Tragedy after tragedy happens day in and out on roads of Jammu and Kashmir. The road accidents continue to take away previous lives with hardly any day passing by without there being a mishap.
The large number of deaths in road accidents every year must be a concern for one and all. Also efforts are needed by one and all in ensuring the safety of people travelling on the road.
Last Friday, Lt Governor chaired an official meeting regarding road safety measures, and also suggested various mechanisms to reduce accidents and improve the response system.
Among others, he asked the officials concerned to formulate robust and resilient Standard Operating Procedure (SoPs) to examine vehicle fitness and issuance of driving licenses. Efficient implementation of stringent deterrence, penal actions against violators was also underscored during the meeting.
While observing that road accidents are a major threat to people’s wellbeing, the Lieutenant governor rightly called for focus on measures that are effective in preventing fatalities. Safer roads should be the prime objective of concerned stakeholders and coordinated efforts are needed to defeat this third, the leading cause of death worldwide, he correctly emphasized.
The consequences of a tragedy often endure long after the accident is over. As per a study by the World Bank on road accidents, every death in India caused by a road accident leads to the depletion of nearly seven months’ income in the households of poor families and pushes the victims’ kin into a vicious cycle of poverty and debt. The low-income rural households, predictably, are hit the hardest.
There are multiple causes for accidents such as over-speeding, use of mobile phone, overloaded vehicle, vehicular condition, poor light condition, overtaking, neglect of civic bodies, weather condition, fault of driver, fault of pedestrian, driving on wrong side, defect in road condition, defect in condition of motor vehicle, automobile design, etc.
However, accounting for around 90% of all accidents, human error remains the primary cause for the accidents.
While enforcement is a significant and effective way of preventing and reducing accidents, deaths and injuries, there is a need to adopt best practices globally. There is also a need to evaluate the enforcement on a regular basis. Also imperatively, there should be continuous supervision by the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Secretary. Meetings should be held regularly to ensure that gaps identified are filled up. One expects that the government has over the years identified major causes and it is time to act and correct them.
