RUBBER SPEED BREAKERS  A HAZARD TO THE HEALTH OF LAKHS OF CITIZENS  

 

Riding a two-wheeler on the city roads is often a back-breaking experience for motorists, thanks to speed breakers that are not laid in line with guidelines of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC).

A fortnight ago, a speed breaker with a steep height was laid sans the required markings . Unaware of the structure, a motorcycle borne youth met with an accident but managed to escape with injuries. A social activist recalls a similar incident a few days ago, after a speed breaker with a steep height was laid in front of the  corporation building. In both instances, the markings were put in place only after the mishaps took place. With the essential parameters being flouted, speed breakers that are meant to prevent accidents are proving instead to be the cause for road mishaps.

In accordance with IRC guidelines, a perfect speed breaker should have a height of 10 cm with a 1.5 metre ramp on both sides. They should be painted with alternate black and white markings and luminous paint is recommended for better night visibility. Signboards warning riders should be placed 40 metres before speed breakers. IRC also makes the maintenance of speed breakers compulsory at regular intervals. The mud or dust collected on either side of the hump should be removed and repainting of the markings on speed breakers must be done regularly.

However, most of these guidelines are often flouted with the height of speed breakers on arterial roads as well as on streets being too steep. The violations continue with no markings on the speed breakers as well as the lack of warning signboards..

THE staff on the condition of anonymity admitted that they rarely followed the guidelines of the IRC. Meanwhile, speed breakers built without the prescribed norms can be dangerous and cause various health hazards. "The spinal cord is vulnerable to damage in case of a sudden jerk due to improper speed breakers. It can also cause vertebral compression fractures or a disk prolapse ," ortho specialist said.

The design of speed breakers put up in the city by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is being left to the discretion of road contractors without any supervision or checks by civic engineers. It is also doubtful whether all constructed speed breakers have the mandatory permission from traffic police, alleged l organisation working to improve road conditions.

The speed-breakers are being commissioned in an ad-hoc manner without considering norms and prevailing road conditions. Many times, cautionary sign boards and essential markings about the structures are also not provided.

Ill-designed speed breakers cause acute discomfort to drivers and damage vehicles, even at low-speed. "Most speed breakers are traffic hazards and lack cautionary sign-boards and painted stripes. Drivers, especially those on two wheelers, who are not aware of the location of a speed breaker, may lose control at high speeds. There have also been fatal accidents because of faulty speed breakers," he said.

While basic criteria for speed breaker specified by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) need to be strictly followed by the civic body, their design also needs to be tailored at the local level as per need. This is especially important considering that IRC norms do not factor in modern-day road conditions, including the need to customize guidelines for different desired crossing speeds, advances in vehicular design and newer types of moulded bump type speed breakers made of coloured rubber, PVC or plastic.

Senior IRC officials also clarified that the design of speed breakers needs to be tailored to prevailing road conditions. An official of IRC, which has issued fresh guidelines for reducing vehicular speeds and installing markings on the roads, said, "Factors including type and condition of the road, nature of traffic, desired traffic speed and even advances in vehicle technology need to be considered before deciding on the design and nature of speed breakers to be installed." The officials said IRC guidelines become mandatory when included in the project contract.

Compression fracture of the vertebral body is common, especially in older adults. Injuries to the spinal column are one of the most frequent injuries by accidents and falls from heights AND caused due to unscientific speed breakers. Vertebral fracture associated with minor trauma, however, is a rare occasion.

CASE REPORT:
Five cases were injured in the inner two wheelers after passing onto speed bumps are presented. On presentation, four patients complained of severe pain in the thoracolumbar region, while in the other patient, physical examination revealed pain and tenderness on the neck. No neurologic deficit was noted except for one patient with tenderness on thoracic spines. Examination of the thoracolumbar X-ray and computed tomography displayed compression fractures in four patients. Other laboratory data obtained on admission were within normal limits. Posterior instrumentation was applied to three patients. All patients recovered well except for the one with cervical fracture.

CONCLUSION:
Drivers should be strongly warned and educated on the potential hazards of traversing past such bumps in roads too fast and such barriers should be built regarding tested standards.

Infact all rubber speed breakers /bumps should be totally banned through the country.