Not even a fortnight has passed since students' movement for safer roads stormed the country, regular road accidents keeps on taking its usual toll. Report being published in this daily in its 'Country' page for last consecutive days about death from messy roads simply testifies that restoring order in our roads still remains a far cry. At the time of writing this editorial, this daily covered report of at least 30 deaths from separate road accidents in different parts of the country in the last few days.
Apart from painting the grim picture of our road situation, it also demonstrates that how desensitized we have become to such manmade horror. The passing of Road Transport Act-2018, observance of Police Weeks, PM's directive in this regard including her suggestions on long route drivers- all seems to have fallen in deaf ears.
Every time a road accident takes place, a family loses a member, and in most cases whom it is dependent on. Sadly, though our perilous roads leaves a family in deep waters at the loss of its earning member, it moves little the transport owners and workers. Can anything compensate the psychological loss one narrowly escaped from death enduring fatal injury, gets subjected to such accident induced trauma?
Current government since assuming power, in it's over a decade long rule has taken sweeping steps including construction of a bunch of flyovers and world class bridges across the country to make overall transportation smoother and safer. Unfortunately, for those the government has done so much are caring little to government's people-friendly attitude.
Sadly, Keeping with this pace of development in communication system, reckless and rash driving ignoring traffic rules, number of unfit vehicles and reckless tendency of pedestrians have also increased. And obviously, putting the underage boys having no license in the driving seat has aggravated the risks to a further degree. Many pedestrians for saving time do not even want to take the slightest pains of availing the nearby foot over overpasses. Lending a deep insight into the report makes it clear that victims' irresponsibility is no less responsible for their ultimate fate.
Additionally, we often go through reports of fatal accidents on highways with bus or truck drivers remaining under the effect of narcotics. Besides, poor conditions of roads somewhere are not less responsible. Moreover, it is also essential to regulate slow moving transport like rickshaw on highways. In the wake of rising deaths due to road accidents, government must take into account the ground reality and play its role duly implementing the Road Transport Act-2018 properly. Proper training of drivers including banning unfit vehicles is a must.
If road safety is not ensured, whatever development government brings about on roads including turning a two lane into four lanes will become meaningless. Lastly, footpaths in the megacities including the capital need to be free from encroachment of makeshift vendors.
