Although road traffic accidents are a major global public health problem, most of it occurs in low- and middleincome countries including Ethiopia, reported Advances in Transportation Studies, an international journal few years ago. Pedestrians and passengers of commercial vehicles, as to the journal, are the most vulnerable in Ethiopia, whereas in high-income countries crashes involve primarily privately owned vehicles with the driver being the main car occupant injured or killed.
In the United States of America, for instance, 60 percent of the fatalities account to car drivers, while in Ethiopia, 5 percent account to drivers. This implies that in one crash the number of people killed or injured in Ethiopia is about 30 times higher than in the US.
Poor road network; absence of knowledge on road traffic safety; mixed traffic flow system; poor legislation and failure of enforcement; poor conditions of vehicles; poor emergency medical services; and absence of traffic accident compulsory insurance law have been identified as key determinants of the problem, the journal noted.
This day to day plague has thus, disturbed Denekew Berihun, a computer program developer, when he heard traffic accident encountered public bus on the way to Gondar five years ago. All the passengers going for the celebration of Epiphany ‘Timket’ were killed by the accident including his friend and wife.
Denekew said that he went to the site of the accident and it was heart breaking. In order to minimize and cease this detestable accident, he comes up with a technology “Daktech Social ICT Solution” PLC. The association has been developing programs aiming at filling gaps in governmental processes and solving public problems.
The association has registered its patent right of developing seven computer programs at Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office, as to Denekew. Among programs developed by “Daktech Social ICT Solution” the program that enables to control the ever growing road traffic accident that takes esteemed human life in our country as well as in Africa is one.
Traffic police can send accidents happened on the road to the central server through Short Message Service (SMS) as it is hard to use internet. The challenge to apply this technology at the beginning, as to Denekew, was the driving license provision system in Ethiopia. Each region even zones are authorized to provide license and due to this, the same number can be given to different drivers as all providers begin with 001; for example license number 151 can be repeated many times.
Therefore, Denekew and his workmates thought two ways. One is making the driving licenses unique by using code for each city that provides the license such as, Bahirdar, Gondar, Adama and the like. The other way is applying simple SMS system that operates in weak network to sending message through 8584. In addition, they have prepared web application for each zone and registered telephone number of traffic police in the zone along with their own code.
To clarify the way the system works; in case a driver caught breaching one of the traffic rules; the traffic police sends code of the driver’s license, vehicles plate number, level of fault he/she committed along with his own code. At that moment the system identifies the traffic police and the site and punishes the blameworthy person accordingly.
If the same driver caught violating the same rule or another at different site the system reports including the previous one. Application of the system has begun in Bahirdar followed by SNNP, as to Denekew. Each fault of a driver has its own rate and when the sum of the points reached 14 the license is suspended for six months according to the law but the law is recently revised to the total sum of 17 to suspend driving license, he said.
In case of financial punishment, the driver has to pay immediately otherwise after 10 days the rate will be doubled and finally the driver is snatched his/her license. As soon as the driver paid the penalty cash, the software sends back SMS. If the driver has any complaint regarding the punishment, as of Denekew, he/she can send to Detail Command application through 8584 and the system shows all history.
As per this, Denekew said that they are applying the law in Amhara, SNNP and Oromia. Since the rate for faults committed rose to 17 from 14, they are working on it with Amhara, Tigray and Oromia States. Addis Ababa is utilizing its own internet system, as to Denekew, but they have worked crosschecking system that indicates the penalty applied by their SMS system.
Regarding the effectiveness of the new computer program, Denekew said that it makes conscious everyone and most of the drivers are driving cautiously as no one wants to be deprived his/her license. Moreover, it enabled reduce accidents.
For instance, at Dejen surrounding wereda and Abay depression, remarkable results are registered where previously known for severe traffic accident, he noted. “The software we developed is easy for use, cost minimizing and enabling utilize one server throughout the country. Acknowledging this success, the former Ministry of Science and Technology awarded us 50,000 Birr, a cup and medal in 2016” said Denekew. In case a driver committed fault and escaped, the traffic police at the site sends full information of the driver through SMS to run command application and the message reaches each traffic police in the zone and will be caught immediately, he added. The intention of the new program as of Denekew is not punishing the drivers; rather rescuing citizens from fatal traffic accident and safeguarding even the drivers from unnecessary penalty in advance.
To this end, Denekew said that they have prepared mobile application for drivers regarding the law to be careful proactively. Being ethical is necessary among the traffic police for complete effectiveness of the system, as to Denekew.
In this regard, some traffic police are committed for their profession whereas some are not as such may be in case of corrupted mentality. For instance, one brave traffic police in Oromia has punished 2340 drivers in four months, he appreciated. The software reports full information of the accidents in kind and magnitude such as physical injury, death and property loss.
Moreover, the system enables also traffic officers those are in office to inspect whether the traffic police at the field are working properly or not, he added. The association has also developed GPS aided software that enables water meter readers to properly register the client’s water consumption by only presenting at the site.
They have worked for 30 towns up to now and they made agreement with Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority and the process is underway, he further explained. Regarding their future plan, Denekew said that they are advancing the technology to load their application on GPS to be fixed on vehicles aiming at controlling speed.
The Ethiopian Herald April 9, 2019
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
