By Wijitha Nakkawita
In a recent road accident reported from Wariyapola, six members of the same family succumbed to their injuries. Among the dead were four females and a two-year-old child. This accident took place last Tuesday on the Puttalam-Kurunegala road near the police station. The victims of the accident were travelling in a small truck which collided with a lorry loaded with asbestos roofing sheets.
In another incident reported from Madampe near Chilaw. a lorry had run off the main road and hit a tree on the side of the road when people of the area ran towards the place of the accident. On hearing a huge noise they found the cab of the lorry smashed and the driver was stuck between the steering wheel and the face of the cab. When people brought crow bars and wrenched the smashed door of the lorry out the driver was already dead.
Police spokesman SSP Maxie Proctor said at a recent press conference that there were 1,527 major road accidents up to September this year and causing 1,750 deaths while no less than 13,463 persons were injured. Apart from the damages caused to vehicles and property the staggering human cost is inestimable.
Sometimes incompetent drivers or those driving vehicles after consuming alcohol are responsible for careless driving that results in road accidents, the larger number they cause may be minor ones but the propensity towards careless or drunken drivers being involved in fatal accidents is becoming rather high.
In the old days motorists or even motor cycle riders were taught what was known as road courtesy but of course in these times when we have what is commonly called the market economy and free trade, courtesy is displaced by competitiveness so that some motorists seem to believe that overtaking the vehicle in front and bypassing as much traffic as possible is the things to do. Old fashioned values like road manners that civilised society held as values in say just about three decades back is gone – perhaps not to return. One of the main reasons for such large numbers of accidents taking place on our roads is that we have nearly two million motor vehicles, motor cycles and three wheel taxis that attempt to carve out space within our already crowded streets especially during the rush hours.
There was a time in this country when a fatal road accident was a rarity witnessed perhaps once or twice a year or even less. Import of vehicles in their hundred thousands over the past three and a half decades and the road network remaining more or less with the same capacity had caused a plethora of problems to the motorists as well as to pedestrians.
Even if the environmental degradation by the exhaust fumes of motor vehicles is not measured it would need only common sense to understand the atmospheric pollution that is rather on the increase day by day.
Our streets are so full of vehicles and the atmosphere so full of carbon monoxide and dioxide that it is virtually impossible for anyone with a nose to walk on the sidewalks of most streets of the city as well on the main highways that spew about 200,000 vehicles of all description into this traffic congested city of Colombo on week days from the main highways joining the rest of country with the capital.
In the recent train accident at Polgahawela where three people died and over 60 were injured the findings of a committee appointed to go into this fatal accident is still to be known but the railway authorities could not explain how such a tragedy could have occurred in this age of speedy communications including advanced digital information technology.
Though train accidents are few and far apart the authorities should adopt measures to prevent even a single accident as the train services unlike traffic on highways and roads are within the control of officials and technical staff who are qualified and trained personnel to perform their task in ensuring safety for the public.
Police Director Traffic Administration and Road Safety N. K. Arasaratnam said the main cause of the road accidents was that there was a large number of motorists, motor cyclists and three wheeler drivers, most of them very young individuals who did not respect traffic rules given in the Highway Code. Most of them often were inclined to drive or ride at high speeds and some of them were found to be using mobile telephones while driving or riding. Such persons often attempted to overtake other vehicles on the wrong side or the wrong traffic lane causing severe problems to other motorists.
He said there were some drivers who were reckless on the road or were drunken drivers. On an average 100 accidents are reported to the police daily and 43 percent of these accidents are severe and about four such accidents were fatal while there was a high percentage of those who receive severe injuries.
In most such cases young drivers or motorists, motor cyclists or three-wheel drivers were involved. Sometimes riders do not use helmets while some use helmets which do not have the proper safety features. These are also some problems mainly caused due to lack of safety awareness.
Commenting on the excessive number of vehicles on the roads he said at present there were nearly four million vehicles including motor cycles and three wheelers registered with the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Half that number was motor cycles and three wheelers. Every day about 600 vehicles are being registered. Most of the inexperienced and new drivers or riders are the ones that are involved in accidents and the police authorities have decided to make drivers and others countrywide aware, to arrest the alarming increase in accidents, Director Arsaratnam said.
The police department is also bringing in an awareness programme among school children and training school traffic wardens across the country. One such awareness and training programme was held at the Gurukula Vidyalaya, Kelaniya recently and school traffic wardens were trained and given uniforms to during the training program. Awareness programs for motorists is being conducted to educate them on road safety, safe driving, good driving habits and the law as it was very essential that the drivers were aware of their responsibilities he explained.
http://www.nation.lk/2011/10/16/eyefea1.htm
In another incident reported from Madampe near Chilaw. a lorry had run off the main road and hit a tree on the side of the road when people of the area ran towards the place of the accident. On hearing a huge noise they found the cab of the lorry smashed and the driver was stuck between the steering wheel and the face of the cab. When people brought crow bars and wrenched the smashed door of the lorry out the driver was already dead.
Police spokesman SSP Maxie Proctor said at a recent press conference that there were 1,527 major road accidents up to September this year and causing 1,750 deaths while no less than 13,463 persons were injured. Apart from the damages caused to vehicles and property the staggering human cost is inestimable.
Sometimes incompetent drivers or those driving vehicles after consuming alcohol are responsible for careless driving that results in road accidents, the larger number they cause may be minor ones but the propensity towards careless or drunken drivers being involved in fatal accidents is becoming rather high.
In the old days motorists or even motor cycle riders were taught what was known as road courtesy but of course in these times when we have what is commonly called the market economy and free trade, courtesy is displaced by competitiveness so that some motorists seem to believe that overtaking the vehicle in front and bypassing as much traffic as possible is the things to do. Old fashioned values like road manners that civilised society held as values in say just about three decades back is gone – perhaps not to return. One of the main reasons for such large numbers of accidents taking place on our roads is that we have nearly two million motor vehicles, motor cycles and three wheel taxis that attempt to carve out space within our already crowded streets especially during the rush hours.
There was a time in this country when a fatal road accident was a rarity witnessed perhaps once or twice a year or even less. Import of vehicles in their hundred thousands over the past three and a half decades and the road network remaining more or less with the same capacity had caused a plethora of problems to the motorists as well as to pedestrians.
Even if the environmental degradation by the exhaust fumes of motor vehicles is not measured it would need only common sense to understand the atmospheric pollution that is rather on the increase day by day.
Our streets are so full of vehicles and the atmosphere so full of carbon monoxide and dioxide that it is virtually impossible for anyone with a nose to walk on the sidewalks of most streets of the city as well on the main highways that spew about 200,000 vehicles of all description into this traffic congested city of Colombo on week days from the main highways joining the rest of country with the capital.
In the recent train accident at Polgahawela where three people died and over 60 were injured the findings of a committee appointed to go into this fatal accident is still to be known but the railway authorities could not explain how such a tragedy could have occurred in this age of speedy communications including advanced digital information technology.
Though train accidents are few and far apart the authorities should adopt measures to prevent even a single accident as the train services unlike traffic on highways and roads are within the control of officials and technical staff who are qualified and trained personnel to perform their task in ensuring safety for the public.
Police Director Traffic Administration and Road Safety N. K. Arasaratnam said the main cause of the road accidents was that there was a large number of motorists, motor cyclists and three wheeler drivers, most of them very young individuals who did not respect traffic rules given in the Highway Code. Most of them often were inclined to drive or ride at high speeds and some of them were found to be using mobile telephones while driving or riding. Such persons often attempted to overtake other vehicles on the wrong side or the wrong traffic lane causing severe problems to other motorists.
He said there were some drivers who were reckless on the road or were drunken drivers. On an average 100 accidents are reported to the police daily and 43 percent of these accidents are severe and about four such accidents were fatal while there was a high percentage of those who receive severe injuries.
In most such cases young drivers or motorists, motor cyclists or three-wheel drivers were involved. Sometimes riders do not use helmets while some use helmets which do not have the proper safety features. These are also some problems mainly caused due to lack of safety awareness.
Commenting on the excessive number of vehicles on the roads he said at present there were nearly four million vehicles including motor cycles and three wheelers registered with the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Half that number was motor cycles and three wheelers. Every day about 600 vehicles are being registered. Most of the inexperienced and new drivers or riders are the ones that are involved in accidents and the police authorities have decided to make drivers and others countrywide aware, to arrest the alarming increase in accidents, Director Arsaratnam said.
The police department is also bringing in an awareness programme among school children and training school traffic wardens across the country. One such awareness and training programme was held at the Gurukula Vidyalaya, Kelaniya recently and school traffic wardens were trained and given uniforms to during the training program. Awareness programs for motorists is being conducted to educate them on road safety, safe driving, good driving habits and the law as it was very essential that the drivers were aware of their responsibilities he explained.
http://www.nation.lk/2011/10/16/eyefea1.htm
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