Road Accidents
Outline:
1. Introduction: accidents are increasing-alarmingly.
2. Causes of accidents are:
i. Rash driving or over speeding and overloading,
ii. Bad condition of roads,
iii. Defective procedure of issuing licenses and route permits,
iv. Corruption in the Police Department,
v. Lack of traffic sense,
vi. Slow moving, defective and smoky vehicles,
vii. Defective traffic signals,
viii. Unmanned crossings,
ix. Uncertain weather,
x. Overpopulation.
3. Some suggestions to avoid accidents.
4. Conclusion: There should be joint efforts to check accidents.
Accidents are
increasing at an alarming speed. Every other day, a horrible accident happens
on city roads or on the highway causing heavy toll of human life. Hundreds and
thousands of people are injured and killed in road accidents every year. The
number of casualties in Pakistan is awfully great. The traffic on crowded roads
of big city and highways is so terrific that one is not certain whether one
will be back home safe and sound. The accidents are caused by one of the
factors detailed below.
The first and
the foremost cause of road accidents is rash and overspeeding by drivers. We
daily witness a rat race of wagons on city roads. In a bid to pick maximum
number of commuters, the wagon drivers overtake excessively. They least bother
about other vehicles, pedestrians or traffic signals on the way. Often they run
over people, or collide against other vehicles causing terrible accidents. The
drivers of buses and coaches on highways and inter-city routes are no fewer
rashes in driving. Their only motive to do so is to pick as many passengers as
possible. Besides overspeeding, the drivers overload their vehicles violating
traffic rules. Many a time their vehicles are packed to suffocation. While
driving on long routes, the drivers are often drunk, because they are
overworked. They too cause accidents.
The procedure
of issuing licenses and route permits is very defective. There are no proper
trials and no training for persons seeking driving licenses. Often these are
issued on approach or on greasing the palm of some police official. Similarly
route permits are issued to such owners whose vehicles are not in proper
condition.
Such corrupt
police officials also contribute to the growing number of accidents. They issue
licenses and route permits to incompetent and untrained persons. After
receiving bribe, they release challans or do not challan the defaulters at all.
Then, most of the wagons on city routes are owned by police officials. The
drivers of these wagons, therefore, least bother about traffic rules.
Our people
don't have any traffic sense at all. They don't know where to park their
vehicle, where to take a turn, where to cross the road; and how to overtake
another vehicle. Although there are zebra crossings, yet the pedestrians don't
bother about them. People deem it an honor to violate traffic rules and
signals. Even highly educated people and high ups do so. Many may lack traffic
sense, but majority of people intentionally break traffic rules. Such an
irresponsible attitude causes accidents.
Slow-moving
vehicles as carts, gigs, dump-carts, bullock carts and donkey carts cause
accidents. The coachmen turn to any side, at will, causing accidents. As these
vehicles don't have brakes, they can ran into any other vehicle any time. Then
there are smoky and defective vehicles such as LPG rickshaws,
motorcycle-cum-rickshaws cause pollution as well as, accidents. On many
crossings on city roads, traffic signals don't function properly, with the
result that there is free for all leading to accidents. Then many crossings
remain unmanned throughout the day. If ever a traffic constable is posted
there, he is seen gossiping, napping or eating nearby. In his absence, people
never care for traffic rules. It is often seen that only the fear of a cop on
duty prevents the people from breaking traffic rules.
The hazy
weather and snowfall in the northern regions of the country cause accidents; as
vehicles coming from the opposite direction are not clearly visible. Sometimes
accidents are caused by heavy rain and storm which uproot trees and electric
poles that fall on vehicles moving there.
The above of
all, overpopulation is resulting in increasing the number of vehicles. The
vehicular traffic on city roads is rapidly raising rendering city roads narrow
and insufficient.
The growing
number of road accidents can be considerably controlled by adopting certain
measures. First of all, the Traffic Police Department must be purged of corrupt
officials. The drivers indulging in overspeeding and overloading must be
heavily fined. If that step fails, the route permits of their vehicles must be
cancelled. The drivers responsible for accidents must be legally bound to
compensate the victims heavily driving hours of drivers should be curtailed.
The current defective system of issuing licenses and route permits must be improved
so as incompetent and untrained persons may not get licenses and permits. Roads
in big city and highways should be widened and repaired to meet the
requirements of growing traffic. Contractors who use substandard material in
repair and construction should be disqualified. Route permits of defective and
smoky vehicles should be cancelled. Slow moving vehicles should be restricted
to byroads or by lanes. All the traffic signals in big city should be in proper
working order. All the crossings in city and railway crossings must be manned.
The press and electronic media should play a major role in inculcating traffic
sense among the masses.
Only these
measures if taken in letter and spirit can help decrease road accidents. Only
the government cannot control them. But the people must develop traffic sense
among themselves and cooperate with the government. Every possible effort must
be made to, save precious human lives lost in these accidents. The loss of one
human life affects a number of families. This colossal problem, therefore, demands serious attention.
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