TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
WITH DRIVING
Zone Young Queen A. Dejerio
Rcrim
Historical Background of Land
Transportation
TRANSPORTATION-is the movement or conveying
of persons and goods from one location to another.

Tracing the historical development of human

methods of transporting goods and people would take
a voluminous book to record all the innovations made
by man from the ancient time to the present day age.
The topic cited only those commonly used by human
beings of all generations and most of all nations on
Earth.
Man’s need to travel dates back as early as the creation of
human beings. Biblical passages alleged that when Adam
and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, they were sent
out by God from Paradise of Eden. “Therefore the Lord
God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the
ground from whence he was taken”. Since then, the human
race expanded and our ancestors constantly move from
one place to another to enable them to survive and others
for various reasons other biblical passages mentioned that
Moses was chosen by God to speak to the pharaoh, king of
Egypt to let his children out of Egypt. So, the children of
Israel were gloriously brought out from Egypt to serve
God.
Soon, others became nomadic. They constantly migrate
from one place to another according to their own detailed
knowledge of exploitable resources.

The term nomad, from the Greek, “to pasture,” was

originally used to refer to pastoralists – group that migrate
in an established pattern to find pasture lands for their
domestic livestock. However, the term has since been
generalized to include all non-settled populations, of
which there are three types.

The first type compromises foraging populations who

wander in search of their food. It is estimated that 995 of
all humanity once lived in this way.
The second type, the most significant numerically and
historically, comprises the pastoral nomads who move
with their families, belongings, and herds of cattle, camel
sheep, or goats through an annual cycle of pastures whose
availability is determined by the alternation of hot and
cold or wet and dry seasons.
The third type comprises gypsies, tinkers, and similar
itinerants in urban and complex societies.
What worth noting is; how man traveled during the
ancient period. It is believed that early human beings
traveled to places by foot, carrying their loads on their
backs or in their heads, while others pulled crude sleds.
They used every means to make their transportation with
the least time and effort.
Various Ancient Modes of
Transportation:
MANPOWER- early man, who had no domesticated
animals, carried his own burdens. More so today,
manpower is important in transportation in many
parts of the world.
1. WALKING (travelling by foot)- it is commonly cited
by reference books and literatures that man first used
the power of his own feet in travelling while a load is
either carried or dragged. Coincidentally, the English
word “pedestrian” was coined from the Latin word
“pedester”- which means to travel by foot.
2. Carrying Pole- in China and other parts of the Far East,
the carrying pole, balanced on one shoulder is a popular
carrying device. On island of the pacific, the ends of the
pole are supported by two men, with goods suspended
from the pole in between.

3. Back Load and Tumpline- in many parts of the world,

goods are carried on the back. In Subtemala, pots are
carried on a wooden framework supported by a tumpline
across the forehead. In the Andes, the load is held on the
back by a strap passing over the chest.

4. Sledge on rollers- the moving of heavy burdens was to

place them on sledge which rested on a series of rollers.
5. Travois – this travois, as the pole arrangement called,
serves as a platform on which the burdens are placed. The
platform or crossed-beam poles are then dragged by
humans or animals.
ANIMAL POWER
The domestication of animals greatly increased the
potential power available for transportation. Pack
animals were introduced as conveyances mainly to save
labor. A man can tend several pack animals moving
together, each of which (except dogs) can carry more
than he usually can. Little advantage in speed is gained
unless part of the animals’ carrying capacity is
sacrificed. Mentioned below were some of the common
animals used by human beings since the ancient times.
Some people groups are still using these animals in
their transportation.
1. Ox- cattle, which were first domesticated in
Mesopotamia, were used as draft animals to draw war
chariots. Oxen are still used as draft animals in many
regions of the world. In some parts of Africa, they are
used as pack animals and for riding.
2. Reindeer- these were first domesticated in Siberia in
the beginning of the Christian era. In the Altai
Mountains, they were ridden with saddles. Elsewhere,
they draw sledges somewhat like the dog sledges of the
Far North.
3. Dog- the dog, the first animal domesticated, is too slight
to carry heavy loads. The plain Indians sometimes pack
light loads on dogs’ back and piled goods on a travois
which the dogs dragged. In the Far North, the dogs team
drawing sledges are the chief means of transportation; and
in parts of Europe, the dogs are used to draw small carts.

4. Donkey – the donkey or ass, first domesticated in the

Middle East. Early dogs came to use as a back animal
before the domestication of the camel. Donkey caravans
carry goods between the cities of Southwest Asia and
Egypt and the donkey is still the chief beast of burden
among the farmers of the North East, the Mediterranean
Area and Mexico, where was introduced from Spain.
5. Llama –in pre –Columbian America, the llama was the
only new world animal other than the dog capable of
domestication for use in transport. In the high Andes,
the llama was used as a pack animal by the Incas and
their Spanish conquerors, as it’s by modern Andean
people.

6. Elephant – the Carthaginians used African elephant in

their war against Rome but in recent centuries, these
animals have not been tamed. In India, elephants were
formerly used in war and are still employed to some
extent for ceremonial processions and bid game
hunting. In Burma and Thailand, these huge animals
are widely used in lumber industry.
7. Horse – around 2,000 B.C., horse drawn chariots
appeared in southwest Asia and 1,000 years later, the
Persians arrived with cavalry which gave mobility and
power to the German tribes who invaded Europe and to
the Central Asian conqueror Genghis Khan. In Europe,
horses were used to draw wheeled vehicles and for
riding for sometimes until the introduction of
mechanized vehicles.
8. Camel- there are two kinds of camel, the two-humped
Bactrian camel of central Asia and the one-humped
dromedary of Arabia have long been used for transport.
The Bactrian camel has plodded along the caravan
routes between China and Iran for at least 2,000 years.
It is also used to draw carts.
The dromedary, which has less endurance but it, is fleeter
and special fast-paced riding camel, is bred by the Arab
nomads.

9. Yak- a long-haired type of cattle that lives at high

altitudes on the Tibetan plateau and in the neighboring
mountain regions is ridden and used as a pack animal at
heights were horses and ordinary animal could not
survive.
ROADS AND VEHICLES HISTORY
WHEEL - was invented probably in Western Asia - one of
man’s great inventions.
THE ROMANS - were the major road builders in the
ancient world - Roman road networks reached a total of
about 50,000 miles (80, 000 km)
CANALS- a body of water used to be channel of sea
transportation the first canal was constructed by Engr.
James Brindley.
RAILWAYS - channel of transportation wherein a parallel
line of irons were used as roads - the first railroad is the
Stockton and Darlington line (1925).