Our Goa is the safest place on earth. Be it day or night, you can always walk freely in the streets of our cities and villages without any fear or apprehension that someone may mug you and run away with your wallet. There are no by-lanes in our cities which are vulnerable. Such lanes are common in other metropolitan cities like Mumbai where in the day or night a fear invades the mind even when one is walking back to one’s own home after work. There are no hooligans or anti-social elements hanging around in our cities in Goa. Is that not a blessing?
However, when it comes to driving in our cities or our roads, it is doubtful whether one can safely reach home. Goa is a safe place for driving. What makes driving in Goa unsafe? It is the countless number of two-wheelers which keep rushing and zig-zagging which get into some kind of minor and major accidents at one time or another thus creating injury and damage to oneself or the other driver of the two-wheeler. Or the vulnerable two-wheeler driver gets knocked down by a four-wheeler and he or she lands in a hospital with some serious injury or fracture. The damage to the vehicle can be repaired but what about the damage to the human body? Many suffer broken limbs some which need re-fixing by inserting iron screws which impair normal limb movement. Others suffer limb injuries which last a life-time and cause pain and agony to the one who suffers arm-injury or head-fracture as the skull heals but the headaches are recurrent. My mother has been a victim of two road accidents one in Abu Dhabi and one in Goa. Hence I took up to Road Traffic Safety Awareness Drive as I want to make people aware of advantages of safe driving so as to avoid the after-effects of a road-accident injury which can be life-lasting and traumatic. The person recovers after hospitalisation but the pains left behind the injured area of the human body persist.
Our Government should be more vigilant to curb these road accidents by introducing some novel techniques. It is usually the common man who is set to kick-start or auto-start his two-wheeler and get on his daily errands. Most are rushing back and forth to reach their work-places or to reach their children to school. The zig-zagging and over-taking and over-speeding makes it a part of their routine to see that they champion their movement and reach their point of work or action with their two-wheelers.
However, nobody realises that more than convenience, the lay person wants to save time and money over fuel costs and savings. For this purpose it will be appropriate if our Government will issue monthly passes to the common man to use public transport such as KTC buses at nominal rates. This will encourage the young students and the elderly people to make use of government owned buses which can be increased on routes more frequented like one city to another city – from Margao to Panjim or Margao to Vasco. Even inter-city buses can be provided for public use at low cost or no cost. Such system is so prevalent in Europe. It curbs pollution, fuel emission and accidents. Goa is a safe place for driving as our roads are broad enough. It is the large number of two wheelers who pose a threat to the safety of their own riders and face the damage from accidents. Crash helmets can only save life. The injury to other parts of the body cannot be arrested by one single helmet.
It is therefore necessary to take alternative precautions to avert fatal injuries of the two-wheeler riders and the pillion riders. The best option is use of public transport. The new government who will come in power should introduce and inculcate use of public buses by offering monthly passes at nominal charges.
Other suggestions to our traffic cell would be to see that there is no over speeding by the two wheelers, especially on the City roads and highways. Hence, a speed limit signboard should be affixed with a minimum speed limit approved by the RTO for such vehicles.
Secondly, the traffic cops must exchange helmets with the fines they charge as it will increase safety measure for the two wheeler user and the pillion rider. Even if it is mentioned by the two-wheeler rider that he/she has a helmet at home, the additional helmet should be imposed by the traffic cop so that it serves as a reminder that the use of helmet is not only necessary to avoid a fine but to save life which is put at risk by the road user when he forgets his helmet at home. The Indore RTO in MP has already taken the initiative to distribute a helmet in lieu of every fine they impose on two wheeler riders without helmets.
Thirdly, the insurance cover for life lasting injuries should be increased as many accident victims face impairment of limb mobility in later stages of life.
(The author is a Road Safety Campaigner)
