Black Spots: limiting safety on our roads

While growing up, the common “black spots” I was familiar with were those natural “black spots” found in some parts of our bodies. We were told that these spots represented the number of aunties one has in a family. For whatever reason, we settled for it - after all, no one could explain a natural spot on a bicep or on a thigh. 

Looking back, I realize that society and its culture play big roles in shaping our understanding of so many things in life. This includes the things we are exposed to early in life – all these things critical to our upbringing. 

For so long, the carnage on our roads has been increasing. Globally, we lose up to 1.35 million people to road traffic crashes yearly, making it the 8th leading cause of death for people of all ages. Specifically, road crashes are the number one cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years. 

My quest to discover the cause of the rising number of road traffic crashes led me to discover the term “Black Spots” - a term I was familiar with from a different perspective. At that time, I had no idea that it is one of the leading causes of traffic crashes around the world. A black spot is a location on a road where traffic crashes often occur. An “accident blackspot” is a term used in road safety management to denote a place where road traffic accidents have historically been concentrated. 

The crashes may have occurred for a variety of reasons that include; sharp drops or corners in a straight road, oncoming traffic that has been concealed by blind spots, a hidden junction on a fast road, poor or concealed warning signs at cross-roads, and more. 

Many of our roads have these black spots. These black spots may be known and are marked, known unmarked, or unknown. It is important to identify black spots on both urban roads and highways to quickly and accurately ensure the safety of residents and maintain the sustainable development of upcoming cities. 

The identification of the location of clearly marked black spots is the first and most important step in the accident mitigation process. 

You and I have the responsibility of not just looking out for markings of these spots but also informing others about them. Together we shall make our roads safer.

Submitted by Richard Young Owere from Uganda, East Africa