“Shock” tactics needed to reduce road accidents

THE Youth Advisory Council of the Balearic Islands called yesterday for strong action to be taken by all local government institutions to reduce the number of traffic accidents involving young people. The Youth Council said that “the complexity of the situation means that organisations have got to work together to combat the problem.” They indicated that “it's crucial to raise awareness amongst the young about the dangers of taking unnecessary risks.” It added that it was also important to take other measures such as “an improvement in the frequency of public transport timetables”, and the running of special services in areas where young people make regular use of leisure centres. At the same time, the Council took issue with the Balearic Ministry of Health for having rejected an accident prevention plan earlier this year.
The scheme had been aimed at reducing incidents on the roads by improving the skills of new, principally young drivers.
Recent studies have revealed that half the fatalities that occur in road traffic accidents are as a result of people not wearing safety belts or crash helmets. They also showed that the young are statistically a vulnerable group, often travelling too fast.