Increase awareness to boost road safety

The past one month has witnessed a shocking upsurge in road deaths and serious injuries across the country. The annual toll of 3,000 deaths in road accidents has already been exceeded well before the end of the year. A total of 15,651 people have been involved in road accidents, leaving 3,056 dead and 12,586 injured.

It has been a horrifying 30 days, as besides motorists, motorcyclists and their passengers, and pedestrians have also been killed on the roads, causing pain and anguish for families. The escalation in road accidents speaks volumes about the lack of a road safety culture, or more precisely, failure by the police and concerned agencies to strictly enforce rules and regulations.

Traffic police and National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officials are apparently sleeping on the job. Failure to comply with traffic rules and regulations and driver negligence, reckless and dangerous driving, unroadworthy vehicles and poor road designs are some of the key causes.

Promotion of safety awareness

Between August 1 and September 6, an analysis of media reports shows that the country recorded 27 traffic road accidents that claimed 79 lives. Some 182 individuals were injured. NTSA data shows that as of August 27, some 7,114 accidents had been reported, up from 6,411 during the same period last year. 

These latest grim NTSA statistics underline the need to enhance road safety awareness, particularly for pedestrians, who are the majority of the casualties. While road safety education often begins at the primary school level, it is a pity that the campaign is abandoned afterwards. 

Traffic police, NTSA and the local administration in the towns and the rural areas should be fully involved in the promotion of safety awareness to enhance the culture and prevent the rising road deaths and injuries.