Sarva gattah Posted February 23, 2008 Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 NOTE -This is inspired by a young devotee who hitched a ride with a stranger and was killed in a car accident Krishna protects those who carefully protect themselves, drive carefully and only be with those you trust driving, so you can continue on to tell others about Krishna. Road accidents worldwide kills more people than malaria and puts tens of millions of people in hospital. In fact, in 2007, 1.26 million people died as a result of road crashes. In some low and middle-income countries, road crash victims occupy up to 10% of hospital beds. India has had between 215, 000 to 225,000 deaths every year since the early 1990s while the US was around 43,000 deaths since the late 90s. Before that, all the way back to the 60s, around 47,000 die on US roads every year We all marvel at the sight of Formula One cars crashing at as much as 300 km/h, flipping through the air and landing in a jumbled heap, and then the driver climbing out without a scratch or a bruise. Indeed, the high emphasis on safety and the technological breakthroughs that enable drivers to survive such crashes help make our cars safer. Yet the reality out on the world's roads is very different. Ordinary cars are not built like racing cars. Furthermore, many cars - particularly in the developing world - are in bad condition and kill or maim if they hit an object at speed. We have the minibus filled to capacity and beyond, exploding a tyre and rolling over. We have the busy city street with children running out after a ball. The heavy truck losing its brakes and flattening anything that comes in its way. The drunk driver hitting someone on his way home. Out of hope or hubris, most of us choose to believe we are invincible when on the road. And yet, there are few other features of daily life that are more dangerous. We see large variations within Europe in the incidence of traffic injuries, but road safety is not primarily an industrialized country problem. Although the number of road crashes is unacceptably high in every country, road safety is first and foremost an issue for eveloping countries. In fact, 90% of all road traffic fatalities occur in low and middle income countries. Of the 1.26 million annual deaths, 35% occur in the WHO Region of South East Asia (which includes India), 24% in the Western Pacific (which includes China), 13% in Africa, 11% in the Americas, 10% in Europe (which includes Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union) and 7% in the Eastern Mediterranean Region which stretches from Morocco to Pakistan. The human suffering for victims of traffic-related injuries and their families is incalculable. In strictly economic terms, the costs associated with surgery, prolonged hospitalisation and long-term rehabilitation, in addition to lost productivity, represent tens of billions of euros each year. Road traffic injuries are a major drain on health and health care system resources. The burden put on health systems compromises prospects for development. In countries struggling with infectious diseases like AIDS, TB and malaria, and an increasing burden of chronic diseases, traffic injuries constitute an unnecessary and heavy burden. But the costs go beyond the health system. Over 50% of all deaths due to road traffic injury occur among young adults aged between 15-44 years, a major loss of human resources and productivity. Sadly, road traffic injuries cost some countries between 1 and 2% of their Gross Domestic Product. They also have a severe effect on the economy of families, laying a heavy cost burden on families and victims. They most affect the poorest. Many road crash victims are primary breadwinners and their death or disability has serious implications for families and dependants: reduction in quality of life, suffering and poverty. Vulnerable road users - pedestrians, cyclists and passengers - account for the majority of road traffic crash deaths in low- and middle- income countries. Children, of course, are particularly vulnerable. I mentioned road crashes compared to malaria. A particular challenge in the fight against malaria is to overcome the widespread resigned acceptance of the disease and its deadly toll. For many, malaria is part of life, and there is little belief that it can be overcome. Road crashes, too, are such an accepted feature of life. It is often very difficult to convince populations and governments that change is possible. At WHO, we are careful not to speak about "road accidents". Accidents imply that these things "just happen", and that little can be done to prevent them. Nothing is further from the truth. CHANT HARE KRSNA BE VIGIL AND BE SAFE SO YOU CAN SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF LORD CAITANYA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarva gattah Posted March 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 A word of Caution! <!-- end .post-top --><!-- the main section of the post goes here --> By Gopijan ballab dasa Dear devotees, Hare Krsna! Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Gaura Purnima festival 2008 will be officially inaugurated on 6th March’08. Devotees have started arriving at Sri Mayapur dhama for an exhilarating festival experience! ISKCON Mayapur management is concerned with the safety of the devotees arriving Mayapur. Please note that due to bad road conditions between Kolkata and Mayapur, we humbly request all the devotees visiting Sri Mayapur to avoid traveling during night from Kolkata to Mayapur. Please make prior arrangements for stay in ISKCON Kolkata by mailing to Sanat Kumar das at sanat.kumar.grs@pamho.net or phone him at +91-9432370057. Address of ISKCON Kolkata: SRI SRI RADHA GOVINDA TEMPLE 3C, Albert Road, Near Mintoo Park, Camac Street Opp. Birla High School Kolkata 700 017 ISKCON Kolkata is 45 minutes from Airport, 30 minutes from Howrah station Alternatively you can also stay back in Airport until morning to travel to Mayapur. Thank you. Your servant Gopijan ballab dasa (On behalf of ISKCON Mayapur) Please visit www.mayapur.com for Gaura Purnima festival updates & daily deity darshan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suchandra Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 Road accidents worldwide kills more people than malaria and puts tens of millions of people in hospital. In fact, in 2007, 1.26 million people died as a result of road crashes. In some low and middle-income countries, road crash victims occupy up to 10% of hospital beds. Seems the number of people who die in car accidents in percentage is everywhere the same, cars are killing humanity everywhere in the same way like no other threat. But obviously people are prepared to pay the price for this comfort of driving in a car. Probably very, very difficult to think of Krishna when having a car accident. Sri-Sri Radha-Madhava, the original Deities of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur Indian guest: But yesterday you also represented that there was some devotee, he renounced this whole world, went to forest, and he was chanting the name of Lord Krishna, this and that. But he was, some step of bhakti-yoga, and he was having the love of one deer. So at the time of death, he got idea of deer, and next birth, he become deer. So there was no desire intentionally, but anyhow he came in that… Prabhupāda: No, there was desire. He was thinking of a deer. There was desire. Indian: We think about so many things… Prabhupāda: So that is the practice. You should simply come to the thinking of Krishna. That is perfection. And if you become embarrassed with so many things, then there is risk of becoming a cat, dog, deer, or demigod, anything. Indian guest: Mahārāja, why you…? Prabhupāda: Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram. Your, at the time of death, whatever you desire, you get the next body. That is the nature’s law. Bhagavad-gītā 2.20 by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Hyderabad, November 25, 1972 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indulekhadasi Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 I traveled at night to come back from Ekachakra to Mayapura. Please do not do the same thing or you have almost a 5% of living. Only by Krishna's mercy did we make it because He left us in the hands of a good driver. Krishna is always happy when we take precautions as well as depend on His mercy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarva gattah Posted March 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 or this, We do get effected. Well, these scenes are being enacted everyday on Indian roads. As it says here as a warning to all devotees of Lord Caitanya - Incidentally, India holds the dubious distinction of registering the highest number of road accidents in the world. According to the experts at the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NTPRC) the number of road accidents in India is three times higher than that prevailing in developed countries. The number of accidents for 1000 vehicles in India is as high as 35 while the figure ranges from 4 to 10 in developed countries, West Bengal has the highest car death rate in India. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncientMariner Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 I wish I could live without a car. If this peak oil thing is for real cars are eventually going to be hard to come by possibly but who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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