The road deaths epidemic

Road indiscipline, among sections of local motorists in particular, has reached such horrific proportions over the years that one wonders whether they are seized with overpowering criminal instincts once they get behind the wheel. The law enforcers seem to be steady with the task of imposing the law but a dent does not seem to have been made in this nightmarish issue of highway horror.

This is a seemingly multi-dimensional complex problem and quick answers to it may not be within the realms of the possible, but the citizen could very well be growing increasingly exasperated over the long delay in improving the situation as regards road accidents and connected issues that pose a constant danger to life and limb.

This situation is in no way helped, of course, by those politicians who continue to eerily race along our highways in fast cars and defender jeeps, although it is quite some time since LTTE terror was laid to rest. Except for the President, the Prime Minister and some key ministers and state functionaries, we do not see why these terrifying security escorts need to be resorted to. They dangerously compound the highway horrors under discussion.

Cannot a more rational system be evolved with regard to the deployment of these multifarious security escorts - the so-called man of the street keeps wondering. He would be wishing to remind the state that the average daily death toll from road accidents stands at six, according to statistics released about a year ago. It could be very much higher now. We urge the state to answer this heart-cry of the people for increased security on our roads.

Another controllable problem is that posed by private buses. These buses are now usually huge and unwieldy and some of them race each other maniacally on our busy roads, not caring a straw, apparently, for other road users. These monstrous contraptions which are an everyday presence seem to be a law unto themselves and need to be stringently supervised and brought to book, if found violating road rules. Once again, the public are awaiting quick positive action on this score too.

Generally speaking, it is the mammoth vehicle population on our roads which accounts for part of the highway horror. One would have expected this factor to come down to containable limits with the last hike in the import duty on vehicles, but this does not seem to be the case.

While an expanded and qualitatively enhanced road network would help somewhat in easing the problem, this is not the complete answer to the issue and we urge the authorities to work out ways of managing the seemingly numberless vehicles on our roads.

The need is also great to crackdown heavily on drunk driving and the sort which are continuing to account for a considerable number of road deaths. The price of succumbing to these lapses should be made prohibitively high if an improvement is to be made in road discipline and we call on the authorities act on this proposal too.

Apparently, the notion is widespread that it does not require exertions of an exceptional kind to obtain a driving license. This issue too is longstanding and we hope the rules and regulations in this regard are also tightened. All proposing to drive vehicles of any kind should be put through the most stringent tests and there should be no backing down from established standards.

Road accidents are also usually caused by the 'nut behind the wheel'. Numerous are the factors which contribute towards this psychological condition of 'nuttiness'. Some persons tend to be gripped by the 'I am the cock of the walk' feeling when they get behind the wheel and this causes road mayhem because he turns dismissive of the rules. Besides, there are others with bloated egos who believe they are born to rule the world. Such persons could be very dangerous behind the wheel and are in dire need of psychiatric help.