In Northern Ireland twice as many people have died in Road Traffic Accidents (RTA's) than were killed as a result of the Troubles over the last 30 years. We have the highest percentage rate of RTA injuries per capita of any region in the UK. But statistics don't tell the full extent of the trauma caused by Road Traffic Accidents. Children's Express young reporters set out to find out more about the very human costs behind the appalling carnage on our roads in Northern Ireland.
| It's clear from statistical information that young men aren't as good drivers as they think. |
Road Traffic Accident victim Sheila (not her real name) - a teacher told us,
"The crash took place December 2002 and there was a lorry driver involved. I was going up to Belfast, up a hill… there was slurry all over the road and I veered into the oncoming lorry. I had cuts to the face and chest area, fractured ribs and a very sore hip."
While Sheila was able to return to work after 8 weeks she confesses to having suffered longer-term effects.
"My hip is long term - there is nothing they can do about it! I'm taking painkillers for it, which I take on a regular basis."
She added,
"I don't like driving at night and I drive very, very slowly. My family was very upset. It was actually on the news, my crash was on the news and then whenever my husband rang my mother they put two and two together and she was very upset. My friends were very upset because I was off work for 8 weeks. There were complications after the accident, I got a skin disease."
Inspector Paul Bradly from the PSNI's Road Traffic Branch told us,
"The most vulnerable group on our roads is young men between the ages of 17-24" - this group represents just 7% of our drivers yet they are responsible for 25% of RTA's. It's clear from statistical information that young men aren't as good drivers as they think,"
Police officers have to break the news of an RTA fatality to the victim's family. Inspector Bradley said,
"The delivery of a death message is probably the most difficult thing I have ever had to do in my police career. It is difficult to know exactly how to deal with this situation because people react differently. You need to remain professional and be extremely tactful. There is no easy way to say to a mother or father, your son is dead. But it is a stark reality of life today."
He continued,
"Of course it is most distressing to visit the scene of a fatal collision. I have been to many and all remain firmly embedded in my memory. It is upsetting because you know how much trauma will be caused to so many people when a loved one dies on our roads. I suppose I am like many other people when I hope it never happens to me."
For those who survive a collision there can be a long road to full recovery. Dr. Daniel Turley the Head of the Physiotherapy department at Belfast's Mater Hospital told us that "the main injury sustained in Road Traffic Accident's is neck sprain." This is more commonly known as whiplash. He explained how this happens.
"As you're sitting in a car and somebody hits you from behind your head flies forward and you can tear the muscles and ligaments in and around the neck area."
Another main injury caused by RTA's is horrific breaks of the leg. Dr. Turley continued.
"People can end up with long term stiffness in their ankles and knees, in some cases they have to have metal pins and screws put in simply to enable them to walk properly and to support the leg."
He added,
"90% of the people in RTA's we work with do make a full recovery." It can take a while in some cases, but if victims know the large variety of options open to them, in most cases it does seem to be possible to gain physical recovery. Mentally and emotionally this is not always the case.
RTA's can place great strain on families and relationships. Many relatives of deceased victims may seek psychological help to cope with their sudden bereavement. Road Peace is a UK wide charity that exists to support those injured in Road Traffic Accidents and their families or those who have been bereaved as a consequence of a fatal accident. Zoe Stow is a volunteer counselor with the charity and joined them after losing her son in a fatal road crash.
"The road traffic accident that I was involved in changed mine and my family's lives forever. No one likes to see someone hurt or unhappy and people who have been injured or had a tragedy in their family are very distressed, heartbroken, but if you can help a little bit it's worthwhile"
Losing a loved one can not only damage the family relationship but also it can cause a variety of personal problems. These may manifest themselves as a lack of or disrupted sleep, eating disorders, loss of self-confidence, suicidal feelings, phobias and depression. A research survey conducted by FEVR (the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims) on the posttraumatic effects of RTAs found that:
- 55% of the victims said that they suffered from distressing nightmares
- 49% claimed they suffered from insomnia on a regular basis
- 58% stated that up to four months after a Road Traffic Accident they had suffered from general health problems.
Dr Turley told us that parents of children injured in a RTA could often be distressed long after the event.
"When parents see their children having physiotherapy they would rather have the pain than their children."
While most patients go on to make a full physical recovery from their accidents some 10% do not. Dr Turley told us that these individuals can take a long time to adjust to their diminished mobility.
"People get very distressed when they find out that they can't do the things they want to. If they are into sports or dancing and they find out that they can't do the things they want to, they get very angry." He continued,
"'Why did this happen to me - what did I ever do wrong? . . . They feel as if this shouldn't have happened to them, and this reaction is natural."
The police targets show that they aim to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads by a third and to reduce by half the number of child fatalities. Zoe Stow from Road Peace supported more policing on our roads stating,
"We should have better enforcement of the law. Everyone should think more about driving safely and not taking risks with their own or other people's lives. No one likes to see someone hurt or unhappy and people who have been injured or had a tragedy in their family."
Behind the headlines and the statistics we found that the human cost of RTAs far exceeds just those directly involved in accidents. There can be a long road to recovery for the injured and there are emotional scars that some times never heal. Even those professionals who are trained to deal with accidents can be affected by what they witness. Last words to Inspector Bradley then.
"I have always kept my job separate from my home life. That said, I know I have gone home having been at the scene of a fatal collision and not been my usual self. Death on our roads has an adverse effect on everyone involved. That includes the emergency services."
About the team
This story was produced by Dan McCrisken 14, Mevlüde Akay 17,
Ben Ritchie 13 and Jo Simpson 17. It was published by Irish News.
