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Authorities call on to prevent accidents during New Year's celebrations in Tijuana

The second cause of death in the region is due to car accidents

By Redacción2024-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Currently, the second cause of death in Baja California is caused by car and home accidents. Victims involved in this type of accidents range from children to seniors, both pedestrians and drivers.

Authorities at the Health Services Jurisdiction of Tijuana (JSST) called on seniors and their families to identify accident risks, especially regarding falls that could involve stairs, slopes, floors, and getting on or off chairs and stairs, which must be avoided as much as possible.

Alejandro García, coordinator of the Program for the Prevention of Accidents and Injuries at JSST, pointed out that regarding drivers, in 2023, car accidents were frequent. These car accidents occurred due to speeding, not respecting traffic signs, and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Running over pedestrians was also frequent, mainly because they did not cross through designated corners or because traffic lights were not respected. This is why health authorities called on to not get distracted and to keep an eye at what's going on around you, especially in areas of the city with intense traffic.

Throughout the year, staff of the Program for the Prevention of Accidents and Injuries at JSST went to different grade schools to train young people about these issues, with proper games to help them become aware about accident prevention.

Safety exercises took place, in which students were recommended to mainly avoid taking drugs or alcohol as well as to not use their phones while crossing the streets, cycling, and driving a car, scooter, or motorcycle, as this increases chances of getting into an accident.

In addition, as part of these games, for example, students wore "fatal vision" glasses which distorts students' sight and simulates the intake of alcohol or drugs. When they were asked to walk in a straight line, they were unable to.

Another exercise was the "Distracting Rug" where figures are placed on a rug and time is recorded. During the second part of this exercise, the pieces are placed at the same time as you are sending a text message with your cell phone. The result is that it takes longer to carry out these tasks and shows that getting distracted while in public one is more likely to have an accident.