Accident waiting to happen

We feel that it's not just precious lives lost, we should also be alarmed at the rising number of people being crippled by road accidents. After a highway accident kills people and hogs headlines, the authorities are quick to promise stern action against the culprit. But in reality, the guilty seldom gets punished. Transports that should have been ordered off the street a long time ago happen to be driven by at best amateur drivers drawn from the ranks of conductors or helpers. They have little or no knowledge of highway traffic rules against overtaking and speeding at the bends. An owner once putting a vehicle on the road would wash his hands off any maintenance responsibility. Such violations of regulations can be effectively dealt with provided highway patrol is conducted in a no-nonsense manner.

The authorities will have to ensure safety to numerous passengers who undertake inter-district journeys these days. Since rules and regulations do not have any effect per se, we could consider other options to secure compliance with them. For example, the authorities can convene a special meeting with the leaders of bus and truck owners' and operators' associations to devise ways and means for raising the level of highway safety. The leaders should be told that they would be held responsible on behalf of their members for the tragic deaths of commuters. At the same time, the corrupt officials must be dealt with sternly. In other words, the authorities must go the whole hog in trying to drastically reduce the incidence of highway accidents.

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