34. Domestic violence.

What do you think about domestic abuse, spousal abuse and child abuse? May domestic violence constitute a crime? Has the problem gained any attention in the society?

Domestic violence is a serious problem. It can be defined as different forms of abuse (жестокое обращение) which takes place between closely related people. Although this phenomenon has always existed, domestic violence is a relatively new field of study. Only within the last four decades have scholars recognized domestic violence as a social problem. We've been told about husbands killing their wives, mothers killing their children, or parents neglecting (не заботиться) their kids. As for me, when I hear such stories I really can't imagine how they could happen. I can presume that the man and the woman might be so angry with each other for some trivial domestic reasons that they fight, but if they fundamentally love (or, at least, respect) each other they just can't kill. No way! As far as child abuse is concerned, parents should be aware of a boundary between punishment and violence. Children might be shouted at (yet, it's not a good idea either) but never beaten. When you see a scar or a bruise on your child's face or hand and realize that it was your fault, it's unbearable, in my mind. Perhaps, step parents have different feelings. A child is like a doll or a pet for them. For exam­ple, Americans adopted our children and then treated them terribly. Firstly, because the children were Russian. Secondly, because they were adopted. The problem became so serious that our government forbid to adopt children for American people.

I'd like to mention that not only visible abuse (bruises, scars, broken arms and legs) worries people but also psychological one (misunderstanding, insulting, humiliat­ing), where there are no visible injuries but it often causes suicides especially during adolescence period.

It goes without saying that domestic violence is a crime but in fact, the legisla­tion (законодательство) in this sphere is still weak. If a convict has a good lawyer, the sentence might not be very strict. In my view, there should be organized special ser­vices dealing with cases of domestic violence. They should be free of charge and should help everyone in need. Moreover, at school special lessons should be organized where psychologists explain to children what to do or where to call in case of domestic violence. The worst thing (which, unfortunately, takes place in most cases) is not to do anything, keep silence and hope for the better. But it's not the way out.

35. Road traffic safety and traffic injuries.

Road-traffic crashes are as old as the roads themselves. Road-traffic safety aims to reduce the harm (deaths, injuries, and property damage) resulting from crashes of vehicles traveling on public roads. Harm from road-traffic crashes is greater than that from all other transportation modes (air, sea, train etc.) combined.

Road-traffic crashes are one of the world's largest public health problems. The problem is very crucial, because the victims are mainly young and healthy prior to their crashes. More than a million people are killed on the world's roads each year. According to the World Health Organisation 1.2 million people die in road accidents every year and 50 million are injured.

Moreover, road traffic injuries are a growing health problem. It is estimated that road traffic injuries will have risen from ninth to third in world disease rankings by 2020, and will account for 2.3 million deaths each year globally. This is partly due to improvements in medicine reducing deaths but largely due to the steady increase in number of cars around the world and the greater intensity of motor traffic. This makes lack of road safety one of the most serious threats to human life and health globally.

Road traffic safety means to reduce accident causes on road for proper driving. Contributing factors to crashes may be related to the driver (such as driver error, illness or fatigue), the vehicle (some technical failures) or the road itself (lack of sight distance, poor roadside clear zones, etc).

Speed is a key goal of modem road design. But the higher the speed, the more dangerous consequences for both passengers in the car and pedestrians..

Road-traffic safety deals with road-traffic crashes - how to reduce their number and their consequences. The earliest methods for improving road safety included traffic signs and signals, and road markings such as center lines, as well as compulsory driver testing and licensing.

Street lighting has been suggested as a relatively low-cost measure to prevent traffic crashes. Street lighting may improve a driver's visual capabilities and ability to detect roadway risks. However, it is also argued that street lighting could have an opposite effect on road safety: drivers may 'feel' safer because lighting gives them improved visibility which could result in them increasing speed and reducing concentration.

Safety measures for drivers include compulsory training and licensing, usage of seat belts, restrictions on driving while drunk or used drugs, restrictions on mobile phone use while on the move, compulsory safety testing of vehicles over a certain age, compulsory insurance to compensate victims.

And my personal opinion, that if all the participants of the road traffic respect and strictly follow the established traffic laws, the number of crashes will reduce significantly and our roads become more safety.