Læknablaðið - 15.03.1980, Síða 47

LÆKNABLADIÐ
67
know how it occurred. He may get now away
with a traffic offence as there may have been
no witnesses but he could never have got
away with his high blood alcohol the previous
night.
In these cases rnuch of the investigation is in
the hands of the forensic scientists. The
pathologist, however, during his autopsy ex-
amination, has a duty to examine the deceased
for trace evidence such as glass and paint
flakes, and in all cases must take hair and
blood samples from the deceased. In cases in
which fragments of bone are found in the
suspect car, the pathologist may assist by
reconstruction of the fracture. In one case, a
pedestrian was struck and killed by a fast-
moving car which failed to stop. A suspect car
was examined by the police the next day and a
small fragment of bone recovered from the
bonnet area. The victim had a compound
comminuted fracture of the tibia. 1 removed
the shattered leg and reconstructed it and the
piece of bone found on the suspect car fitted
exactly into place. The fracture line also
makes the direction of the car in relation to
the victim quite clear, (fig. 6).
Fig. 6. The piece of tibia
found on the suspect car
is painted black.
Forensic science may provide indisputable
evidence of the connection between the sus-
pect car and the deceased. In some cases the
scientist may find several matching paint
layers. In one case a sliver of spectacle lens,
found in the suspect car three weeks after the
accident, exactly matched the broken lens of
the victim.
I will now close with some personal obser-
vations. In my opinion the two prime causes of
accidents are excessive speed and alcohol and
both these factors may be aggravated by bad
road layout or design. I think these two main
causes are accepted world wide. I will now
give you an example where speed and road
layout were major factors in the accident rate.
In óne area I cover I used to get perhaps six
or more fatal accidents on one stretch of road
per annum. This was a three lane highway
whose lanes were known as nearside, offside
and suicide. There was no speed limit. A 60
km. limit was enforced and the accidents
dropped to about one a year. Some years ago
the road was widened and is now a derestric-
ted six-lane divided highway. Since it has been
opened I can only recall one fatal accident.
How can we cut down the appalling death
toll upon the roads? In Great Britain, as in
most other countries, the largest percentage
of numbers of road deaths occur before the
age of 25 years. Around 25 years the young
tnan or woman will have completed their
education and training at considerable cost to
the economy of their country and are starting
to reimburse that country by applying the
results of their education and training in their
chosen field. To Iose these large numbers at
this age from death or disability is tragic, not
only from the loss of life or health but also for
the economic consequences.
The results of many schemes to cut down
road accidents have been disappointing. I feel
the problems must be dealt with from all
angles.
Firstly, the young driver should not only
learn how to propel his vehicle safely under
norntal conditions but should also receive
instruction in defensive driving — that is to
say how to foretell dangerous situations and
how to avoid them.
Secondly, there should be legislation re-
garding alcohol and speeding and the com-
pulsory use of restraint systems. I have al-
ready mentioned the beneficial results to
motor cyclists of the introduction of the
mandatory wearing of crash helmets. Coun-
tries which have introduced compulsory seat-
belts wearing legislation have had remarkable
falls in road deaths. (IX). Regrettably in some