It needs no mentioning that the incumbent government has brought about a revaluation in the country’s road communication, but when it comes to road safety, it must be mentioned that the issue has long been side lined in the government’s development agenda.
Almost every day, we find reports of deadly road accidents, deaths, and injuries. There is no denying that a number of initiatives have been taken over the last several years on the part of the government and relevant authorities to reduce the number of road accidents, but the scenario is getting worse due to a lack of awareness, reckless driving, and a tendency to break traffic rules.
According to a report published in this daily on Monday, at least six people were killed in different road accidents in four districts on Saturday night and Sunday. A total of 16 people died on the road on Friday alone. According to the Road Safety Foundation, as many as 6,524 people died in 6,911 road accidents across the country in 2023. Indeed, such statistics expose the administration’s failure to rein in reckless driving, keep unfit vehicles off the roads, and ensure safer roads for all.
We have seen that road safety issues get exposure every time a student dies in a road accident in the capital. Following every major incident of road mishaps in the country, we hear pledges from the authorities, but the issue falls into oblivion within several days.
Experts blame reckless driving, unskilled drivers, and unfit vehicles as the core reasons behind the appalling number of road accidents. It is disconcerting to note that more than 5 million unfit vehicles are running without fitness certificates in the country, whereas it is obligatory for a vehicle to go through fitness check-up every year and renew its fitness certificate to ply the roads legally. Hence, necessary steps should be taken to frequently audit vehicular standards and fitness requirements by a specialised monitoring body.
The government should devise means to address current road safety issues such as assessing driver competence and vehicle fitness, preventing reckless driving, upgrading the traffic police control system, and promoting greater collaboration between drivers and owners. It is high time the administration put in all-out efforts to bring order on the roads.