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“ROAD SAFETY AND MEDIA REPORTING Road traffic crashes are often covered in the media simply as events—not as a leading killer of people and an enormous drain on a country’s human, health and financial resources. By framing road safety as a health and development story, with data and in-depth information, journalists have the opportunity to affect the way these stories are told and potentially to help shift public behaviour and attitudes, influence policy and therefore contribute towards saving lives.” Source: WHO

“Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders, and passengers of on-road public transport (mainly buses and trams).

Best practices in modern road safety strategy:

The basic strategy of a Safe System approach is to ensure that in the event of a crash, the impact energies remain below the threshold likely to produce either death or serious injury. This threshold will vary from crash scenario to crash scenario, depending upon the level of protection offered to the road users involved. For example, the chances of survival for an unprotected pedestrian hit by a vehicle diminish rapidly at speeds greater than 30 km/h, whereas for a properly restrained motor vehicle occupant the critical impact speed is 50 km/h (for side impact crashes) and 70 km/h (for head-on crashes).

— International Transport Forum, Towards Zero, Ambitious Road Safety Targets and the Safe System Approach, Executive Summary page 19^[1]

As sustainable solutions for all classes of road safety have not been identified, particularly low-traffic rural and remote roads, a hierarchy of control should be applied, similar to classifications used to improve occupational safety and health. At the highest level is sustainable prevention of serious injury and death crashes, with sustainable requiring all key result areas to be considered. At the second level is real-time risk reduction, which involves providing users at severe risk with a specific warning to enable them to take mitigating action. The third level is about reducing the crash risk which involves applying the road-design standards and guidelines (such as from AASHTO), improving driver behavior and enforcement”.

Source: Wikipidea

There are several thousands of people, if not millions, in the world today who are jobless. An article was recently published by forbes.com on July 24, 2020 with the caption: ’30 Million are unemployed… in U.S…’ Another article published on July 24, 2020 by The New York Times reads: ‘About 30 Million Workers are Collecting Jobless Benefits’ In US. Hence, there is relative increase in the labour force in many nations around the world. In other words, there is high increase in the number of unemployed persons globally due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the job creation to engage this increase in labour force is lagging behind in some of these nations, mostly in developing countries.

This writer believes that Covid-19, a global pandemic, will sooner or later be history, hence, the need for job creation becomes inevitable. The establishment of railway transportation as a source of job creation to cater for the teeming jobless youths is the main focus of this article. Apart from job creation, railway transport system can also accelerate economic development and consolidate the business activities within a nation.

Railway transport still remains the major source of job creation in any nation. The transport system employs people in thousands and also contributes to the economic development of any given nation. In fact, investment in rail transport network system can reduce the number of the unemployed and boost economic productivity. For better explanation, let us consider one or more countries here and examine the number of employees in each railway transport system of the countries.

China Railway Corporation

The China Railway transport system is known as China State Railway Group Co. Ltd. It is a state owned corporation where the Ministry of Finance performs the duties of shareholders and also chooses the board that manages the Corporation. The estimated employees is said to be 2 million people.

India Railway

India Railway network is said to move over 23 million passengers every day and it is said to be the 4^th largest network in the world. The railway employed 1.23 million people as at 2019.

Egyptian Railway

The Egyptian Railway transport system transports 1.4 million people daily and it is said to employ 86,000 people.

Germany Railway

The railway transport system in Germany provides safety and quality service for its numerous passengers. For instance, in 2006, the railway transport moved passengers close to 119, 698, 000 on its long-distance train while on short-distance journey the trains moved 2, 091, 828, 000 passengers in the same year by Deutsche Bahn company.

However, the government-owned railway company, Deutsche Bahn, had 323,900 staff in 2019 while as at 2018, the number of staff were 318,500. Despite this huge number of staff in Deutsche Bahn as one may imagine, it was discovered that the company lacked adequate service staff personnel in 5, 213 passenger stations across the country. This simply suggests that railway transport system is indeed, a major source of job creation.

Without any element of doubt, it is clear that railway transport provides thousands of jobs to people. The transport system has the potential to reduce high rate of unemployment in a nation.

The most important transport system that can serve or connect other modes of transport is road transport system. The road transport system complements other modes of transport, such as sea/water transport, air transport and rail transport. Motor vehicle is one of the most important inventions of 18^th century in road transport system. Today different kind of vehicles are made for both comfort and efficient movement of people and goods.

However, the black round objects that move your vehicle around remain one of the essential parts of your motor vehicle. They play an essential role in road safety. By showing poor safety concern about the tires on your vehicle, which are the only objects that come in contact with the road, you may be putting your life and the lives of other road users at epic risk.

Tires enable your vehicle to grip the road, to turn easily, and to firmly stop your vehicle when you apply the brake; and more importantly, the tires carry the weight of your vehicle, hence, malfunction of any of these tires due to poor safety and the negligence of the drivers may lead to serious or fatal accident. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that almost 200 fatal accidents in a year are due to tire failure.

Indeed, the outcome of a tire failure can be disastrous, the car may somersault, and at times it may move uncontrollably against the oncoming traffic or move uncontrollably off the road. This explains why motorists must show safety concern about the tires in their car by checking tire pressure monthly, inspecting the tires monthly to ensure they are safe for use, and occasionally changing the tires’ position in order to check uneven wear out and to increase the lifespan of the tires. In addition, be a good observer, if you notice any unfamiliar or strange noise from any of the tires do not waste time to find out the cause and try to fix it timely.

Road traffic accident due to tire failure is a public health concern which has to be addressed by all motorists through unrelenting effort of being safety conscious about the tires that move you around.

Image Credited to: David&Philpot

Image credited to: IdahoPress

Highways are the main public roads that connect different cities, towns and at times, villages etc. together. It is a major and significant public road that is able and fit to carry fairly heavy traffic. Since automobile has gained popularity in the world today, the need for adequate and efficient transport system for promoting economic development is a notable fact that cannot be underemphasized. Substantial investments on road infrastructural development by government at different levels e.g. Federal, State and local government are also frantic efforts to attract investors which will in turn promote the economy.

For instance, in China virtually all regions either rural or urban are linked by highways with Beijing and Shanghai . This helps China to increase economic activities in all regions.

Highways have great benefits to industries, educational institutions, tourist centres, hospitals, to mention but few. It plays an indispensable role in the economy of both the developed and the developing countries of the world in making travels easier and faster. Hence, any problem that may affect smooth transport operations on highways may have great negative impacts on the economy of a nation at large. This and many other reasons explain why highways are important to a nation. However, below are the benefits of highways:

1. Good transport infrastructure, like highway network, enhances transport system that reduces transportation costs and this, in turn, definitely reduces production costs while increasing the productivity and profitability of organizations.
2. Highway networks also make transportation schedules and deliveries more reliable and timely.
3. Highways also contribute immensely to social growth, relatives are able to visit their loved ones more often and it enhances good relationship between family and friends.
4. Highways can relatively reduce travel time to villages, cities and towns thereby encouraging people to travel for business and trade.
5. Highways make journeys faster, comfortable and safer than usual while at the same time reducing fuel consumption.
6. Highways allow regions or different communities that are linked to the highway to gain comparative advantage.
7. It is highly durable: Oftentimes highways are well constructed, they stay strong and in good condition over a long period of time.
8. It helps to reduce accident rate. The life of any individual road user is important. Good roads help to reduce rate of accident that may come as a result of bad roads. For instance, highway constructed to link Tibet one of the provinces in China was said to have reduced accident rate in the area by 40%.
9. It reduces the cost of vehicle maintenance, when you compare it to vehicles subject to extraordinary rough physical treatment under poor road condition.
10. Highways increase the life-span of a vehicle: Under poor road condition tires, brakes, clutches and other vehicle parts suffer when moving on a bad road. But when the roads are good the vehicle’s parts function well over a good period of time
11. Highways support development: Use of highways will affect virtually every economic activity of the environment. Hence, every rural community that is separated from others due to lack of motorable road will be economically challenged. For instance, highway construction that links Tibet Province in China plays an important role in Tibet’s development.
12. Highway makes life better in various ways: such as reducing travel time for: Residents; workers; students; accessing health services; tourist centers and market places. It also reduce cost of travel by motorcycles and vehicles as well as reducing the transportation cost for industries thereby reducing production cost, while increasing passenger services and more importantly reducing traffic accidents. Indeed, highway brings significant improvements for man in many ways.

Having considered the above benefits of Highway construction, it is important that highway construction project should not be politicized. Political strategies that discriminate against highway in rural communities mostly in developing countries must be checked. Adequate fund provision for the project must not be undermined. Corruption in the part of government officials in awarding road projects must also be checked. The designs, construction and regulations of the highways and the vehicles used on them and the training of drivers and other road users may go a long way in making our highways safer for all of us.

 

A highway is a principal public or private road that links two or more cities, towns, villages and other places where people live or work together. A well-developed highway enhances connectivity between people, towns, communities and different places. The most possible effect of highway construction is its capability to increase economic benefits to national productivity and employment.

The notable advantage of highways is that they have the capacity to boost economic activities and to reduce poverty and the travel time to cities, villages, towns and different rural areas.

Although there is no gainsaying the fact that a huge number of people are living in abject poverty in most rural parts of the world, most especially in Asian and African countries, the notable factor for this high rate of poverty in these rural areas is due to the fact that a well-developed highway that links people to most rural areas is absent. Some even have poor roads that link people to the community such that during the rainy season they no longer become motorable, making it difficult if not impossible to access these communities or to carry out business activities there.

For instance, in the early months of this year I visited one of the rural areas of a state in my country. While visiting the place, I discovered there’s a point where the vehicle cannot move beyond; even the untarred road we plied to the place was not in good condition. Hence, the settlement is only accessible by motorcycle. However, in that rural area I discovered that there were different big farms owned by different farmers such as cocoa plantations, plantain plantations, orange plantations among others.

Since this location lacks a motorable road, it will be difficult if not impossible for the farmers to access the market place to sell their agricultural produce, likewise buyers cannot easily access the market place to buy the farm produce from the farmers. Hence, the harvested cash crops cannot be sold to get money and the major part of the crops get rotten, leading to labour waste and increase in the poverty level of the farmers. This among others is one of the ways in which lack of motorable road can affect the business activities of an area.

Truly speaking, industrial development and job creation often manifest as a result of quality of road transport in an environment. High quality road transport allows business activities to easily take place in a community.

Virtually everyone makes use of road transport for one reason or the other to meet their needs. Roads that are poorly developed are dangerous to human life. Motorists plying poorly developed roads may create unwanted delays, congestion, pollution, rise in costs, and the most resultant effect of using poor roads is that it may lead to fatal accidents. Better developed road network will reduce costs and travel time, boost trade activities and improve general welfare. However, the following are the list of factors for road transport development:

1. Adequate Planning: Roads that will increase quality and traffic safety demands adequate planning. It provides uniform traffic convenience.
2. Distance: A location that is far removed from other places due to lack of motorable road may influence the construction and development of roads for easy accessibility.
3. Political: Politicians can also influence or cancel road construction and development.
4. Economic: Economic activities taking place in a particular area or settlement may enhance road development.
5. Qualified Contractors: Experienced contractors with required equipment for successful implementation of the contract may encourage the desire for road development.
6. Funding: Inadequate funding may lead to cancellation of road development.

Nevertheless, the notable effects of road development on economic, agricultural, and urban growth as well as poverty reduction in both rural and urban areas cannot be overemphasized. Image credited to :https://www.freeimages.com

     

Logistics industry helps to develop the economic growth of a nation and also supports the quality of life by supplying human needs and also goods needed for industrial production. Hence, it’s worthy to say that the logistics industry promotes economic activity.

The capability to effectively manage storage and movement of goods in and out of a company within and outside of a country in order to efficiently satisfy customers’ requirements through efficient and effective use of road transport, railway transport, air transport and sea transport system, explains the basic duty of a logistics company.

However, there are three basic essential qualities of a logistics company you need to know:

1. Flexibility: A good logistics industry is always ready and able to change a particular logistics operations at the shortest notice when the need arises or better still capable to handle different logistics operations at the same time in order to satisfy customers’ demand.

This is characterized by a ready capability of logistics industry at any point in time to adapt new order or requirements. Therefore, the capacity of logistics industry to promptly handle emergencies when required is one of the notable qualities of a logistics firm.

2. Speed: Speed here means the rate at which a logistics firm handles or supplies customers’ demands at the right time. Speed is the essential ingredient of all logistics firms. The speed at which a logistics firm effectively coordinates the different movements of different products or goods in and out of different companies across the board at the right time to the right destinations, is an essential quality to keep your customers in the business.
3. Reliability: Reliability is an essential tool for a logistics firm to continue selling their services to their prospective customers. No one will like to do business with any organization that is not dependable. A logistics firm must be trusted by their numerous customers to provide what is needed at the right time and at the right place. Logistics firm must do everything possible in all its capacity to reduce risk of a breakdown in the supply of goods to the customers, as this may discourage them in doing business with your firm.

In conclusion, every logistics company must showcase these three essential qualities: the ability to adapt to any change in customers’ demand or to any unforeseen circumstance; the ability to efficiently and effectively carry out transport operations to avoid unnecessary delay and provide just-in-time delivery; and the ability to build a proven track record that can be trusted and relied upon by your customers which are the essential factors that define the quality of a logistics firm.

   

A good management of any company must desire to grow, growth in the sense of progressive development of the business. A good management indeed, anticipates for progressive growth mostly in capital, value and income. In this sense, it is only a bad management that will refuse to grow or expand its business. The fundamental purpose of establishing most companies or businesses is to create wealth, reduce poverty and more importantly to sustain growth. It is important to note that the services of all logistics industries are important to bring this fundamental purpose of every business to reality.

Logistics industry supports good management of any given company or business. It’s a sign of a good management to see a company that grows at a greater rate than her whole economy and it is also a sign of good management when the management of such company usually directs a relative high percentage of the income made into the business for future expansion. All the way, logistics industry also provides immediate support for the future expansion of a business for both domestic and international logistics needs through road, air, rail and sea transport.

However, anticipation for progressive growth as management team of your company is not enough without adequate factors to bring it into reality; one of the notable factors or agents of positive change is logistics industry. Logistics industry is the most important factor with direct positive impact on the bottom line to grow your company’s operations. Logistics deliver superior quality service that will definitely boost the economic well-being of your company.

For instance, if a production or manufacturing company increases or doubles her production probably due to the high demand of her product from her prospective customers, in such situation, the freight volume grows, the cost of transportation also increases and transportation becomes more and more complex. Hence, in such situation, the need for a logistics industry for effective supply chain management and to reduce the cost of transportation becomes inevitable.

The ability to effectively control the flow and storage of goods into and out of a company, both within and outside a country, to support efficient production and to satisfy the customers’ demand better at the right time across-the-board, while at the same time, reducing the cost of transportation as well as the cost of operation are the most important factors to make your company to grow at a greater rate.

Why? It is because customers are the live wire of any given business, satisfying their demands at the right time at any given location which is the quality service of logistics industry, while at the same time helping your organization to solve the problem of complex transportation and reducing the cost are the ways to economic prosperity of your company.

Image credited to: Dreamstime.com

 When you see planes fly in the sky, a fairly large number of people believe it is solely the work of pilots. Many fliers also assume that air travel safety majorly depends on the flight crew, so they assume that pilots, more than any other set of people, ensure the safety of airline operations. So when you see a plane in the sky flying, many people believe it is the act or work of skilful pilots. So pilots become more popular and successful professionals in the eyes of many people; little do they know that for a successful flight to get to a desired destination goes beyond the visible work of a pilot. Little do they also know that there are invisible pilots, though not professionally so, that keep watch on the flight to ensure that both the crew pilots and the passengers in the flight are able to get to their desired destination timely and safely.

The Men Behind Every Flying Plane

These invisible pilots in every flight are flight dispatchers or aircraft dispatchers. Even though they are not the professional pilots that fly planes yet, they are the men behind the scene that keep an eye on the planes in the sky, in order to guide and give recommendations to crew pilots when necessary on foreseen issues that may threaten the safety of the flying plane, so as to ensure safe and smooth operations.

Indispensable Role

Flight Dispatchers are part of the ground people that perform different activities which include flight plans, safety guidelines, and weather reports, among others.  Flight Dispatchers spend reasonable amount of their time monitoring several planes in the sky while at the same time communicating with pilots in such planes.

History reveals that in the 1940s to 1960s airline operations lack input of air dispatchers. History has it that many costly mistakes were made by pilots which led to unwanted plane crashes that would have been avoided, if flight dispatchers were in place to give support to the pilots.

For instance, on August 15, 1949, the Transocean Airlines crashed with 8 fatalities, caused by fuel exhaustion due to lack of adequate preflight planning. Also on May 27, 1950, Regina Cargo Airlines crashed with 2 fatalities due to overloading above the required gross weight, due to lack of flight manifest. In addition, an aircraft known as Continental Charters also crashed in December 29, 1951 with 26 fatalities, due to failure to obtain preflight weather information coupled with lack of preflight planning.

All these accidents were due to lack of Flight Dispatchers. There were other plane crashes during this period apart from the ones mentioned in this article that could have been avoided, if there were proper operational control and adequate dispatch oversight. Therefore, the need for the role of Flight Dispatchers in the aviation industry becomes inevitable.

Nevertheless, Flight Dispatchers monitor airborne flights 24/7. They also perform preflight planning for each flight. Indeed, they are indispensable silent labourers for every airborne flight, which many people don’t know or recognize.

Flight Dispatcher and Its Common Misconception

When you see planes fly in the sky, a fairly large number of people believe it is solely the work of pilots. Many fliers also assume that air travel safety majorly depends on the flight crew, so they assume that pilots, more than any other set of people, ensure the safety of airline operations. So when you see a plane in the sky flying, many people believe it is the act or work of skillful pilots. So pilots become more popular and successful professionals in the eyes of many people; little do they know that for a successful flight to get to a desired destination goes beyond the visible work of a pilot. Little do they also know that there are invisible pilots, though not professionally so, that keep watch on the flight to ensure that both the crew pilots and the passengers in the flight are able to get to their desired destination timely and safely.

These invisible pilots in every flight are flight dispatchers or aircraft dispatchers. Even though they are not the professional pilots that fly planes yet, they are the men behind the scene that keep an eye on the planes in the sky, in order to guide and give recommendations to crew pilots when necessary on foreseen issues that may threaten the safety of the flying plane, so as to ensure safe and smooth operations.

Flight Dispatchers are part of the ground people that perform different activities which include flight plans, safety guidelines, and weather reports, among others.  Flight Dispatchers spend reasonable amount of their time monitoring several planes in the sky while at the same time communicating with pilots in such planes.

History for the Need of Flight Dispatcher

History reveals that in the 1940 to 1960s  airline operations lack input of air dispatchers. History has it that many costly mistakes were made by pilots which led to unwanted plane crashes that would have been avoided, if flight dispatchers were in place to give support to the pilots.

For instance, on August 15, 1949, the Transocean Airlines crashed with 8 fatalities, caused by fuel exhaustion due to lack of adequate preflight planning. Also on May 27, 1950, Regina Cargo Airlines crashed with 2 fatalities due to overloading above the required gross weight, due to lack of flight manifest. In addition, an aircraft known as Continental Charters also crashed in December 29, 1951 with 26 fatalities, due to failure to obtain preflight weather information coupled with lack of preflight planning.

All these accidents were due to lack of Flight Dispatchers. There were other plane crashes during this period apart from the ones mentioned in this article that could have been avoided, if there were proper operational control and adequate dispatch oversight. Therefore, the need for the role of Flight Dispatchers in the aviation industry becomes inevitable.

Nevertheless, Flight Dispatchers monitor airborne flights 24/7. They also perform preflight planning for each flight. Indeed, they are indispensable silent labourers for every airborne flight, which many people don’t know or recognize.

      A flight dispatcher is an important element of the aviation industry that supports smooth flight operation. It is a notable department that ensures maximum safety for flight operations in the airline business and regular exercise of flying an aircraft. In some countries, flight dispatchers are called airline dispatchers, flight operations officers or flight followers. Whichever name they are known for in your country is secondary, the primary concern in this article is the effective roles of flight dispatchers. However, below are the special activities of flight dispatchers:

1. They prepare and print each flight paperwork that contains all needed information for the crew to operate. This printed paperwork is known as flight release which includes flight plans, passenger lists, flight fuel, flight route, weather reports, among others.
2. They help to predict the weather condition and prevent flights from unfavourable and unsafe weather condition.
3. Flight dispatchers have 50% legal responsibility of every dispatch flight safety. They have the authority to disallow a flight ready for dispatch, if the safety condition is not satisfactory, after the pre-flight safety and maintenance checks have been carried out. Therefore, they have the authority to review the flight crew and concentrate on maximizing efficiency with safety in view.
4. They monitor the current flights in the sky while planning for new flights to come on board.
5. They critically examine the state or condition of aircraft with respect to aviation industry laws, so as to make a very clear and obvious decision on the safety condition of an aircraft, as to whether it’s safe or not for a particular trip.
6. They carefully plan for the fuel that an aircraft will need to complete any given trip or journey.
7. They also collaborate with load planners to carefully plan the cargo for each aircraft and ensure that the loading is done in accordance with the given instructions.

  Nevertheless, flight dispatchers are as important as pilots. Permit me to say that they are silent pilots that shepherd airborne flights or planes in the sky and give suggestions about what should be done to the pilots if there’s any change relating to flight safety, smooth and efficient operation. Hence, as in the words of Herb Keller, “Dispatch is the heart of the airlines”.

There is a little foe that must be prevented in the aviation industry, it is an enemy of any given flight any day or any time. Having considered the above caption, I guess one may wonder what this little foe is. It is a rat! It is the little foe that can cause great damage to a plane. Oftentimes, no one understands or can explain how and when this little foe gets into an aircraft and once it is sighted, no one takes it for granted, no matter how small it appears. It is dangerous enough to cause havoc on a flying plane.

For instance, an airplane AI-952 was set to take off from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam when a rat (the little foe) was sighted in the airplane. However, the plane was delayed for nearly 12 hours at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport according to the Deccan Chronicle.

More so, a plane was delayed several hours when a rat was sighted on board, the plane was scheduled to travel from Amritar to Toronto and the journey was rescheduled for another plane.

In addition, a plane known as Loong Air’s flight DJ8823 in China was set to fly from Hangzhou to Bijie and shortly after taking off, a rat was discovered in the cabin. Hence, the cabin crew had no other choice than to fly back to Hangzhou International Airport where another passenger plane was scheduled for their flight to Bijie Feixiong Airport.

Furthermore, a passenger plane, Air Canada AC888 with 205 people on board, was set to travel from Canada to London Heathrow when a flier sighted a rat in an overhead locker. As a result of this incident, the flight captain asked all the fliers to come out of the said plane, in order to allow the pest control team to fish out the rat. Unfortunately, the rat was not found, hence, the flight was aborted and the passengers were delayed for the night while another airplane was scheduled for the journey.

Truly speaking, there are other cases where evidence of a rat’s presence in a plane has caused the plane to stay longer on the land than expected. This unwanted situation of a rat’s presence in a plane is high risk to the health and safety of all passengers or fliers on board. Therefore, the need to establish a reliable, regular servicing programme by the aviation industry to ensure that every passenger plane or aircraft is free from rat presence, probably through fumigation and disinfection before allowing it to set on a journey, is not in doubt.

Why Rat Presence in an Aircraft is Dangerous

The rat’s quest for food and shelter are basically reasons why they are found in a plane. One of the rat’s natural habits is to hide itself in unsuspected spots and thereafter cause serious damage through its natural inherent sense to consume any consumable item such as cables, wire, food, etc. It can also damage boxes, parcels, etc. It can as well be an agent carrier of diseases and parasites to both man and animal. These explain why it is an undesirable element in the airplane. Its size may appear so small and featherweight, but its presence in a plane is more than enough to cause a plane crash or to ground and delay a flight for several hours. Indeed, it’s undesirable element in any given flight.

 

It is not arguable that the pilots in the cabin direct the airplane in the sky, but they never determine the height at which the plane must fly above the sea level, the route which the plane flies and the track or the passage for the plane to travel. The air dispatchers perform all these functions and here are factors that determine the height at which the plane flies into the sky:

1. The type of airplane.
2. The distance to a desired destination.
3. The type of the engine in the plane.
4. The strength of the prevailing wind.
5. The weight of the plane.
6. The aviation law.
7. The flight dispatchers.

The flight progress upward into the sky must be done with safety in view.

  Flying the plane too high may be harmful and here are the reasons:

1. For emergency reasons: When a pilot flies a plane higher than the normal altitude, it will take a longer time for the pilot to return the plane to a safe altitude. When an unexpected dangerous situation occurs that calls for immediate action, bringing the plane down to a safe altitude may be difficult, if not impossible.
2. The weight of the plane: The weight of the airplane determines the extent to which the plane can fly into the sky. The more the weight of the airplane, the more difficult it is for such plane to fly at a higher altitude.
3. Shortage of fuel: The higher a plane flies beyond its normal altitude, the more fuel it burns to get there. This will definitely reduce the available fuel meant for the trip. You can imagine how dangerous it will be to fly a plane without enough fuel.
4. Inadequate oxygen: When the airplane flies much higher, there is inadequate oxygen to fuel the engine.
5. Every management of any given organization is not expected to run at a loss, they are expected to make profit for sustainability. Flying a plane above the clouds consumes a lot of fuel. However, flying a plane above the clouds for short destinations is not economical; it means the airliner will be spending so much money on fuel, which will increase the overhead cost.

  Nevertheless, safety and quality of air transport experience are important issues in the aviation industry; therefore, safety standards must be followed, to ensure a better and consistent quality air transport experience.

The aviation industry is still playing a leading role in the movement of people and cargo in both long and short distance.  International Civil Aviation Organization revealed that not less than 2.128 billion people travel by air transport every year. However, one may wonder why planes fly so high in the sky, here are the notable reasons, why pilots fly so high in the sky:

1. It enables the plane to fly faster: Oftentimes the direction in which the wind blows reduces the speed of the plane and the higher a plane can fly into the sky, the lesser the air becomes; and the lesser the air becomes, the lesser the air resistance in the sky and as a result of these the plan can fly faster. Therefore, this explains why pilots fly the plane higher above the clouds.
2. Unwanted threat from birds: Oftentimes birds are a major threat to planes flying at lower altitudes. There are certain altitudes that are too high for birds to penetrate and this explains why planes fly on high altitudes.
3. If the desired destination for a plane is very far, it will be economical for the plane to fly at higher altitudes, this will enable it to fly at minimum fuel consumption.
4. When planes fly so high above the clouds, it makes them to be free from unwanted impediments such as wind, birds etc., hence, enabling the passengers to enjoy uninterrupted flight.
5. For safety reason, pilots prefer to fly at high altitude of 6.62 miles, above the sea level. For instance, if any problem that can be fixed with time occurs in the plane, causing the plane to descend, with such height, the pilots may have some time to quickly fix the problem. But if the plane flies at lower altitude the pilots may not have enough time to fix the problem of the descending plane and it may lead to a plane crash.

So, you when see the pilots rising a plane upward a great distance into the sky, be sure that the intention is to find a place that is free from harm or danger. Indeed, safety is first in aviation industry.

Image by: Colin Behrens from Pixabay Whenever there is the need to talk about transportation of passengers across the globe, air transport in this regard, still remains the most widely used mode. Many people choose air transport for both the journey within the country and outside the country. Air transport is reliable, efficient, comfortable, fast and more importantly it is safer. In addition, it is a mode that breaks obvious geographical barriers between two or more countries. These may explain why it remains the choice of many people for their international transport. However, let us consider U.S. Aviation to justify this fact, here are the services rendered by Air Traffic Organization (ATO), as revealed by Federal Aviation Administration:

1. Federal Aviation Administration revealed that over 42, 000 planes take off every day in USA, while not less than 5, 000 planes in the sky at any point in time are monitored.
2. Over 100, 000 flights are handled by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) yearly.
3. Over 44, 000 planes are average daily flights managed by Federal Aviation Administration.
4. Not less than 14,695 air traffic controllers are engaged.
5. There are 19,622 airports in USA, with 5,092 for public airports while 14,530 are private airports
6. Not less than 2,789,971 passengers fly in and out of US airports every day.
7. Not less than 1 billion passengers in U.S. fly every year.
8. U.S.A. Aviation generates not less than 10,600,000 jobs.

The above points show that the aviation industry is one of the busiest industries in the world, handling millions of passengers every day, who choose air transport for their journey.

It is not enough to be an owner of a car without knowing the most necessary things that can keep your car safe for yourself and for other road users. Hence, the saying: ‘A safe car saves lives’. However, here are the most necessary tips you need to know to keep your vehicle safe while using the road:

1. You must check your car fluids regularly.

To keep your car functioning properly you must ensure that adequate fluids are in your car. These fluids include Power Steering Fluid, Windshield Washer Fluid, Engine Oil and Brake Fluid.

2. You must change your car air filter when due.

Don’t try to get your vehicle engine dirty by refusing to change the air filter when due. A dirty engine may cause you unwanted expenses, therefore, it is advisable to change the air filter after every 6 months.

3. You must be sure that your car headlamps and tail lamps are working properly.

Malfunctioning of headlamps and tail lamps may pose a serious danger to the owner and other road users.

4. You must not take your tyre safety for granted.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that more than 400 people lose their lives and 78 000 accidents occur every year due to tyre failures or blowouts.

5. You must not take your car brake for granted.

A vehicle without a brake is the most dangerous vehicle on the road. Many people have lost their lives while many others sustained permanent injuries due to brake failure.

6. You must make your vehicle available for routine maintenance.

The cost of routine car maintenance may be high and it may discourage you but a fatal accident due to poor maintenance of your car will cost you more. In other words, losing your precious life due to poor maintenance of your car is a costly mistake you need to avoid.

7. You must find a good and reliable mechanic.

A good routine car maintenance starts with a good and reliable mechanic. The safety of your car largely depends on your ability to find a good and a reliable mechanic. A dishonest mechanic may pose a serious danger to the safety of your car. In conclusion, never take the safety condition of your car for granted. It is high time all motorists took the responsibility to make our roads safer by ensuring that their cars are in good safety condition while making use of the road. A car as it were was invented and made for our own advantage and since then, the use of cars has become a valuable asset to the society. Therefore, the need to make our roads safer through a safe vehicle is not negotiable.

Increase in vehicle ownership has increased road traffic activities and the convenience for many people to travel at will at any time.  Transport operation provides great support to the national economy, quality of life, national defense, rural and urban development.  Proper management of road transport operations by the fleet manager is not only significant in saving the cost of operations, but also reduces the high accident rate that is likely caused by poor transport management. Road transport operations are determined by transport demand for different types of goods produced by different industries and the need for each individual to move from one area to another. However, efficient operations in road transportation is key to the growth and profitability of many industries in any given country. Nevertheless, here are the classes of road transport operations:

1. Short Distance Transport Operation
2. Long Distance Transport Operation
3. National Transport Operation
4. International Transport Operation.

  Short Distance Transport Operation This is the movement by road transportation within the region that is close to people or things.   Long Distance Transport Operation This is the movement by road transportation with spatial remoteness from one place to another. This is usually defined by travel time or the time spent to cover a particular journey i.e. (between origin and destination).   National Transport Operation This is the movement of people or things within the nation. The road transport operations within or across a country plays inevitable role in developing a nation. Therefore, national operation in road transportation is the road network or link within and beyond the boundaries of different states within a country.   International Transport Operation This refers to road transportation across the borders. The need for road transportation across the borders cannot be overemphasized when you consider the need for global economic expansion. Road transportation has been a major tool for expanding business activities across borders, mostly in African countries where the cost of taking a flight may be a serious challenge to small and medium business owners. Indeed, the economic growth between two or more neighbouring countries depends largely on international transport operations. This explains the thought of transport expert, Maciulis (2009), that ‘… Better transport infrastructure is the core element for business expansion.’ (p. 94)   In conclusion: Road transport operation is an inevitable part of our existence in the society; it has the potential to determine our lifestyle, our business locations, residential locations and our business activities at large. Undoubtedly, it is a potential means of developing a nation.    

Road accident is one of the major dangerous occurrences with great magnitude affecting the social and economic prosperity of a nation. The lives of many innocent road users have been lost in road accidents, many others sustained permanent injury while many others involved in road accidents suffered financial loss and damages. For instance, in 2013, about 54 million people in the world sustained injury from road accidents (Wikipedia). However, it is sad and important to know that road accidents are caused by human errors, yet there are motorists or drivers who were involved in road accidents caused by errors of other road users or motorists. Such are victims of accident by circumstance; they are the drivers that found themselves in road accidents beyond their control. These drivers are not at fault at any point in time, they did not overlook the traffic rules, and they are just victims of road accidents by the virtue of their presence at the scene of the accident caused by the error of someone else. Road rage exhibited by some motorists has caused many innocent drivers to be victims of road accident. It is painful and highly unacceptable to see an innocent driver who obeys traffic rules and also maintains safety consciousness while making use of the road to be a victim of road accident caused by another driver’s error. For instance, the statistics from National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Auto Vantage revealed that 66% of traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving. I use this medium to advise all motorists to be safety conscious and to think twice each time the need arises to make safety decisions while driving on the road, because it is morally unacceptable in any part of the world to make innocent, law abiding road users victims of road accident due to the error of another man. It is, therefore, much important to get home safely than to make an innocent man a victim of unwanted road accident.  

  The utility value for motorbike explains why millions of people around the world at large make use of motorcycles for their mobility. Its ability to access most rural areas with poor road infrastructures also explains the wide use of the two-wheel vehicle in our environment. However, the following are features that make a motorcycle full of fun: It is faster Some motorbikes are designed with exceptional speed that make them move faster on the road. In addition, the size of the motorcycle also makes it possible for the cyclists to manoeuvre their way out whenever there is traffic hold up. It is less expensive The price of purchasing a motorbike is less expensive when you compare it with the price of a car. The pride of owning a motorbike with lesser amount of money makes it popular. It is easy to maintain Purchasing a vehicle is not as important as maintaining it consistently. Maintaining a car is far more expensive than maintaining a motorcycle. Fuel management One of the benefits of using a motorcycle is that it consumes lesser fuel to cover a reasonable journey when you compare it with a motor vehicle, since it has greater fuel economy. Hence, many motorcyclists judiciously use their fuel to cover reasonably long journeys, and this is what motorcyclists enjoy when they make use of the two-wheel vehicle, they spend lesser amount of money on fuel. It is flexible The ability to use a motorcycle in different roads that are not motorable or accessible to other vehicles is another benefit of owning a motorcycle. The owner enjoys the ability to access different places that are difficult to access by car. US Department of Transportation revealed that the number of fatalities of vehicle per mile travelled was 37 times higher for motorbike than motor car. In other words, there’s high number of death in road accident involving motorbikes per mile covered, far more than motor cars. No matter how much fun a ride is, let it be known to you that you are not safe when you ride a bike, so don’t throw safety to the winds when you ride.