SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Road Safety Forum on Monday called for urgent implementation of four Es to reduce road accidents in the State.
Addressing a press conference, Goa Road Safety Forum president Dilip Naik, said, "Several countries around the world have succeeded in drastically reducing the number of accidents by applying the 4 E’s strategy- Education, Enforcement, Engineering, and Emergency.''
He said the license issuance process needs to be made more stringent and not focus on mere driving skills.
"Knowledge of signages and reaction to practical events should be considered crucial factors. Road safety patrol should be activated in schools and included as part of the value education curriculum. There should be police presence near school premises to ensure students do not use motor vehicles to travel to school. Underage driving is commonly seen near schools and there seems to be little effort for educating the students and their parents. The PTA should be involved by the Traffic Police to sensitise the parents about the risks of letting their kids use motor vehicles,'' he said.
Naik said, "Violators should feel the threat of being penalised. About 10 violations can be spotted within five minutes at any spot in Goa. This happens because of a lack of active monitoring on the roads. Once the habit of violation develops, it reflects in the individual’s daily behaviour on the road. The prevalence of rash driving in society sets a wrong example for youngsters who stop following rules."
Stating that there is a widespread belief among people that CCTV cameras are not monitored, he said the agencies need to publish photographs of violations so that motorists are aware that all CCTV cameras are in operation.
He said for CCTV to work, HSRP is extremely important as it ensures uniformity. "We observe that the HSRP have started fading. This is not acceptable from a security point of view. The Department of Transport has to get the HSRP changed urgently," he said.
Stressing on citizen engagement in efforts to reduce the accidents, Naik said the scheme for Traffic Warden and Road Safety Patrol should be popularised and more citizens enrolled.
Trained individuals can get involved in traffic regulation, he said.
Naik demanded that the traffic sentinel system be re-introduced to empower citizens to detect and report violations. ''The opposition to the scheme in the past and the meek surrender of the government defies logic. The scheme should be re-launched without any financial rewards to ensure only genuinely concerned citizens report the violations,'' he said.
Stating that merely adding a speed governor is not sufficient, he said technology drivers, especially those using rented cars, should be aware that their every move is watched. ''Speeding is not the only violation. Even if a vehicle is driven on the wrong side, or parked at a wrong spot, the violation should get detected and the driver penalised. Telematic devices are available and the government should consider mandating these devices in rented cars,'' he said.
Naik said vehicles coming from other States need to be thoroughly inspected for tinted glasses and non-standard number plates at the inspection points at the state borders. He urged the government to involve road safety NGOs like itself on the road safety committees established at State, district, taluka and panchayat levels.
