Road discipline

The newspapers and electronic media news bulletins invariably report at least one fatal accident a day for the last several months. In fact one wonders whether death on the roads has become so widespread that people tend to take it as a matter of fact just as deaths by terrorist activity became in the days prior to the elimination of terrorism.

The sad fact is that most of these deaths could have been avoided had the drivers or riders been more circumspect or followed traffic rules and manners. Police reports usually speak of incidents where the casualties were results of uncontrollable speed. Equally frequent were instances where the drivers were under the influence of liquor. The instances of death traps on the roads due to unfinished construction work or diggings up are also frequent.

It is time that accident figures and the accompanying casualty figure are looked at from a different perspective than that of statisticians. The Police, road development authorities as well as the public at large should look at the issue in a more humanitarian perspective. Even a single death is too many.

The danger is more pronounced on straight roads running through sparsely populated areas. There are also some drivers who use such roads as racing tracks, the worst culprits being motorcyclists, private coaches and convoys carrying VIPs. It is strange that VIPs seem to be exempt from speed restrictions on highways just as they really enjoy indemnity from punishment for more pronounced offences. Whether it is the youthful pranksters racing on two wheels or the mature politicians driving their four-wheelers at break-neck speed they pose a danger to all road users including pedestrians.

The utter lack of road discipline is evidenced by the increasing number of accidents in which pedestrians on zebra crossings have become victims. Nor are pedestrians exempt from blame. Jaywalking has become a menace that the Police in Kandy and few other places have taken steps to instill discipline by charging them in Courts of law. Incidentally it is police inaction and indifference that has led to the increase of road indiscipline. Most traffic rules are observed in the breach just like the rule that prohibits people to walk on the rail track.

It is time for the law enforcement authorities to wake up from their slumber and impose strict discipline on the roads. It is also time for them to manage city traffic more efficiently by using innovative methods.

If Sri Lanka is to become the Wonder of Asia it has to solve its traffic problems and ensure a smooth flow of traffic. Road discipline is an essential prerequisite for it.

Perhaps one could argue that road discipline is only a part of wider indiscipline in society. True.

However, death on the roads has to be stopped, and stopped now. It cannot wait till indiscipline is wiped out from every facet of life. Hence the need for a concerted public awareness campaign that would call for more responsible response from the public, the law enforcement officials, the politicians and the motorists.

Once more on BTI

The Cuban bio-larvicide BTI at last has reached our shores. It has taken nearly half a decade to reach us since the proposal was first mooted to bring it to be used in combating dengue. If one runs through the past newspapers one would observe numerous stories often contradicting one another that appeared about BTI.

Now that it has reached us it is hoped that controversy would end. The delay was largely due to the powerful anti-BTI lobby that still haunts the corridors of relevant powers. Recently these lobbyists have even targeted the local BTI producer and researchers.

It is unbelievable that false stories are circulated about the efficacy of the product and its nature. BTI is a bio-larvicide that is not harmful to man and animals. The ignorance of even the medical fraternity regarding these matters is one of concern as they could sabotage the entire project out of their ignorance.

It is necessary for the health and other relevant authorities including the MRI to create public awareness on dengue and methods of its control, the role of the community and the need for continued research to find out indigenous means of biologically controlling the dengue carrier mosquito. There is also another danger. That is the danger of complacency. It was comical to see certain politicians and officials claiming control over the epidemic during the short dry weather spell and trying to get credit for the relative dip in incidences of dengue. There are no short cuts and it is too dangerous to contemplate the repercussions of such complacency.