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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