on local streets, large variable signs informing drivers of traffic conditions ahead, one-way street patterns, Global Positioning System equipment in cars and trucks, and radio broadcasts of current road conditions. These technologies exist now and can be effective on local streets and arteries and informative on expressways.

Create more HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes. HOV lanes have proven successful in many areas such as Houston. More regions could use HOV lanes effectively if there were more lanes built for that purpose, rather than trying to convert existing ones. Merely converting existing lanes would reduce overall road capacity.

Adopt “parking cash-out” programs. Demonstration programs have shown that if firms offer to pay persons now receiving free employee parking a stipend for shifting to carpooling or transit, significant percentages will do so. That could reduce the number of cars on the road. However, this tactic does not prevent the offsetting consequences of triple convergence.

Restrict very low-density peripheral development. Urban growth boundaries that severely constrain all far-out suburban development will not reduce future congestion much, especially in fast-growing regions. And such boundaries may drive up peripheral housing prices. But requiring at least moderate residential densities—say, 3,500 persons per square mile (4.38 units per net acre)—in new growth areas could greatly reduce peripheral driving, compared to permitting very low densities there, which tend to push growth out ever farther. In 2000, thirty-six urbanized areas had fringe area densities of 3,500 or more. Those thirty-six urbanized areas contained 18.2 percent of all persons living in all 476 U.S. urbanized areas.

Cluster high-density housing around transit stops. Such Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) would permit more residents to commute by walking to transit, thereby decreasing the number of private vehicles on the roads. However, the potential of this tactic is limited. In order to shift a significant percentage of auto commuters to transit, the number of such “transit circles” within each region would have to be very large, the density within each circle would have to be much greater than the average central city density in America’s fifty largest urbanized areas, and the percentage of workers living in the TODs who commuted by transit would have to greatly exceed the 10.5 percent average for central cities in 2000. Even so, developing many of these high-density clusters might make public transit service more feasible to many more parts of large regions.

Give regional transportation authorities more power and resources. Congress has created Metropolitan Planning Organizations to coordinate ground transportation planning over all modes in each region. If these were given more technical assistance and power, more rational systems could be created. Without much more regionally focused planning over land uses as well as transportation, few anti-congestion tactics will work effectively.

Raise gasoline taxes. Raising gas taxes would notably slow the rate of increase of all automotive travel, not just peak-hour commuting. But Congress has refused to consider it because it is politically unpopular and fought by industry lobbyists. Despite Americans’ vocal complaints about congestion, they do not want to pay much to combat it.

Peak-hour traffic congestion in almost all large and growing metropolitan regions around the world is here to stay. In fact, it is almost certain to get worse during at least the next few decades, mainly because of rising populations and wealth. This will be true no matter what public and private policies are adopted to combat congestion.

But this outcome should not be regarded as a mark of social failure or misguided policies. In fact, traffic congestion often results from economic prosperity and other types of success.

Although traffic congestion is inevitable, there are ways to slow the rate at which it intensifies. Several tactics could do that effectively, especially if used in concert, but nothing can eliminate peak-hour traffic congestion from large metropolitan regions here and around the world. Only serious economic recessions—which are hardly desirable—can even forestall an increase.

For the time being, the only relief for traffic-plagued commuters is a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle with a well-equipped stereo system, a hands-free telephone, and a daily commute with someone they like.

Congestion has become part of commuters’ daily leisure time, and it promises to stay that way.

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No More Traffic Jams

       There is nothing worse than being trapped in your car, waiting in the middle of a traffic jam. It is frustrating, knowing that there is nothing you can do and that you are going to be late to work. Traffic jams often occur during rush hour or right after a large event because there are more cars on the road than normal. Traffic jams can also be caused by car accidents or road construction. They usually occur on major roads that many people use to travel to work or school. Traffic jams are a problem because they make people late for work or school, they can cause car accidents, and they are frustrating. How can we reduce the number of traffic jams? Possible solutions include carpooling or using public transportation. The best way to solve traffic jams is by using public transportation because it will be efficient, economical, and reliable.

       First, using public transportation is efficient. A bus is a very efficient way to move lots of people from one place to another using only one vehicle. Instead of having one vehicle for each person on the road, busses take many cars off the road as people ride together. Trains are even more efficient at reducing the number of cars on the road. Because trains have their own dedicated rail system to get people around, all of the cars are eliminated without adding any more traffic to the roads. Not only are busses and trains more efficient at carrying passengers, but time spent on a bus or a train is more efficient for the passenger. This encourages more people to use public transportation. It is easy to see how efficient public transportation is and the impact that it has on reducing traffic.

       Another reason that public transportation is the best solution to traffic jams is because it is so economical. People want to use public transportation instead of driving their own car because they can save money. Public transportation usually does not cost very much, especially for people who use it often. There are discounts for seniors and students, which makes it an even more economical way for these groups to travel around town. Using public transportation also eliminates the need to pay for parking, car insurance, and car maintenance, not to mention gasoline. All of the expenses related to owning a car are replaced with one simple fare. Because it is so economical, public transportation is a good solution to traffic jams by encouraging more people to travel together and reduce the number of cars on the road.

       Finally, public transportation is the best solution because it is reliable. Many people set up carpools to reduce traffic, but this is only a temporary solution. Every time someone has a change in their schedule, the carpool needs to be adjusted. For example, if someone has to go to the doctor or sleeps in, the carpool will not work that day. If someone changes jobs or transfers to a new school, the carpool will need to be adjusted again. Public transportation, on the other hand, is more reliable. The bus and train schedules don’t change every time that one rider needs to go to the doctor. The schedules are set and people can plan on them. People who use public transportation will find that it is reliable and can help limit the number of cars on the road.

       Because it is efficient, economical, and reliable, public transportation is the best way to reduce the number of traffic jams. There are other possible ways to address this problem, but using public transportation is clearly the best. Traffic jams during very busy hours on the road can be reduced and more people can get to work on time and avoid the frustration caused by sitting in the middle of a long line of cars. Cities and governments should consider ways to improve their public transportation system and encourage more people to use it. If they do, they will surely see fewer traffic jams on their roads and much happier drivers.

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15 Solutions To Road Accidents | Ways To Reduce Accidents

Every year, countless lives are impacted by road accidents, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to enhance road safety. Whether you’re a seasoned driver or a pedestrian navigating busy streets, road accidents can happen to anyone. The statistics are sobering – a startling number of injuries, casualties, and fatalities occur due to accidents that could often be prevented. This pressing issue calls for a collective effort to implement effective solutions that mitigate risks and create safer road environments for everyone.

In this blog, we delve into 15 crucial solutions to reduce road accidents and enhance road safety. From education and enforcement to technological advancements and community engagement, each solution plays a vital role in addressing different aspects of accident prevention. These strategies are not just theoretical concepts; they hold the potential to make a tangible impact on the lives of countless road users.

Join us as we explore these solutions encompassing various approaches, from educating individuals about responsible road behavior to implementing advanced technologies that streamline traffic flow. By understanding and implementing these solutions, we can collectively reduce accidents and create a road culture that prioritizes safety above all else.

Preventing road accidents is crucial for the safety of all road users. Here are 15 solutions to help reduce accidents and improve road safety:

1. Education and Awareness Campaigns

Launching comprehensive education and awareness campaigns is essential to foster a culture of road safety. These campaigns should target all road users, including drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. They should emphasize the importance of understanding and following road safety rules, recognizing potential hazards, and practicing responsible road behavior. Through these campaigns, individuals can become more aware of their role in preventing accidents and minimizing risks.

2. Strict Law Enforcement

Enforcing traffic rules and regulations is a critical aspect of accident prevention. Stringent enforcement sends a clear message that violations will not be tolerated. Penalties for speeding, reckless driving, driving under the influence (DUI), and failure to wear seatbelts must be consistently applied. This discourages dangerous behavior and instills a sense of accountability among road users, leading to safer road practices.

3. Advanced Driver Training

Introducing advanced driver training programs goes beyond basic driving skills. These courses enhance drivers’ abilities to anticipate and react to potential hazards. Techniques such as defensive driving, maneuvering in challenging situations, and understanding the limitations of vehicles can significantly reduce the risk of accidents. Equipping drivers with these skills makes them better able to navigate complex traffic scenarios safely.

4. Improved Infrastructure

Investing in well-designed infrastructure is crucial for accident prevention. Roads should be designed with safety in mind, incorporating features such as proper signage, clear road markings, and well-lit streets. Adequate pedestrian crossings, pedestrian-friendly pathways, and designated cycling lanes create a safer environment for vulnerable road users. Properly designed infrastructure reduces confusion, minimizes conflicts, and mitigates the likelihood of accidents caused by inadequate road layouts.

5. Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety

Prioritizing the safety of pedestrians and cyclists is essential to reduce accidents involving these vulnerable road users. Designing and implementing dedicated lanes and crossings for pedestrians and cyclists provides them with safe spaces to travel. Simultaneously, public awareness campaigns can educate pedestrians and cyclists about their rights and responsibilities on the road. Encouraging mutual respect and understanding among all road users fosters a harmonious coexistence and reduces the risk of accidents.

6. Speed Limit Control

Implementing and enforcing appropriate speed limits is crucial in reducing accidents caused by excessive speed. Speed limits should be determined based on road conditions, population density, and safety requirements. High-traffic areas, residential zones, and areas with pedestrian activity should have lower speed limits to ensure the safety of all road users. Enforcing these speed limits through regular patrolling, speed cameras, and penalties for violations encourages drivers to adhere to safe speeds, reducing the severity and likelihood of accidents.

7. Intersection Management

Improving the design of intersections plays a pivotal role in minimizing collisions at junctions. One effective solution is the installation of roundabouts, which promote a smoother flow of traffic and reduce the risk of high-speed collisions. Optimizing traffic flow at intersections involves well-marked lanes, clear signage, and synchronized traffic lights. By enhancing visibility, reducing blind spots, and promoting orderly lane changes, intersections become safer for all vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.

8. Distracted Driving Laws

Enacting and enforcing laws against distracted driving, particularly the use of mobile phones , is essential to combat the rising number of accidents caused by drivers not fully focused on the road. Such laws prohibit using handheld devices while driving, including texting, calling, or browsing. By creating strict penalties for violations and conducting awareness campaigns about the dangers of distracted driving, drivers are encouraged to prioritize their attention on the road, reducing the risk of accidents.

9. Seatbelt Enforcement

Stricter enforcement of seatbelt laws is a fundamental aspect of ensuring road safety. Seatbelts are proven to save lives and minimize injuries in an accident. Regular seatbelt usage campaigns can emphasize their importance and the legal requirement to wear them to encourage compliance. Law enforcement agencies should consistently enforce seatbelt laws and issue fines for non-compliance. By making seatbelt usage a non-negotiable habit, the risk of severe injuries and fatalities in accidents can be significantly reduced.

10. Regular Vehicle Inspections

Mandating periodic vehicle inspections is vital to ensure that all vehicles on the road meet safety standards and are roadworthy. These inspections assess crucial components such as brakes, tires, lights, and emissions. By identifying and rectifying potential safety hazards, vehicle inspections contribute to preventing accidents caused by mechanical failures. Such inspections can also help drivers stay informed about their vehicle’s condition and address any issues promptly, promoting safer road experiences for all.

11. Drunk Driving Prevention

Implementing sobriety checkpoints is an effective strategy to deter and catch drivers operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol. These checkpoints involve law enforcement officers stopping vehicles to conduct tests for alcohol impairment. Coupled with this, awareness campaigns should promote responsible drinking habits and the dangers of intoxicated driving. By combining enforcement with education, communities can curb accidents caused by impaired driving. Preventing drunk driving saves lives and ensures the safety of all road users.

12. Smart Traffic Management

Leveraging technology for smart traffic management offers a proactive approach to accident prevention. Traffic cameras, sensors, and real-time traffic data can monitor traffic flow, congestion points, and unusual patterns. With this data, authorities can adjust traffic signal timing, redirect traffic, and implement diversions to reduce congestion and the risk of accidents. Smart traffic management also enhances emergency response times, ensuring prompt assistance in case of accidents or road incidents.

Also Read: Workplace Accident Report | Which Key Information To Include

13. Strict Helmet Laws

Enforcing helmet laws for motorcyclists and cyclists is crucial to protect vulnerable road users from head injuries and fatalities in two-wheeler accidents. Helmets are proven to reduce the severity of head injuries significantly. Stricter enforcement of helmet laws ensures that riders prioritize safety. Awareness campaigns can educate riders about the importance of helmets and their role in preventing life-threatening injuries. By making helmet usage mandatory and promoting its significance, communities can enhance road safety for motorcyclists and cyclists.

14. Public Transportation Enhancement

Developing and promoting reliable public transportation systems offers a sustainable solution to reducing overall traffic volume. Well-connected and efficient public transportation encourages people to opt for safer alternatives to personal vehicles, especially for daily commutes. Enhanced public transportation systems also alleviate traffic congestion, leading to fewer accidents caused by traffic jams. By making public transport accessible, convenient, and affordable, communities can encourage a shift toward safer modes of travel.

15. Community Engagement

Involving local communities, schools, and organizations in road safety initiatives creates a shared responsibility for road safety. Community engagement can include workshops, seminars, and awareness campaigns that educate individuals about safe road behaviors. Schools can integrate road safety education into their curriculum, fostering responsible road habits from a young age. When communities actively promote road safety, a collective effort is formed to prevent accidents, encourage adherence to rules, and prioritize the well-being of all road users.

In road safety, knowledge is power, and proactive measures are key to preventing accidents. The 15 solutions we’ve explored here are not merely theoretical concepts; they are practical steps that communities, authorities, and individuals can take to significantly reduce the occurrence of road accidents.

Every solution contributes to a safer road environment, from education campaigns that instill responsible road behavior to stricter law enforcement that deters risky actions. Advanced driver training equips individuals with the skills to navigate challenging situations, while improved infrastructure ensures roads are designed with safety in mind.

The importance of pedestrian and cyclist safety, preventing distracted and drunk driving, and enforcing seatbelt and helmet laws cannot be overstated. By embracing technology through smart traffic management and advocating for reliable public transportation, we can collectively reduce traffic volume and congestion – both contributors to accidents.

Above all, community engagement cements road safety as a shared responsibility. Involving local communities, schools, and organizations cultivates a culture where road safety concerns everyone. Through these collaborative efforts, we can create an environment where accidents become increasingly rare occurrences.

As we conclude this exploration of 15 solutions to road accidents, let’s remember that the choices we make on the road hold the potential to save lives and spare countless families from the pain of loss. By prioritizing road safety, we can build a future where accidents are minimized and every journey becomes a safer, more enjoyable experience for all.

How to Write an Essay on Transportation Problems

Examples of Proposal Arguments

Writing an essay on transportation problems is a generally easy and simple task. When writing your essay, it is very important to be clear about what your transportation problem is and what suggestions and/or solutions that you may have. Providing a good example of your transportation problem is also a must, as it will help your reader understand your frustrations. An essay that has clarity and examples makes a convincing read.

Writing an Essay on Transportation Problems

Construct and develop your thesis for your essay on transportation problems. You can place the thesis in the beginning of your opening paragraph, in the middle or use it as your last sentence. Your thesis should be the main emphasis of your essay and reflect its main idea. For instance, if your essay is dealing with transportation problems at a busy intersection, your thesis could be that the busy intersection is dangerous and that a traffic light needs to be installed for safety concerns. Your thesis can really be anything you want it to be, as long as it is relevant to your transportation problems essay.

Write the body paragraphs of your transportation essay using pertinent examples regarding your transportation problems. There is no better way to help convince your reader of your point than by providing relevant examples, especially regarding transportation problems. Most drivers have been annoyed by transportation issues, whether they were construction delays, dangerous intersections, heavy traffic or bad drivers. It is important to provide good examples in your essay so you can illustrate your perspective. You might want to support your thesis with information from your local, state or federal transportation departments.

Write the conclusion of your essay using your suggestions for improving the transportation problems highlighted in your essay. The conclusion is important, as you want to leave the reader with a good impression. By incorporating your ideas into the conclusion, the reader will be impressed with your proposed transportation improvements, which will help make your essay stand out. The conclusion will, ideally, be supportive of your thesis and help tie the essay together.

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What are some known solutions to risky driving?

Road safety depends on the drivers’ good judgment and a reduced willingness to take risks, which, like most habits, develop over time. Anything that improves road safety for all drivers improves safety for young drivers. Some strategies are designed specifically for young drivers to limit exposure to risk while they are developing good judgment and safe driving habits.

Road Safety Strategies Specific for Teenage Drivers

Graduated licensing laws.

Laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia establish graduated licensing requirements for new drivers. Specific requirements vary from state to state, but each licensing program has three stages 1 :

• Learner stage. In most states, drivers in this stage must always be supervised by an adult. At the end of the learner stage, the driver must pass a test to move to the next stage.
• Intermediate stage. Laws during this stage establish a minimum age requirement and place restrictions on nighttime driving and the number of passengers.
• Full privilege stage. Laws mandate a minimum age, usually 18, for unrestricted driving.

The number of car crashes decreased in states with stronger licensing programs, particularly those with more restrictions. 2

The most effective legislation has at least five of the following seven elements:

• A minimum age of 16 for the learner’s permit
• A restriction requiring a young driver to have a learner’s permit for at least 6 months before they could apply for a provisional license
• A requirement for 50 to 100 hours of supervised driving
• A minimum age of 17 for an intermediate stage license
• Restrictions on driving at night
• A limit on the number of teenage passengers allowed in the car
• A minimum age of 18 for a full-privilege license 3

Parents play an important role in the success of graduated licensing. They can determine when teens may test for a learner’s permit or a license. They may also supervise practice driving for the provisional driver. In addition, they can help enforce certain conditions, such as no driving at night. Research shows that in families where parents impose stricter limits, teens are less likely to exhibit risky driving behavior. 4

Checkpoints Program

With a driving agreement, the parent and teen establish a “checkpoint” in 1 month. At that point, they will assess the new driver’s comfort level with driving on local roads in different situations. In the first checkpoint, these include situations in daylight, when roads are dry, and with no other passenger in the car. After each additional checkpoint, the parent agrees to remove restrictions as long as the teen demonstrates good driving judgment. In addition, the parent commits to providing the teen rides as needed until all of the checkpoints are achieved.

Road Safety Strategies for All Drivers

Preventing distracted driving.

Inattention is a leading cause of crashes. Anything that takes a driver’s attention from the road, including dialing, texting, and adjusting cell phones and other electronic devices, increases the risk of car crashes. In addition, tasks that require thought reduce the driver’s ability to identify and react to potential road hazards. Currently, 31 states ban all cell phone use by novice drivers. Only 10 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands ban the use of handheld cell phones by drivers of all ages. In all but two of these states, the use of the phone alone is sufficient for a police officer to stop a driver. Texting while driving is now banned in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam. 6

In addition to laws regulating the use of cell phones and other electronic devices, general improvements in the driving environment can reduce crash rates. These include 7 :

• “Rumble strips” (strips of ridged pavement that cause rumbling when driven over) on both the centerline and shoulders of the road
• Wide and visible edge lines
• Easily visible road signs
• Better lighting at night

Countering Speeding and Risky Driving

More than half of fatal crashes involve risky driving, with speeding being the most common factor. 6 Strategies to combat these problems fall into four categories:

• Laws. Speed limit laws are effective when they are enforced. Laws that target aggressive or risky driving are not considered effective and are not used frequently.
• Enforcement. Automated enforcement, such as speed cameras, can effectively reduce speeding and crash prevalence. Other types of enforcement, even high-visibility police enforcement, are only moderately effective.
• Penalties and adjudication. These strategies work only moderately well at best.
• Communications and outreach. Public information campaigns on enforcement are effective, but the costs can be high.

Use of Safety Belts

Seat belts protect drivers as well as passengers from injury and death. When worn by some in the front seat, a safety belt reduces fatal injuries by more than half. 8 In vehicles with both safety belts and air bags, both safety features are more effective when used together. 9 Thanks to these and other safety features, passenger vehicles are safer now than they’ve ever been, and injuries from serious crashes are less severe now than they used to be. 10

The use of safety belts is at an all-time high; however, teenage drivers are less likely to use them than adult drivers. 9 , 11

As of September 2013, 33 states and the District of Columbia allow officers to stop a driver solely for violation of a safety belt use law. In 16 states, officials can cite violators only when they are stopped for some other traffic violation. One state has no requirement for safety belt use. 8

In addition to enforcing safety belt laws, the  Click It or Ticket campaign spreads awareness of the importance of wearing seat belts and is effective in increasing safety belt use. Safety belt use is highest in states that allow officers to stop a driver solely for violating safety belt laws and that publicize their enforcement of these laws. 8

Preventing Drinking and Driving

Drinking and driving has declined greatly in the past decade. In combination with the approaches below, social norms about the acceptability of drinking and driving have changed due to public information campaigns. However, drinking and driving and drinking and riding remain high among teenagers. 12 The following three approaches can help prevent people from drinking and driving:

• Sobriety checkpoints.  These checkpoints give police officers the chance to judge whether a driver is under the influence of alcohol and test the blood alcohol level of an individual if they show signs of intoxication. Expanded use of such checkpoints could save 1,500 to 3,000 lives each year.
• Minimum legal drinking age laws. These laws dramatically lowered the rate of teens driving while intoxicated. Keeping the legal drinking age at 21 and enforcing it helps prevent young, inexperienced drivers from drinking and driving. 13
• Driving-prevention devices. Devices called “ignition interlocks” can be installed in cars to prevent them from starting when the driver’s blood alcohol level exceeds the limit. These devices are used to prevent drivers convicted of alcohol-impaired driving from drinking and driving. Studies show they reduce re-arrest rates for drinking and driving by about two-thirds. 14
• Shope, J. T., Molnar, & L. J. (2003, January). Graduated driver licensing in the United States: Evaluation results from the early programs. Journal of Safety Research; 34 (1), 63–69. Retrieved June 29, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12535907
• Simons-Morton, B. (2007). Parent involvement in novice teen driving: Rationale, evidence of effects, and potential for enhancing graduated driver licensing effectiveness. Journal of Safety Research, 38, 193–202. Retrieved June 29, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2563441/
• NICHD. (2011, November 4). Graduated drivers licensing programs reduce fatal teen crashes [NIH News release]. Retrieved May 6, 2012, from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/newsroom/releases/110411-graduated-licensing
• Kelley-Baker, T., & Romano, E. (2010). Female involvement in U.S. nonfatal crashes under a three-level hierarchical crash model. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 42 (6), 2007–2012.
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). (2023 ). Countermeasures that work: A highway safety countermeasure guide for state highway safety offices (10 th ed.) (NHTSA Publication No. DOT HS 811 620). Retrieved December 20, 2023, from https://www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures/countermeasures-that-work
• NHTSA. (2013). Occupant protection. Traffic Safety Facts: 2011 Data (NHTSA Publication No. DOT HS 811 729). Retrieved September 19, 2013, from https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/811729 (PDF 843 KB)
• García-España, J. F., Winston, F. K., & Durbin, D. R. (2012). Safety belt laws and disparities in safety belt use among U.S. high-school drivers. American Journal of Public Health 102 (6), 1128–1134. PMID: 22515851
• Li, K. -G., Simons-Morton, B. G., & Hingson, R. (in press). Impaired driving prevalence among U.S. high school students: Associations with substance use and risky driving behaviors. American Journal of Public Health .
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2023 ). Get the facts about underage drinking. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/underage-drinking
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Drinking and driving: A threat to everyone. Retrieved May 4, 2012, from https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/pdf/2011-10-vitalsigns.pdf (PDF 2.03 MB)

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Critical Issues in Transportation 2019

Policy snapshot.

INTRODUCTION

Driverless cars maneuvering through city streets. Commercial drones airlifting packages. Computer-captained ships navigating the high seas. Revolutionary changes in technology are taking us to the threshold of a bold and unprecedented era in transportation.

These technologies promise improvements in mobility, safety, efficiency, and convenience, but do not guarantee them. Will the technological revolution reduce congestion, fuel use, and pollution or make them worse by encouraging more personal trips and more frequent freight shipments?

The transportation sector also faces other unprecedented challenges. It needs to (1) sharply curb greenhouse gas emissions to slow the rate of climate change and (2) respond to more climate-related extreme weather. It must serve a growing population and cope with worsening highway congestion. It needs to maintain and upgrade a massive system of roads, bridges, ports, waterways, airports, and public transit and determine how to pay for those improvements. The transportation sector also needs to adapt to shifts in trade, energy, and funding sources that affect all modes of transportation. How will these challenges affect the transportation systems on which consumers and the economy depend?

The answers to these and other questions are critically important. Transportation plays a central role in society and the economy but is frequently taken for granted. Reflect, though, on how much you depend on reliable and affordable transportation to access work, friends and family, recreation, shopping, and worship. Then visualize the transportation networks needed for the daily movement of hundreds of millions of vehicles, ships, planes, and trains to satisfy both personal needs and commercial demands. These networks are enormous and complex. The transportation systems the economy and lifestyles rely on may be challenged dramatically in the coming decades in ways that cannot always be anticipated.

A national conversation among policy makers and citizens about how the country should respond to these challenges is urgently needed. Stakeholders need to debate, discuss, and analyze how transportation can evolve to meet growing and evolving needs and adapt to changes in society, technology, the environment, and public policy.

To spur that conversation, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) identified and organized an array of important issues under 12 key topics. In each of these areas, TRB posed a series of crucial questions to help guide thinking, debate, and discovery during the next 5 to 10 years. These 12 topics are neither comprehensive nor mutually exclusive, and no one can know how the future will unfold. But TRB thinks that asking the right questions, even if they cannot be fully answered, helps to motivate the analysis, discussion, and debate required to prepare for the potentially unprecedented changes ahead. This document is an abbreviated version of a more thorough discussion of the critical issues in transportation. It can be accessed at https://www.nap.edu/download/25314 .

Transformational Technologies and Services: Steering the Technology Revolution

All around the globe, companies are testing automated cars, trucks, ships, and aircraft. Pilot vehicles are already in operation. Some products are almost certain to enter the marketplace in the next few years. Driverless vehicles equipped with artificial intelligence may revolutionize transportation. Perhaps even sooner, vehicles connected to one another with advanced high-speed communication technologies may greatly reduce crashes How will vehicle automation—along with connected vehicles and shared ride, car, bike, and scooter services—transform society? These revolutionary technologies and services can potentially speed deliveries, prevent crashes, and ease traffic congestion and pollution. But they could also cause more congestion and more pollution and exacerbate sprawl and inequity. How do we determine and guide, as necessary, the direction of these changes? How the future unfolds depends on which technologies and services consumers and businesses embrace and how policy makers respond. While we do not know what the future will bring, the changes could be momentous. For example, if we encourage people to pool rides in driverless electric cars, we could see the service, cost, and environment improve. What policies would best reduce traffic congestion and emissions and improve accessibility for the disabled, elderly, and economically disadvantaged? How do we benefit most from the advent of connected and automated vehicles and potentially transformative transportation services?.

Serving a Growing and Shifting Population

The U.S. population is expected to grow about 1 percent annually, with highway use increasing similarly. But this growth will not be spread evenly across the country. Urban areas are growing more quickly, particularly clusters of metro areas known as “megaregions,” while many rural areas decline. At the same time, low-density residential development on the edges of urban areas continues to grow the fastest, which increases traffic and escalates emissions. Although many Millennials are settling in urban centers, more are locating on the edges of cities where Baby Boomers also prefer to live. How do we adjust to and guide travel demand so we are not overwhelmed with more roads, traffic, and emissions as a result of these geographic preferences? Megaregions in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West have emerged as economic engines for the economy, but they also have the worst traffic congestion. And their traffic volumes continue to grow faster than new transportation facilities can be built. What are the best policies and modes for improving travel within each megaregion? How do we ensure that megaregions are well connected to the rest of the nation and the world? How can rural populations be ensured adequate access to jobs and services? How is that access changing? Which policies are needed to provide adequate rural access?

Energy and Sustainability: Protecting the Planet

The Earth’s changing climate poses one of the most important threats humanity has ever faced. To avoid catastrophic changes, all sectors of the economy need to make drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Vehicles, planes, ships, and other forms of transport emit more greenhouse gases than any other sector of the economy in the United States. And that share is growing because other sectors of the economy are reducing their emissions faster than transportation. Personal vehicles could rely on electrification using batteries or hydrogen as one way to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Planes, ships, and trucks pose major obstacles to this objective because of their dependence on fossil fuels that pack more power than alternatives. What are the most effective and cost-effective ways of achieving the drastic reductions needed in fossil fuel consumption? What are the appropriate roles for the public and private sectors in hastening this transition? How can the shift to electric vehicles be accomplished without overwhelming the power grid? Sustainability requires that there be long-term consideration of the implications of decisions and policies on social, economic, and environmental systems. Examples include making decisions based on life-cycle cost considerations and the long-term vitality of communities and key natural environmental systems. How can consideration of long-term sustainability goals be better incorporated into public policy debates and decisions about transportation?

Resilience and Security: Preparing for Threats

Recent floods, storms, fires, and hurricanes have disrupted the lives of millions and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage. Extreme weather events are exacerbated by climate change, and scientists predict things will get worse. Extreme weather and other natural disasters pose huge and costly threats to the transportation infrastructure. Public officials face the challenge of making vulnerable highways, bridges, railroads, transit stations, waterways, airports, and ports more resilient to climate change and other threats. What policies and strategies would help them meet this challenge? How do we set priorities, cope with disruptions, and pay for these adaptations? Terrorists often choose transportation facilities as their targets. Airports and airlines have increased security to guard against terrorism, but other modes of transport— buses, trains, and ships—are more vulnerable. How do we protect these forms of transport without unduly slowing the movement of people and goods? We also need to address the risks of new technologies. Drones, for example, can be used by terrorists or drug smugglers. Automated vehicles and aircraft are vulnerable to hackers. And all types of transport depend on Global Positioning Systems (GPSs), for which there is no back-up system. How do we make technological advances more secure and resilient?

Safety and Public Health: Safeguarding the Public

We depend on motorized transportation, but we pay a price with our health with deaths, injuries, and diseases. Routine highway travel is the source of the vast majority of transportrelated deaths and a significant portion of transport-related pollution in the United States. Even though there have been improvements in vehicles and facilities, most crashes are preventable. How do we muster the political will to adopt the most effective measures to reduce casualties and diseases caused by transportation? How do we encourage the use of the safest vehicle and road designs, reduce alcohol- and drug-impaired driving, and manage operator fatigue? Also, how do we curb driver distractions, especially in semi-automated vehicles that do not require full attention except in emergencies when multitasking drivers may be unprepared to respond? Marijuana legalization and opioid addiction may lead to more people driving while impaired. In addition, pedestrian and cyclist deaths are increasing. What can we do to address these problems? What successes from other countries can be applied? Air pollution comes from many sources, but some transport emissions, such as the particulates from burning diesel fuel, are especially harmful to people. People living near roads, ports, distribution centers, railyards, and airports—often the marginalized and the poor—are exposed to more of these types of vehicle emissions. How do we best address these problems?

Equity: Serving the Disadvantaged

The United States is prosperous, but not uniformly. More than 40 million Americans live in poverty. Outside central cities, an automobile is essential for access to jobs and a piece of the American dream, but about 20 percent of households with incomes below $25,000 lack a car. In addition, nearly 40 million Americans have some form of disability, of whom more than 16 million are working age. And the population is aging: the number of people older than 65 will increase by 50 percent from 49 million now to 73 million by 2030. Access to jobs, health care, and other services can be expanded through transportation policies and programs and technology, but these approaches need to be affordable and effective. This is a particular challenge in sparsely populated areas. How do we help disadvantaged Americans get affordable access to work, health care, and other services and to family and friends? What policies would ensure that new technologies and services do not create new barriers to the disadvantaged or to rural residents? Also, as we expand transportation networks, how do we ensure that we are not harming low-income and minority neighborhoods?

Governance: Managing Our Systems

A complex web of institutions manages America’s transportation services. Many levels of government, from local to national, play important roles. Some functions, such as public transit, airports, and ports, are managed by thousands of special authorities across the country. This spider web of governance frequently limits efficiency. For example, urban transport networks often span jurisdictional boundaries, creating disagreement about which agency is responsible for which aspects of planning, funding, and management. Separate funding streams for specific transportation modes impede efforts to provide travelers with multi-modal options. How do we address these challenges, particularly as urban areas grow into megaregions? The federal government is responsible for interstate waterways and airspaces and for interstate commerce. However, federal leadership and funding for transportation supporting interstate commerce are waning, forcing state and local governments to take on a larger role. How do we ensure that there are efficient networks for interstate travel and international trade as the federal role declines? New private transportation services efficiently generate enormous data sets about trips. Such data can be helpful to agencies trying to manage system performance. Connected and automated vehicles will add even more information. How can public agencies gain access to these data streams to improve traffic flow while protecting privacy and proprietary information?

System Performance and Management: Improving the Performance of Transportation Networks

Highway congestion costs the nation as much as $300 billion annually in wasted time. Flight delays add at least another $30 billion. Clearly, demand for travel is outpacing growth in supply and the increasing congestion is costing us dearly. As the population grows, demand will only increase. However, expanding or building new roads, airports, and other facilities in urban areas is costly, time consuming, and often controversial. How can we serve growing demand in a financially, socially, and environmentally responsible manner? Transportation officials also need to squeeze more performance out of the existing networks. One way to do this is by managing demand: Charging drivers for peakperiod travel in congested areas, for example, has the potential to increase ride sharing and generate revenues for transit, bike paths, and sidewalks. While pricing is more effective than other approaches, it is also unpopular. How do we build public and political acceptance for demand management strategies that work? In the face of tight budgets, transportation officials must also figure out how to maintain the condition of roads, bridges, airports, and other assets for as long as possible. What research would help increase the durability of construction materials and designs? How do we speed adoption of new information to improve the life-cycle performance of transportation assets?

Funding and Finance: Paying the Tab

Fuel taxes and other user fees have traditionally paid for highways, bridges, airports, ports, and public transit. These user fees are generally fair and efficient ways to pay for the transportation infrastructure, which is valued in trillions of dollars. However, improving fuel efficiency undermines the revenue potential from the motor fuel taxes that have been the chief funding source for highways and transit. Since 1993, federal officials have not raised the fees that fund the federal share of surface transportation and have instead turned to general revenues. In addition, Congress has declined to raise aviation-related user fees, limiting funds for air traffic control and airports. Although most states have raised motor fuel taxes, state and local government officials are also turning to other sources as the revenues from these taxes decline. One is sales taxes, which can unfairly burden the poor. Also, officials are partnering with businesses to build and maintain roads and other assets. This approach has promising features, but relies on tolls or other charges that are controversial. With advances in technology, officials can charge highway users by the mile traveled. They could also charge more during peak periods to manage demand and more to gas-guzzling vehicles to reduce emissions. But the public is not widely aware of these options and is not enthusiastic about them when it is. Clearly, we need to find new ways to maintain and expand the transportation infrastructure. How do we build understanding of the need to invest in transportation assets, identify the best funding options, and reach consensus for action?

Goods Movement: Moving Freight

The economy and our lifestyles depend on an efficient system for moving freight. Although railroads and pipelines are privately owned, funded, and managed, the freight system also requires adequate public infrastructure—roads, airports, ports, and waterways—for private companies to carry the goods needed. Freight movement is expected to grow dramatically in the coming decades to serve the growing population and economy. Without more spending on public infrastructure, this trend could lead to more traffic bottlenecks and capacity problems, especially as overnight and same-day delivery become more popular. How do we provide additional capacity when and where it is needed and ensure that beneficiaries bear the cost? Government officials face the challenges of providing adequate infrastructure for the freight industry while setting a level playing field for competition among private carriers and across transportation modes. In doing so, they need to account and charge for the costs that trucks, aircraft, ships, and other vehicles impose on public infrastructure. This is a process that is both difficult and controversial. How can officials best foster competition and set fair user fees for the freight industry? Another challenge for the freight industry is how to reduce its large and growing share of greenhouse gas emissions. One way to do this is through technology: improving batteries and fuel cells to speed the shift to electric-powered vehicles and moving to automated vehicles. Another is by improving efficiency, such as ensuring more vehicles are carrying freight on return trips. How do we make these improvements effectively and affordably?

Institutional and Workforce Capacity: Providing a Capable and Diverse Workforce

Government transportation agencies face huge challenges and tight budgets. Their ability to rise to these challenges depends on having capable workers with the tools they need to do their jobs. These agencies have difficulty competing for and keeping talented workers. They simply cannot pay as much as private industry. How can officials attract and retain the best employees despite the pay disparities between the public and private sectors? Also, the changing nature of transportation is creating different requirements for the workforce. As a result, transportation organizations struggle to keep workers up to date in the skills they need. This problem is especially acute at the local government level in dealing with complex issues such as climate change and revolutionary new transportation services. How do we address these challenges? Automated trucks, trains, vessels, and aircraft will disrupt the transportation workforce in both the public and private sectors. What are the likely impacts of these technological changes on transportation jobs? What are the best ways to help displaced workers? With a growing, changing, and aging population, transportation organizations will need to hire new and diverse employees. How can managers attract more members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups into the transportation field? How can they minimize the loss of expertise and experience when Baby Boomers retire?

Research and Innovation: Preparing for the Future

America is known for innovation. Our discovery and embrace of the new is fueled in large part by public investments in education and research. The revolutionary breakthroughs in transportation-related technology happened because of decades of public spending on basic research. In addition, steady improvements in the design, construction, operation, and management of transportation infrastructures have been spurred by research funded by government agencies. Public funding for research and education has never been more important, nor more uncertain. Many experiments are taking place in transportation across the country to meet the challenges of technological innovation and climate change. How do we record, evaluate, and share the results of these experiences and adopt innovations more quickly into standards and practices? Demands on transportation are growing as public spending on transportation research is declining. At the same time, public officials are often discouraged from taking risks. How do we encourage innovation in transportation agencies? How do we speed the pace of research to keep up with the major challenges transportation faces?

Modern civilization would not be possible without extensive, reliable transportation systems. Technology is poised to transform transportation and impact society and the environment in ways we cannot fully predict but must be prepared to manage. In addition to coping with a technological revolution, we also face hard questions about how to reduce transportation’s greenhouse gas emissions; make it more resilient, efficient, safe, and equitable; and pay the staggering costs of doing so. TRB framed what it thinks are the most important transportation questions to address in the next few years. It hopes this document will help spur and inform an urgently needed national debate about the future of transportation and help researchers frame and inform choices about the most promising paths forward. Join the debate. Analyze the options. Find new solutions. Our future depends on it. For a more thorough discussion of these issues go to https://www.nap.edu/download/25314 .

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Simple Solutions to Make Roads Safer

Some road designs lead drivers to take risks, but these problems have solutions.

From the August 2020 issue of Car and Driver .

NHTSA estimates that more than 36,000 people died in car crashes in the U.S. in 2019; that's a death roughly every 15 minutes. The agency also attributes 94 percent of crashes to human error. Some experts believe bad road design may have something to do with that. We spoke with several traffic engineers to find out which common street designs force drivers to take risks that lead to accidents and ways to fix them.

Limited Visibility

The problem: A lightly trafficked street intersects with a busy two-lane. The former has stop signs, but the latter does not, and people have parked their cars close to the intersection at every corner. A driver looking to turn right onto the busy street inches into the intersection, but the parked cars block his view of an oncoming car, leading to an angled crash.

The solution: Restrict people from parking within 25 feet of the corner to improve driver visibility.

Street Width

The problem: A suburban street is lined with single-family homes. The speed limit is 25 mph, but the roadway is wide, so drivers feel comfortable going 35 mph. A child runs out into the road to chase a ball, and a driver is going too fast to stop in time.

The solution: Drivers on wide lanes surrounded by empty sidewalks are inclined to go fast, regardless of the posted speed limit. Reduce the lane width so drivers naturally go slower.

The problem: A vehicle on an urban arterial wants to turn right using a gentle slip lane. Meanwhile, a man is crossing the slip lane, where there is a crosswalk but no stop sign or crossing light. The driver, focused on oncoming traffic to her left, doesn't see the pedestrian on her right and hits him.

The solution: Convert the slip lane into a traditional 90-degree right-hand turn or give the slip lane a tighter angle so drivers have to decelerate to use it.

Road-Blocks Ahead

We know how to fix street-design problems like these, but it costs money to update existing infrastructure. Urban planner Don Kostelec says, "If an intersection from 20 years ago is still functioning, few cities will have funds to dump into a geometric reconfiguration." Even cheap solutions, like limiting on-street parking to daylight hours, can be rejected by public officials wary of antagonizing residents.

David Zipper is a visiting fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government. A former city official in Washington, D.C., and New York City, he has written extensively about urban mobility and technology.

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Essay on Traffic Jam for Students and Children

500+ words essay on traffic jam.

Traffic jam is the situation when vehicles are stopped completely for some time period on the roads. Also, vehicles have to wait for a long time to move out of the jam. Sometimes it becomes like congestion in traffic. This happens in transport network due to the increasing vehicles and overuse of roads. Often it is due to slow speed, longer trip time and increased queues of vehicles. Therefore, traffic jam is becoming a major issue mostly in all cities.

Problems arising due to Traffic Jam

Traffic Jam has a tremendous impact on the life of people. It is one of the most serious problems in big cities that people have to deal in daily life. Since most of the people have to deal with it on a daily basis they may get psychologically affected. It also negatively affects work, education and personal life of people and finally to the progress of the country.

Let us discuss some major problems that arise due to high traffic:

• Traffic is one of the major problems in cities and has made the lives of people really difficult. Obviously, it results in non-productive activity.
• People experience delays for their important work. This may even result in personal as well as professional losses.
• It is also the main cause of wastage of fuels and air pollution.
• It increases stress and frustration among motorists and passengers.
• Unsafe driving is the main impact of traffic jam which may lead to road mishaps and hence injuries.
• Traffic jams can also have a negative impact on the mind of a person. The traffic congestion and constant blowing of horns create excessive noise pollution.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Disadvantages of Traffic Jam:

Let us have a look at some chief disadvantages of traffic jams in detail below:

• Unproductive time is the major disadvantage of traffic jam.
• The other negative effect of much traffic is the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere leading to the issue of global warming .
• Businesses nowadays provide home delivery services. Such time bond businesses are strongly affected by the traffic jam.
• The frequent breaking and accelerating the vehicles in traffic jams burns more fuel. Hence it is the additional loss.
• Road rage is the absurd reaction of commuters that is very common during traffic jams. People often use bad language and drive aggressively that can lead to accidents.
• Emergency vehicles like fire brigade and ambulance get stuck up in traffic jams that cause a delay in reaching the location.

Suggestions:

Some suggestions to solve the traffic jam problem are as follows:

• People should use public transport as much as possible.
• The government must increase the facilities of public transport as per the need of the population.
• Everyone should avoid the unnecessary collection of vehicles.
• People should use carpool and vehicle sharing to decrease the vehicles on the road.
• Conditions of the road in India is not good. Authorities must improve this situation.
• Vehicle registration and motor driving license policy must be strictly implemented.
• People must be aware of traffic rules and also be motivated to follow strictly.
• Mixed traffic on the roads is also a big reason for it. So, it must be banned.

Conclusion:

Thus, traffic jam is a serious issue in every big city that causes several problems for common people. It consumes so much of time and energy unnecessarily and hence the loss of the nation. Therefore, serious measures have to be taken by the authorities to control traffic and promote the use of public transport. Development of public transport network at economical rates is essential. Implementation of traffic safety rules by traffic police is a must. People should drive more sensibly and responsibly. Hence we all can work in this way to solve the big threat of the current time.

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Sample Answer band 7.5+

Road accidents have always been a significant matter of concern, so much so that there is an idea that says the problem can only be solved by punishing driving offenders very strictly. However, I do not think this is the only solution, although it could be somewhat effective.

On the one hand, it could be helpful to apply serious penalties to reduce the risk of traffic accidents. Theoretically, this not only can prevent lawbreakers from driving thoughtlessly again but also can warn other people against doing that. For example, since 2019, when Vietnam laid down strict legislation on alcohol consumption control, the number of crashes caused by drunkenness has decreased. According to this law, drivers will receive a fine of at least 85 USD for motorcycles and 255 USD for cars if their blood or breath contains alcohol, besides having their driving licence confiscated.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned solution is not always successful, hence an alternate measure should be proposed. Research conducted in Queensland, Australia, in 2019 shows that traffic infringements did not decrease despite the imposition of serious penalties, suggesting that people’s aggressive driving habits were not successfully deterred. Therefore, another measure is needed, and from my perspective, we ought to think about banning private vehicles, at least in a number of areas. This not only contributes to the reduction of road accident risks but also helps to ease environmental problems.

In brief, imposing strict punishments on driving offences could be helpful, but only to a certain extent. Since this method cannot defeat reckless driving, another proposal ought to be made, such as prohibiting personal vehicles.

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The Impacts of Road Condition on Communities

We all know roads are important. They connect us to our friends, community, work, and play. They allow us to discover local hidden gems within a few-mile radius and explore exciting new destinations thousands of miles away.

It’s clear that our roads are a necessity for living in the modern age, but the impacts of road quality aren’t always as clear. Even if a road is still usable to get from point A to point B, the surface condition and structural integrity of roads have great impacts on vehicles, drivers, and the community at large. A study completed in 2020 by the National Transportation Research Group revealed that poor roads can cause up to $2,900 in damages to a single vehicle every year. No thank you!

First, a few technical terms used to describe road quality:

Pavement Vehicle Interaction, or PVI, is a term used to describe the interaction between the roadway surface and the vehicle driving on it. PVI is measured by three distinct factors related to a road’s structural and physical properties: roughness, texture, and deflection. Roughness refers to how smooth the road is, considering things like cracks, potholes, and other surface blemishes that could be felt by the driver. Texture refers to the abrasiveness of the road surface, which can affect the longevity of tires and the fuel efficiency of vehicles. Deflection measures the flexibility of the pavement structure, which is helpful in evaluating how the roadway will respond to large vehicles, heavy traffic, and severe weather.

These three factors not only have significant impacts on the vehicles, but also the drivers. Road condition will affect driving behaviors, causing users to change speed, make sharp movements to avoid obstacles, or even avoid certain roads altogether. Road conditions that affect drivers also inherently affect the surrounding area. In a residential zone, unsafe driving behaviors can cause pedestrians to feel unsafe, and no one wants to worry about oncoming traffic while going for a morning stroll. Even beyond being a daily nuisance, poor roads can be a fiscal headache for local citizens. In 2019, AAA estimated that potholes alone cause $3 billion in damages annually throughout the US.

Beyond maximizing transportation budgets and increasing the lifespan of roads, roadway management is important because road quality significantly impacts the quality of life for community members. According to Frokenbrock and Weisbrod of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, “noise, pedestrian safety, changes in property value, and changes in visual quality are all inexorably linked to the opportunities for— and, perhaps more importantly, the quality of—social life within a neighborhood” ( Link ). Poorly maintained roads can both directly and indirectly affect many areas of daily life, from causing traffic disturbances to lowering property values over time. Studies have also shown that investments in transportation often signal progress, creating a sense of accomplishment and pride for local citizens. The Transportation Research Board writes that building new highway systems and increasing road networks “could enhance the quality of life for local residents, enhance the ability of the community to attract new business investment, and ultimately also raise property values,” but this doesn’t imply that only new roads matter. A well-maintained existing infrastructure shows that the present social and economic well-being of the community is just as important as the city’s prosperity in the future.

Luckily, there are strategies to support both the present and future of road networks. Combining pavement preservation strategies and utilizing a system to gather real-time road quality information can ensure that a county’s roads are maintained regularly and prepared for many years to come. Sadly, the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” doesn’t quite apply to roadway maintenance. It is imperative that county decision-makers make smart decisions to keep their roads running smoothly.

IELTS Model Example - Problem & Solutions Essay

In many cities, traffic congestion has become a significant issue, leading to numerous problems for both individuals and society as a whole. What are the main causes of this problem, and what measures can be taken to alleviate traffic congestion effectively?

This is a Problems and Solutions IELTS essay question type - let's practice writing before looking at the example.

How do I plan my answer?

Here are some ideas on how to plan your answer: Introduction paragraph:

Start with a general statement about the topic of traffic congestion.

Provide some background information about the issue and its significance.

State your thesis statement, which should indicate that you will discuss the causes of traffic congestion and propose effective measures to alleviate it.

Body paragraph 1 - Causes:

Begin by introducing the main cause of traffic congestion (e.g., rapid urbanization, increasing population, inadequate infrastructure).

Explain how this cause contributes to the problem, providing specific examples and evidence.

Discuss any related factors that exacerbate the situation (e.g., lack of public transportation, poor city planning).

Conclude the paragraph by emphasizing the importance of addressing these causes to alleviate traffic congestion.

Body paragraph 2 - Solutions:

Start by introducing one effective solution to alleviate traffic congestion (e.g., improving public transportation).

Explain the benefits of implementing this solution (e.g., reduced traffic volume, decreased reliance on private vehicles).

Provide examples of cities or countries where this solution has been successful.

Discuss any potential challenges or drawbacks that may arise when implementing the solution.

Present additional solutions in separate paragraphs, following the same structure as above.

Conclusion paragraph:

Summarize the main causes of traffic congestion discussed in the essay.

Highlight the proposed solutions and their potential effectiveness.

Emphasize the need for a comprehensive approach involving multiple solutions.

Conclude by reiterating the importance of taking action to address traffic congestion for the benefit of individuals and society.

Remember to use appropriate linking words and phrases to connect your ideas and maintain coherence throughout your essay.

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Causes and Solutions of Car Accidents Report

Introduction, types of car accidents, causes of car accidents, solutions to car accidents, works cited, source evaluation report.

Car accidents are unexpected events that occur to motor vehicles causing damage of the vehicles, structures, fatalities and even death of the people in the vehicles. According to a research done by the United Nations, the rate of growth of accidents in the world continue to increase with over two million deaths and thirty million injuries reported annually.

The studies revealed that over seventy percent of the deaths that resulted from road accidents occurred in developing countries. These imply that automobile accidents are a major problem in developing counties stretching from regions of pacific Asia to many parts of Sub Sahara Africa which contribute to over fifty percent of these accidents.

The numbers of vehicles continue increasing every year and governments are responding by constructing modern roads that can facilitate smooth transportation of goods and people so as to realize economic growth and reduce accidents which are increasing dramatically. In fact, car accident are ranked second to the major killer disease AIDS in terms of causing deaths and lose of property and resources. As a result, government policies to increase economic empowerment among the people are destructed by car accidents.

There are different classifications of road accidents depending on where the damage has been done on your vehicle. When a car hits another and there are minor damages on the vehicle, the accident is referred to as a rear impact car accident. An example of such an accident is when a vehicle hits another from the back due to failure of the brakes.

When a car hits another for the side, the type of accident is referred to as side impact accident. It usually occurs when a vehicle enters another vehicles lane as a result of an abrupt stop and thereby skidding at a right angle. According to Abdelane (20), in the United States, more than a third of the accidents in the US are side impact accidents. When a vehicle hits another car or object in front it is said to have undergone head on collision. This type of accident not only happens to cars but also trains.

This type of accident is commonly encountered by drunk drivers and those drivers who dose while driving. This type of accident is most likely to occur when a car enters a road from a wrong direction. When a car is involved in an accident and it turns in a manner that it lays on its side or roof, it is said to have had a roll over accident. This type of accident normally happens to tall tracks (Obenski, 3).

There are several factors that cause road accidents which comprise the following: majority of the accidents occur due the rise in the number of road users who don’t obey traffic rules, drivers who drive their cars carelessly and disobedience of the rules of traffic; the nature of the roads is also a major cause of road accidents.

The nature of infrastructure, construction of bridges which do not meet safety standards leading to defects on the road like potholes; improper maintenance of motor vehicles by the owners have caused many accidents. Some of the accidents that arise due to poor maintenance are due to failure of the breaks, improper alignment of the wheels thereby causing bursting, mechanical problems associated with the wheel, and failure of the headlights (Abdelane, 54).

Bad weather also contributes to the rise in the motor vehicle accidents. On a misty day, visibility on the road can be very bad. Cars on the road may end up colliding due to the failure of the drivers to notice vehicles in the front or back due to poor weather conditions. Other conditions of the weather that can lead to accidents growth is the presence of unexpected floods and ice on the roads.

These factors may make drivers notice their opponents late hence leading to collisions. Drivers may at times encounter distractions on the road as they drive, which may be within or outside the car. Some of the incidents arising from this error are when the attention of the driver is focused on a phone or a mirror or an interesting event outside the car while the car is in motion. It therefore follows that, anything causing the driver to concentrate outside the road is dangerous to the safety of the vehicle.

Sometimes, the designers of the roads may do a shoddy job in designing the road. This could be due to poor placements of the traffic controls like inappropriate placements of the traffic signs so that the view of the incoming traffic is blocked at risky corners of busy roads. In most cases, accidents arising from poor design are compensated by the government implying that both the owners of the vehicles and the State share the losses (Livneh, 99).

Brumitt (66) argued out that several measures can be adopted to ensure that there is reduction in the number of accidents. A lot of these measures have to do with government involvement in designing policies that guide road users but individual people must also take collective responsibility to avoid traffic offences.

Governments should establish bodies that oversee the overall implementation of set up policies like the National Road Safety Committee. The responsibility of the committee should target the following areas of concern: pile up pressure on all government departments and ministries to ensure that they give out guidelines that aim to minimize car accidents.

The committee should ensure that the lives of people are protected as well as protection of property from any losses arising from road accidents. Another effective control measure that can be taken to ensure that road accidents are reduced drastically is by keeping an accurate data base of the accidents and their causes so that it can be used to devise means of minimizing them. The records of the accident data system should be exact and consistent with assistance from established data collection systems.

By incorporating safety control measures in the school curriculum in the primary school level, a great deal will be reached in instilling safety measures to the younger generation so that they can acquire discipline of road safety measures right from initial stages of their lives to adulthood.

The authorities should ensure that only drivers who have been trained and certified drive on the road. In addition the authorities should ensure that people caught disobeying traffic rules are seriously punished by the law so as to instill discipline among the people (Brumitt, 122).

Finally, in order to attain excellent safety measures that will reduce accidents significantly, the government has to commit itself to provide funding to road safety, the private sector has to commit itself to offering technical assistance and people have to commit themselves to the safety measures.

Abdelane,Evans. Braking Deceleration of Motorcycle Riders: International Motorcycle Safety Conference. Oxford: Oxford University, 2001.

Brumitt, Meyers. “The Accident Reconstruction Network.” (2007). Web.

Livneh, Ceder. Relationships between road accidents and hourly traffic flow : Accident Analysis and Prevention. New Yolk: 2008.

Obenski, Kuyt. “National Transportation Safety Board.” (2006). Web.

Road accidents are becoming a major disaster in the world. According to Abdelane of Oxford University, “over one million people die and approximately thirty million get injuries as a result of road accidents in the world.” He also adds that “road accidents are identified as the second major killer of the human population after AIDS.”

Brumitt a research analyst at Bristol University, conducted a research and found out that road accidents are caused by road users who don’t obey traffic rules, poor infrastructure of the roads and defects on the vehicles such as break failure and tire bursts.

According to Obenski of the National Transportation Safety Board, several factors cause road accidents and there is no particular sequence: it can be due to over speeding, lack of attention, cell phones and other distracters, ignorance, lack of proper training and poor maintenance of the vehicles.

Livneh and his colleagues analyzed solutions of road accidents and suggested that “the effective solutions require the coordinated efforts of governments, international organizations and agencies, local authorities and good citizenship.” “Road accidents are unavoidable” says Livneh. “But risks of road accidents can be reduced by simple precautions and thinking ahead.”

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IvyPanda. (2023, October 29). Causes and Solutions of Car Accidents. https://ivypanda.com/essays/causes-and-solutions-of-car-accidents/

"Causes and Solutions of Car Accidents." IvyPanda , 29 Oct. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/causes-and-solutions-of-car-accidents/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Causes and Solutions of Car Accidents'. 29 October.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Causes and Solutions of Car Accidents." October 29, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/causes-and-solutions-of-car-accidents/.

1. IvyPanda . "Causes and Solutions of Car Accidents." October 29, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/causes-and-solutions-of-car-accidents/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Causes and Solutions of Car Accidents." October 29, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/causes-and-solutions-of-car-accidents/.

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No More Traffic Jams

       There is nothing worse than being trapped in your car, waiting in the middle of a traffic jam. It is frustrating, knowing that there is nothing you can do and that you are going to be late to work. Traffic jams often occur during rush hour or right after a large event because there are more cars on the road than normal. Traffic jams can also be caused by car accidents or road construction. They usually occur on major roads that many people use to travel to work or school. Traffic jams are a problem because they make people late for work or school, they can cause car accidents, and they are frustrating. How can we reduce the number of traffic jams? Possible solutions include carpooling or using public transportation. The best way to solve traffic jams is by using public transportation because it will be efficient, economical, and reliable.

       First, using public transportation is efficient. A bus is a very efficient way to move lots of people from one place to another using only one vehicle. Instead of having one vehicle for each person on the road, busses take many cars off the road as people ride together. Trains are even more efficient at reducing the number of cars on the road. Because trains have their own dedicated rail system to get people around, all of the cars are eliminated without adding any more traffic to the roads. Not only are busses and trains more efficient at carrying passengers, but time spent on a bus or a train is more efficient for the passenger. This encourages more people to use public transportation. It is easy to see how efficient public transportation is and the impact that it has on reducing traffic.

       Another reason that public transportation is the best solution to traffic jams is because it is so economical. People want to use public transportation instead of driving their own car because they can save money. Public transportation usually does not cost very much, especially for people who use it often. There are discounts for seniors and students, which makes it an even more economical way for these groups to travel around town. Using public transportation also eliminates the need to pay for parking, car insurance, and car maintenance, not to mention gasoline. All of the expenses related to owning a car are replaced with one simple fare. Because it is so economical, public transportation is a good solution to traffic jams by encouraging more people to travel together and reduce the number of cars on the road.

       Finally, public transportation is the best solution because it is reliable. Many people set up carpools to reduce traffic, but this is only a temporary solution. Every time someone has a change in their schedule, the carpool needs to be adjusted. For example, if someone has to go to the doctor or sleeps in, the carpool will not work that day. If someone changes jobs or transfers to a new school, the carpool will need to be adjusted again. Public transportation, on the other hand, is more reliable. The bus and train schedules don’t change every time that one rider needs to go to the doctor. The schedules are set and people can plan on them. People who use public transportation will find that it is reliable and can help limit the number of cars on the road.

       Because it is efficient, economical, and reliable, public transportation is the best way to reduce the number of traffic jams. There are other possible ways to address this problem, but using public transportation is clearly the best. Traffic jams during very busy hours on the road can be reduced and more people can get to work on time and avoid the frustration caused by sitting in the middle of a long line of cars. Cities and governments should consider ways to improve their public transportation system and encourage more people to use it. If they do, they will surely see fewer traffic jams on their roads and much happier drivers.

Exercise 1: Analyze an essay

Read one of the two Process Example Essays on the following pages to complete this exercise.

• Label the introduction paragraph, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion paragraph.
• Circle the hook.
• What is the general topic of the essay?
• Underline the thesis.
• Underline each of the topic sentences.
• Do each of the topic sentences support the thesis?
• Does the conclusion paragraph start by restating the thesis?

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Access it online or download it at https://open.byu.edu/academic_a_writing/problemsolution_essac .

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