Men, Alcohol, 200 Road Fatalities and Widows at Home

By Jaive Smare

Its always been the common agreed upon assumption in PNG, that men drink drive and men die in car accidents caused not by the alcohol in us but because of our sense of immortality that is heightened with every beer we drink before we sit behind that wheel.

According to statistics from MVIL, 85 percent of drivers involved in accidents were found to have consumed alcohol prior to the accident. Also, 18 out of 20 pedestrians who died on our roads were intoxicated with alcohol.

In a road survey, MVIL officers found that on week nights, many drivers had an alcohol consumption reading of 0.08 percent. In most countries, blood alcohol readings of 0.5 percent will get you fined, in jail and your license suspended.

MVIL has also stated that 200+ people die every year in road fatalities in PNG.

The last and most significant of MVILs statistics is that 80 percent of deaths in road accidents involve males.

If you forget about all the other statistics and just focused on this last one, you can easily realize that the one group in PNG that needs to change its attitude to road safety and drink driving has to be the men.

Blokes have to say no to drink driving, they have to stop the urge to do stunt men like driving on our roads, they have to budget their money and fix any problems with their car, for themselves and for their families.

If MVILs statistics are correct, that 80 percent of all road fatalities involve male, then every year more than 150 families lose a male.

Wives lose their husbands, kids lose their fathers, parents lose their sons, siblings lose their brothers.

Legislation can reduce some of the road toll, but for real significant change, male attitudes need to change.


*** I applaud the provinces who are preparing to ban liquor during the Christmas and the festive season. This will probably reduce the number of accidents occur frequently as a direct result of consuming excessive amount of alcohol beyond the normal limit.

I urge all men to spend quality time with your family, friends, and neighbors during this time of Christmas and New Year. Merry Christmas, PNG!