Intern Chen Ye
Rushing to Overtake
Sanitation workers are frequently bumped or grazed
Taking shortcuts, when a driver steps on the gas for convenience entering the non-motorized vehicle lane, they may just encounter sanitation workers doing their job by the roadside.
Many people believe that sanitation worker traffic accidents mostly happen in the early morning when lighting conditions are poor and drivers are fatigued. However, multiple major accidents this July have proven that during these incidents, the drivers were all to varying degrees violating traffic laws.
"Sanitation work happens on the road, being grazed by vehicles from behind or even directly hit occurs from time to time," said Huang Chen, General Manager of the Yellow River Cleaning Company. He introduced that drivers are most likely to cause danger while overtaking or rushing for lanes. During work, employees are occasionally grazed by rule-violating vehicles. The hot weather in summer also makes drivers irritable, which can easily lead to accidents.
Netizens posting on forums expressed that sanitation worker traffic accidents are certainly greatly related to driving behavior, but the safety awareness of sanitation workers should not be overlooked. A netizen mentioned "I've seen sanitation workers recklessly crossing through traffic more than once!" Another user named "wz_loka" suggested that sanitation workers need proper standardized clothing, positioning, and parking of cleaning vehicles.
In response to the netizens' doubts, Huang Chen explained that various on-the-job safety skill trainings have been regularly conducted. Through segmented and grouped tiered management methods, improper behaviors of sanitation workers are reduced. Relevant reflective facilities have already been properly equipped. "More than a thousand sanitation workers under our company operate on city roads, with the majority aged between fifty and sixty. Their reaction to sudden situations is not as fast as that of younger individuals." He appealed for citizens to establish an awareness of yielding to sanitation workers.
Flying Objects Outside Cars
Various Hazards Thrown Along the Roadside
Violation of driving rules places 'Angels of the Road' in perilous situations, and some uncivilized small habits also increase the dangers for 'Angels of the Road'.
It's understood that in our city, roads such as Ou Hai Avenue, Che Zhan Avenue, and Jin Xiu Road undergo 18-hour cleaning. Cleaning requirements stipulate that garbage must be cleared within 15 minutes of landing on the ground. This means that garbage casually discarded by pedestrians and drivers keeps sanitation workers constantly 'tied' to the road.
"Many drivers, in order to save time, eat breakfast in their cars and then randomly throw plastic bags, milk bottles, and tissues out of the window," said Dai Can? Deputy Director of the City Environmental Sanitation Management Office, expressing concern that after each morning rush hour, Ou Hai Avenue is littered with white garbage. It's extremely dangerous for workers to pick up and clean garbage on expressways.
"These pieces of garbage could very likely be a 'time bomb' for sanitation workers. On expressways, there's heavy traffic flow, high speeds, and some drivers over-speed and drive recklessly. In such situations, sanitation workers might very well get hit by passing vehicles while sweeping up this garbage," explained Dai Can?
"Some citizens tear a piece of paper into snowflake-like shreds and scatter them along the way, leaving no machine capable of cleaning it up," said Huang Chen, indicating that current mechanized equipment remains powerless against certain types of garbage. Dai Can? also hopes to appeal through our newspaper: "Please, drivers, practice civilized driving and try not to discard garbage out of the window."
Netizen Appeals
Show Care with Minimal Effort
"Sanitation workers really work hard, show more care for these vulnerable groups!" said netizen "Lv Xiu": "They earn only about 1000 yuan per month, yet they do the hardest, most exhausting, and now the most dangerous work. Drivers, think about this and stop throwing garbage out of the car window. This is something you can at least do."
"The most important thing is that drivers should pay attention to road conditions. Always keep your eyes open, never drive under the influence, don't speed, and don't run red lights."
"The key is that drivers should drive cautiously and slowly. Otherwise, even if they don't hit sanitation workers, they might hit someone else."
"Everyone should cultivate the habit of not littering, whether walking or driving. This way, the road will be cleaner, sanitation workers won't have to frequently cross the road, and these accidents won't occur."