Road Accidents Blamed on Human Error

Causes of car accidents can seem endless. Every day, people die in road collisions. So many variable factors are linked to accidents on the road. But statistics have shown that driver errors account for over 80 per cent of all fatal and injury crashes on Cameroon roads. Just like years past, accidents are still being caused today by careless drivers. Many die as a consequence of inexperience, speeding intoxication through drink or drugs or just plain recklessness. The worst part is that, a driver can only control his own actions and not those of the drivers next to him.

Driving while distracted seems to be on the increase with all the gizmos and technology gadgets built directly into vehicles or brought into them. Cell phones, DVD players, and more are relentless distractions for many drivers. Let alone kids, eating, and applying makeup while driving. So many accidents have happened in the country because the driver was on his cellphone or paid attention to changing a DVD player while driving. In a busy world, everyone wants to be multi-tasking at all times but the one place multi-tasking should be prohibited is behind the wheel.

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is considered another human error which has claimed the lives of countless Cameroonians along highways in the country. It is needless to note the number of accidents in the country resulting from a driver under the influence of alcohol. It is a bad choice made by many, especially those who think consuming a bottle of alcohol will make them well fit to hit the highway. Not being of a clear mind puts one at a much higher risk of an accident.

Excess and inappropriate speed account for a high proportion of the mortality and morbidity rate that result from road crashes in Cameroon. Driving on very high speed has caused fatal collision of cars along highways as well as the severity of injuries sustained by victims. A 5km/h difference in speed has been the difference between life and death for many vulnerable road users like a pedestrian. There is no such thing as safe speeding.

There are a number of things that other drivers do that are extremely irritating and dangerous on the road. Bad tailgating (overtake), poor lane discipline, not indicating and overtaking when it is not successful are just a few of the bad habits that are annoying. Aside from the inconvenience to other road users, this kind of inconsiderate driving is also very dangerous leading to fatal accidents.