anita

‘Need to launch worldwide crusade on road safety ’

The demise of Punjab’s Cooperation minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh in a tragic road accident has once again forced us to think deeply and more seriously about the road safety policy.

Have we learnt anything from the death of Princess Diana ten years ago? If she could get a chance to live again, what would she say to her children, to our children, to all of us? The answer—even if she could say it from beyond this life— would go unpublished because it’s not sensational and it’s tragically common. She’d say, “Tell my children to buckle up: Dodi and I would have lived in the back seat just as Trevor lived in the front seat.” An unspoken lesson because we’d rather talk of paparazzi or Paris parties than speak of safety belts. There’s just no sizzle, no sales in it, and we’re unwilling to let Diana die any differently than we let her live, as a satisfaction for our celebrity appetite.

And so, the quiet horror of millions killed and maimed by traffic accidents goes on and on, averaging more than 9,000 deaths a month in India alone. We are numbed by the horror and no longer hear traffic safety chants like “Buckle up” or “Don’t drink and drive”.

The accidents happening on the roads affect us in many ways. It is not only the loss of precious human lives but we also lose the best brains and human resources, thus, creating a void in the society. We have already lost one former president Giani Zail Singh, knowledgeable Rajesh Pilot apart from our Capt Kanwaljit Singh and many other young, brilliant brains, who could have contributed immensely for the betterment and growth of our society.

Just to put on record, we lose more than 1,00,000 people, apart from injuries, to more than 3,00,000 people affecting more than 6 lakh families. This causes financial loss to the nation to the tune of over Rs 70,000 crore which is 2-3% of our GDP.

There is a need to launch a worldwide crusade about road safety. Most of the accidents involving trucks are fatal and they cause irreparable damage to societies and nations.

Let’s wish that all of us start taking road safety as a way of life and take a pledge about road safety before moving out of our homes.

Express India, 8th April, 09