Every month more than 6000 new vehicles hit our congested roads. Therefore, in view of past and present statistics of accidents, our state decided to reduce the number of mishaps, with the weapon of compulsory helmet on riders’ head. This helmet rule should not be seen as infringement on our freedom to wear or not to wear helmet; because the aim of the rule to cover the head is for individual’s safety.
I have read about many fatal accidents but only three I will mention here: (i) a 67 year old woman who died and two others injured due to over speeding of four-wheeler which rammed into several two-wheelers parked in the roadside parking space at Curchorem. (ii) a pedestrian came under the wheels of a tanker at Balli, killing him instantly. (iii) a 26 year old girl died after she was hit by a truck loaded with timber logs on NH-17 at Bhatpal, Canacona.
I cannot understand how the use of helmet by two-wheelers alone can reduce accidents of over speeding, pedestrian coming under the wheels of a tanker and timber trucks dashing and killing people on our killer roads.
I feel that all those who have died would have been alive, had there been total obedience to traffic rules. There is hue and cry that traffic police staring only at helmetless heads like a lizard’s grip on the wall and neglect the unruliness on roads with dull glance.
Therefore, the solution to growing fatalities is to have, mainly, two types of cops on roads: — white uniform police, standing on blind bends could check whether two-wheeler riders use a helmet or not and the other with purple uniform policemen can concentrate on checking traffic indiscipline so that the tribe of traffic rule violators may not increase. Besides this due to crime graph rising in our state, the kaki-uniform police should be kept on their toes to accost goondas and to accompany siren-infested ministers when they go to inaugurate panchayat ghars, toilet laying functions, etc., etc; blue uniformed tourist police to check evils of tourism.
These colorful types of policemen with different duties can decrease the number of mishaps on roads and crimes in golden Goa. Surely, no policemen can do two things at the same time perfectly well, therefore this diversion of duties. If white uniform policeman can concentrate on two or three types of duties at the same time, then why are there so many violations of traffic rules and crimes in Goa?
If government is seriously interested in protecting the public from collisions on roads, it should immediately start having colorful uniformed policeman. I hope that asking this different types of duty policemen is not like asking for the moon.
