I get it. You’re so looking forward to getting out and driving to places where a few weeks ago Covid restrictions forbade us to step foot on. And then the fast-approaching Christmas season has stressed you into fast-tracking your business after many, many months of stagnation. Oh, and your old folks are nagging you to take them out so they can exercise and bask in the sun and breathe in the fresh air.
There’s a lot to do to play catch-up with the outside world, we may tend to rush things and forget about safety on the streets. The coronavirus may have let up, but a myriad other unfortunate events may soon occur with the renewed frenzy outside, foremost of which are road mishaps and accidents resulting in various injuries.
The orthopedic specialists I recently got in touch with have a particular bone to pick with the seeming inevitability of the spike in motoring-related accidents. Doctors Benigno “Iggy” Agbayani Jr, MD, and Russell U. Rivera, MD-MBA, agree that there will be a noticeable spike in road and pedestrian accidents in the coming weeks, and along with that the rise in the number of injuries—from mild to fatal ones.
“With the ease of quarantine restrictions and the opening of businesses, there will be freedom of movement. Travel will be much easier and there will be more motorists on the road, which can increase the risk of injuries that may happen. These injuries can be a myriad of bumps, scratches, and bruises from minor vehicular accidents to major injuries like broken bones and internal organ damage to even death, depending on the type of collision and vehicles involved.”
Russell U. Rivera, MD-MBA
Agbayani, on the other hand, sees it from the perspective of a quarantined motoring public that experienced an uncharacteristic decline in road use for nearly two years. He says he’s now anticipating more accidents (and injuries) “because there was a drop in travel activities” before.
Agbayani is the past chairman of Orthopedics Department at Manila Doctors Hospital, and the past president of Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines. He specializes in Orthopedics with sub-specialty in Arthroscopy and Joint Reconstruction, while Rivera is the orthopedic surgeon for Tagaytay Medical Center, Gentri Medical Center and Ospital ng Tagaytay.
Both agree that preventing or even just minimizing the risk for accidents is much better (and cheaper) than getting treated for the injuries.
Agbayani’s simple advice to road users: “Avoid using motorcycles. Drive slower. Walk more. Learn mindfulness and awareness.”
Rivera adds: “Abide by the rules of the road and perform a safety check of the vehicle you’re going to use. For motorcycle drivers, wear appropriate clothing and gear to protect the body.”
And yes, use your head always when going out, and protect that head at all times when you’re on two wheels. Agbayani stresses, “The helmet is the only significant safety gear that has been studied well to prevent life threatening injuries. Wearing body protection, though probably helpful in high-speed motorcycle accidents, matters very little, and may even be cumbersome, for daily city street travels.”
It wouldn’t hurt, though, to dress to survive rather than to kill. Rivera maintains that “the best type of wearable protection for motorcycle drivers and their passengers are a motorcycle jacket, gloves, riding pants, elbow and knee guards, shoes or boots, a chest and spine protector. It might seem much, but in my line of practice when seeing patients involved in motorcycle accidents, patients wearing protective gear versus those that do not really minimize the injuries to the skin from cuts and abrasions and to bones and joints that are fractured or dislocated.”
At their end, four-wheeled vehicles offer more protection for their drivers and occupants. Obviously, though, the risk of injury and death are still present despite the leaps and bounds in active and passive safety technologies.
Agbayani shares his insight on motorist behavior: “Motor vehicle injuries can be lessened by correcting socio-cultural aspects of driver and pedestrian behavior. Let’s not fall into the trap of over-reliance on safety gears. Majority of injuries I’ve seen in my lifetime are caused by driver issues—from drunkenness, stress, emotional issues, mental health, and such.”
Rivera, on the other hand, uses the jeepney as an example of safety (or the lack of it): “For four-wheel transport, the most predominant types of injuries that I have observed are from those drivers and passengers that do not wear seatbelts. Look at jeepneys. The passengers at the back are usually the ones who suffer the most during an accident. The types of broken bones vary—from a broken pelvis to a fractured shoulder or fractured ribs. If we talk about cars, then those who do not wear seatbelts suffer fractured ribs because of hitting the steering wheel, or a broken hip joint or dislocated hip due to their knee hitting the dashboard of the car.”
The government may have unfastened the social restraints for a more vibrant economy, but remember, every time you venture forth into the once-more maddening streets, you’re really going out on a limb. So, protect yourself at all times.
