No letup in road crash

Although there have been umpteen campaigns and reports from road safety activists and media and regular public outcry to make our roads safer there is no brake on road crash incidents. On Tuesday, in four separate crashes 10 people were killed on the highways.

Road crash has become one of the gravest risks for public safety in the country causing a large number of deaths every year. According to the statistics of Passengers' Welfare Association, last year, at least 8,642 people were killed and 21,855 others injured in road crashes across the country. Irresponsible driving, overloading, dangerous overtaking, plying of unfit vehicles, lack of traffic police and questionable enforcement methods by the traffic police lie at the heart of the high accident rate. On top of these, protection from the high ups gives the law-breaking drivers further indulgence and impunity, exposing people to constant danger.  

Sometimes investigative committees are formed after road crashes but in most cases their reports do not get public and their recommendations remain unheard and even less, implemented. The drivers are also hardly punished. The road safety activists have urged for promulgation of stringent punishment for reckless driving but the government seems to be slack on this issue. 

On the other hand, the in-service drivers need to be trained on safe driving skills. The number of trained drivers is also very low compared to the existing number of vehicles. The government and private organisations should invest more in these training programmes which would produce new drivers with greater knowledge of road safety and road rules.