Not a day goes by when the media in the State is not reporting on an accident. An accident that usually results in the death of more than one protagonist and the total destruction of at least one of the vehicles involved. According to data furnished by the police, from January 2023 till April 2023, 104 persons lost their lives in 951 accidents reported to date. The number of fatalities in 2022 was 218. In 2023 in just a matter of four months, the fatalities have crossed the century mark. This is one of the sad realities of life in Goa. The authorities are very concerned about the state of affairs. Presently the State Road Safety Week is being held between Oct 6 and 12. This initiative is the only one of its kind in the country and was first conducted in 2011.
This initiative was conceived and organised by GoaCan headed by Roland Martins. Prior to this, the only such initiative was the National Safety Week organised by the Central government. This year to add more impetus to this initiative the organisers came up with new initiatives. A film festival was organised by the Directorate of Transport and the ESG and the winners were announced on Oct 6th, the day the road safety week was launched. All the films highlighted the importance of road safety. Roland Martins said, “In addition this year, to ensure that people on the ground were involved Rs 10,000 was allotted to local panchayats and municipalities to ensure their participation. This was provided by the Directorate of Transport. This proposal was put forward by Goacan “. He went on to say that issues like the lack of signages, or broken signage had to be tackled. The issue of rash driving had to be tackled. These initiatives he said would give new impetus to this State Road Safety Week.
For people who drive everyday to work or to just get along with life the roads of Goa can be quite an experience. Arnold Carvalho, a designer who drives, said his experience behind the wheel depended on the time of day. He said driving during the day usually left him feeling relaxed. However once the sun set, he would feel very anxious. He said, “Everyone is in a rush, there is no lane discipline. I had an accident once on my bike. I slipped on an oil slick and broke my femur. It is increasingly getting more rushed in Goa. Having learned to drive in Pune and given how bad the traffic is in that city, now it is coming to Goa. That is worrying.” For another regular traveller, Karen Tiwari, travelling on the roads of Goa leaves her quite nervous. There are four reasons she says. In the villages there are gigantic gutters which can damage the vehicle. Then there are the potholes that are all over the place. She said the ones between Mapusa and Moira were bad and if one was not looking, it was an accident waiting to happen. Then there was the fear of drinking and speeding especially at night. Then there was the habit of checking the mobile phone while either riding a bike or driving a car. Then the instances of road aggression and then finally the uncared for animals on the road. That seemed quite an apt description of the state of affairs on the roads of Goa. She said it was important that everyone took responsibility when they were on the wheel.
For those who depend on driving to earn a living like Hanuman, a pilot, driving on the road was like going for an adventure everyday in the morning. He said,” People here seem to drive as per their whims and fancies. One wonders how many of these people even get a driving licence. During a week I will have at least one close shave. I suppose I survive because someone up there loves me.”
It is quite obvious that the authorities will have to ensure that the laws are followed to a t and no one is allowed to get away with bad behaviour on the road.
