World Trauma Day: Road Sense, Saves Lives

We mark World Trauma Day with a hard look at road injuries in South Africa and the daily habits that raise or reduce risk. Two final-year physiotherapy students, Jayde Symons and Mikha Ceronio, share what they see on campus and how simple choices by drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians save lives.

Watch our injury awareness video using this link: https://youtu.be/sicgq1iNZ54 

Podcast website: https://physiotherapytraumatalks.buzzsprout.com/2431934/episodes
Book: Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy in Trauma: An Evidence-based Approach’ published by World Scientific: https://doi.org/10.1142/13509

Chapters

• 0:00 World Trauma Day Context
• 0:49 South Africa’s Road Fatalities
• 1:36 Government Role vs Citizen Action
• 2:23 Student Perspectives on Trauma
• 4:21 Personal Risk Blind Spots
• 5:49 Risky Behaviours Around Campus
• 8:12 Drivers’ Duties and Core Habits
• 10:20 Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety Tactics
• 13:39 First Response and CPR Readiness
• 15:11 Awareness Video & Closing Thanks

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:02

Welcome to this special episode of Physiotherapy Trauma Talks, where we acknowledge World Trauma Day that is celebrated on the 17th of October every year. People who listen to the podcast regularly will remember that road traffic accidents are one of the top causes of traumatic injury, and this is confirmed by the World Health Organization report that shows that 1.3 million deaths occur per year as a result of road traffic accidents. And that for people between the ages of 5 and 29 years, road traffic accidents is one of the top five causes of death. In South Africa, we see approximately 14,000 deaths per year due to road traffic accidents, and 40 to 43% of these deaths involve pedestrians. Rightly, we expect our governments to prioritize injury prevention through maintaining road infrastructure in the form of clearly demarcated lanes on the main roads in which cars and trucks move, and to prevent the formation of potholes which could cause sudden swerving of a vehicle or trap a vehicle, both leading to serious accidents and injuries and death. Governments of low and middle income countries should also allocate adequate budgets to build dedicated pedestrian and cyclist lanes to keep these people off the main roads and therefore reduce their risk of injury. We know though that governments are often slow to act and to prioritize injury prevention. So the purpose of this episode is to talk about ways that we as individual citizens can reduce our own risk of being involved in injury and the type of information that we can share with our family and friends to also reduce their risk. So, as many of the listeners know, I work full-time at the University of the Vitva Artis Rand in Johannesburg, and it gives me the opportunity to observe students' behavior towards road use on a daily basis. So I've invited two of our final year undergraduate physiotherapy students, Jade Simons and Mika Soroneo, to our discussion today about students' behavior and attitude toward road use and how we can help them to be a little bit more aware of the risk of injury. So, Mika and Jade, welcome to the discussion this afternoon. Thank you. Thank you very much. So, Jade, you interviewed some students on our campus over the past few months, and what were your impressions about their knowledge or awareness of the incidence of traumatic injury in South Africa?

SPEAKER_01: 3:28

I was definitely surprised by the awareness, and I got quite a mixed awareness from the different students. Those who had already experienced the ICU blocks as part of the physio course were very aware of the incidents of the injuries, as the patients were predominantly traumatic injuries, such as falls or burns and motor vehicle accidents. But then on the other hand, they were still had such a vague idea of the magnitude of these traumatic injuries, especially those of road accidents and the prevalence. When I asked them, did they know the number? They were so far off. And so definitely a mixed awareness and not necessarily knowing the full picture of the prevalence of these injuries.

SPEAKER_02: 4:18

One would have liked for physiotherapy students to have a slightly better awareness of traumatic injuries. Yeah. So what causes of traumatic injury did they list when you asked them about it?

SPEAKER_01: 4:33

Predominantly they were listing attacks such as gunshots and stabbings, and then we went on to motor vehicle accidents and pedestrian accidents. But yes, definitely quite a mix, as well as falls, um, or also a category from working on the job. But at the end of the day, MVAs were the most consistent answer that we received.

SPEAKER_02: 4:57

Okay. And uh did you get the impression that they were aware of the fact that they themselves are also at risk of these types of injuries?

SPEAKER_01: 5:09

No, I think they were very unaware of that, especially as healthcare practitioners. I think they very much think they're on the safer side of these injuries. And so I think just having those conversations with them made them a bit more aware of actually times in their lives, such as going on holidays, that they were actually at risk with the busy roads and walking across the streets, how dangerous it has become even outside of the university. And so initially there was definitely they were quite underway, but as we kept going, um, they just they started to remember memories of actually times where they were at risk.

SPEAKER_02: 5:48

Okay. Um, Mekka, what behaviors do you see your fellow students display towards road use that may put them at risk of injury on campus but also off campus?

SPEAKER_00: 6:02

Prof, I think a very big thing that I've noticed is destruction among the students when it comes to road use. So if you just stand outside the Yale Road entrance for literally 10 minutes, you'll see how many students walk across the road with either earphones in or looking down at their phones and not really paying attention to the traffic around them. I think they're either darting between cars or, as I said, looking down at their phones instead of using pedestrian crossings and paying attention around them. But then even the students in cars, some students don't bother to wear seat belts for shorter trips. So I think that's a big one that could cause a big risk of injury. And then another one I've noticed is to just assume right of way, especially once a robot turns green and they're not checking if the road is clear. As a lot of the cars, especially outside mid-campus, they just skip the red lights when they're in a hurry and not really paying attention. I think all of these little behaviors might feel normal in the moment, but they actually put people at real risk of serious injury. And it's almost like we underestimate the dangers because it's so part of our daily routine around campus, because obviously we attend class every single day. But then with that being said, I don't think it's about blaming the individuals, but rather about recognizing these behaviors, most linked to crashes, and designing better habits and environments that make the safe choice the easy choice, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02: 7:24

Yes, no, definitely. So distraction, and because of the use of cell phones and everybody having earpods that they put in, and you know, we love our smartphones, so we want to listen to music, we want to read things in some of the apps, and um it it really makes us live in a world where we disregard everything that goes on around us, and as you so eloquently put, um puts people at great risk of injury. Jade, what do you think students who use the road as drivers should know to lessen their risk of being involved in a road traffic accident on and off campus?

SPEAKER_01: 8:12

Yes, um, road safety is definitely paramount. I think we we learn about it to pass our tests, but sometimes we we neglect the core values of even just road safety. And so myself and others included, literally following those basic rules and taking responsibility for our lives on the road and even our passengers and others around the road, we definitely should be avoiding risky behavior.

SPEAKER_02: 8:41

Yeah, so I think um if we unpack that a little bit, it means that we need to be more aware of what goes on around us and of the fact that when you climb into a car and you drive that car on the road, you are in an object that can potentially cause huge harm to someone else if you are not aware of what's going on around you on the road. And I think also uh creating awareness of the fact that people need to wear their seat belts. I'm sure when you did your ICU rotations, you must have seen some cases of patients ending up in the in the hospital with multiple injuries because they didn't wear their seat belts.

SPEAKER_01: 9:29

Definitely wearing seat belts, wearing helmets, making sure that we're safe to even just transport, um, not being on our phones. There's so many things we we can actually look at and that we should be made aware of.

SPEAKER_02: 9:42

Yeah, and I think also um as a driver of a vehicle, to make sure that when we reach or come up to a pedestrian crossing on the road, that we consciously slow down our vehicle in case someone is crossing over the road. And also, particularly around schools, that we consciously reduce the speed of the vehicle approaching the school because we know that children, especially those in primary schools, don't always have an awareness of road safety and may suddenly just run across the road because they late to get to class and they're not always accompanied by an adult. Um, so I think those things are important for us to think about on a daily basis when we drive. Um Mika, what do you think students who use the road as cyclists or pedestrians should do to reduce their risk of injury?

SPEAKER_00: 10:47

So, firstly, for pedestrians, like we mentioned in the previous question, is not to use your cell phone as much as you do when crossing the road or walking next to the road. Um, but I think in our generation it's quite a big thing. We have such easy access to our cell phones and we're so impatient when we get a notification. So I think learning patience when it comes to our cell phones and road safety, and then also anticipating the traffic speed for both pedestrians and cyclists. So treating intersections as danger zones, especially during load shedding when it's a four-way stop, because that's when it gets chaotic and it's easy for a collision to happen. And especially for cyclists, where intersections and driveways are very high risk. So slowing down and taking the time to observe your surroundings before actually crossing these points. And then another big one, I think being seen and being predictable as both as both a pedestrian and a cyclist. So reflective clothing or a reflective strap on your school bag can really help drivers to see you, especially when it gets a bit darker. And then having at least one ear free for awareness. But ideally, obviously, you'd want to have both ears free of music to recognize where exactly the sounds are coming from around you. Um, but this also actually goes with paying attention to the traffic and not just looking down at your cell phone. And I think for pedestrians, not to jaywalk is also a quite a big thing because crossing at mark points is much safer than just crossing wherever on the road. And especially walking, facing traffic when there's no pavement is another big thing, and avoiding stepping between buses and taxis, even when they're stopped, because they can just take off whenever and you don't know what their next movement will be. And then I have one more thing. So, as someone who's a cyclist myself, something that's helped me with road safety is especially when I'm riding in a group, is learning and making sure to communicate with hand signals with your fellow riders so that they can warn each other of potholes or cars or other road hazards that may appear. And it's also important to indicate with your hand signals to other vehicles that they know your intentions and your movements on the road. So when cycling, it's important to ride with the traffic and not against it. Um, and then one last thing for the cyclists, it's really important not to pass a car on the left because if they turn left, you can really risk be at risk for a left hook injury, which is so easily avoidable, I think.

SPEAKER_02: 13:10

Yeah, no, that's great. I agree with all the points that you've raised. And it speaks to what you mentioned before that often students as pedestrians just assume that they have the right of use of the road, uh, which is completely incorrect, and that they need to be more aware of what goes on on the road before they cross. Um, so yeah, thank you both for what you've shared. I think as healthcare professionals, um, we are very aware of the fact that we need to do our updates in basic life support every three years so that we can manage patients in the hospital that may have a sudden heart attack or stop breathing. Um, but it's also important to use those skills out in the community when we come across an accident so that we are able to provide that first responder assistance to the person that was injured until the emergency services arrive. And I think it's important that we spread the message to our fellow students, families, friends, that they also have a responsibility to do a basic CPR training and to keep up to date with that training to refresh it every three years so that as a society we are a lot better prepared to assist people who are involved in a sudden traumatic event and whose life is being threatened by the severity of the injuries. So, Mecca and Jade have helped me to put together a video about uh raising awareness of injury, and this video will be released today on the 17th of October through the social media sites of the VITS Physiotherapy Department and my own social media networks. So I encourage people to look at the video and to share it widely with their family and friends so that we can raise more awareness of preventing traumatic injury. And I want to thank Jade and Mika very much for the input that they had into creating that video. So, Jade and Mika, thank you so much for your time today to talk with me about injury prevention and what students can do on campus and off campus, but to a larger extent, what everybody in society can do to try and reduce the risk of trauma within South Africa. Thank you both.

SPEAKER_00: 16:02

Thank you, prof. It was really, really nice.