Road safety

Last week's accident in Pasyala involving two buses serves as an eye-opener that our roads are among the most dangerous in the world. Thousands of people - motorists, cyclists and pedestrians - die on our roads every year.

Countless editorials, articles and research papers have been written on this subject, but the status quo remains. Death on the roads is taken more or less for granted.

The prime reason for the high rate of accidents is none other than lack of discipline. No nation can progress without discipline and road discipline is perhaps the most important aspect. If one studies the traffic flow of any developed country, it is easy to see that discipline plays a major role in keeping accidents at bay. And road discipline applies to pedestrians too.

On our congested roads, everyone is in a hurry. Not that it serves any purpose in the end, though. It is just urgency for urgency's sake. Motorists violate all rules of the Highway Code (the existence of which is unknown to many motorists anyway) and other traffic laws in wanting to get ahead of the others. In short, there is hardly any discipline. We sound the horn when the car in front stops at a pedestrian crossing to let pedestrians pass, as if those few seconds are a matter of life and death. We do not even know what Right of Way means - we have to go first. Let the other man (or woman) suffer. We switch lanes without signalling. Pedestrians are not lily-white either - they cross the road willy nilly, often ignoring the designated zebra crossings.

The lack of discipline is also translated as road rage. Behind the wheel, we are in a rage. The slightest delay or incident is enough to take us over the edge. And that is definitely not healthy for protecting lives on the roads.

We have all seen the sticker that says 'speed kills'. It does, especially when coupled with reckless driving. These are unfortunately common our roads. Private bus drivers are rather well known for these twin traits. They speed on the highways and engage in street races all for the lure of money.

Respect for human life does not enter the picture. Well, they do not even refer to passengers as such - they are simply labelled 'haye keli' and so on.

On the lack of both discipline and proper training seems to be at the heart of the problem. It is well known that in most cases, conductors 'graduate' to become drivers of private buses. They hardly have any proper training when propelled to man the wheel and take charge of 70-80 passengers. The Sri Lanka Transport Board, on the other hand, gives a solid training not only in driving but also in all other aspects of running a bus, that accidents involving SLTB buses are few and far between. It is best if similar training can be given to private bus crews.Three wheeler drivers too can be labelled as another terror on the roads.

They certainly perform a service, but at a price - in more ways than one.

Three wheelers figure in a lot of fatal accidents. There are a variety of reasons - overloading (I have seen eight people in a single trishaw), squeezing into the narrowest of gaps in traffic, weaving in and out of lanes and in general, a healthy (?) disregard for rules of the road.

Again, the lack of training and discipline can account for most of the mishaps.

The exorbitant prices of cars in this country mean that most ordinary people can only afford a motorcycle at best. Thousands of motorcycles are registered daily, adding to the huge numbers already on the roads.

Motorcyclists too commit many traffic offences, including invading the sidewalks! Another danger is that riders of motorcycles/mopeds rated below 50 cc engine capacity do not require a helmet. They are especially vulnerable in an accident. Push cyclists, who are not legally required to wear helmets in this country, are another vulnerable group. Some of them do ride in a manner that compromises their safety - such as not having a light in the night or wearing dark clothing.The majority of those who drive private vehicles can indeed be described as law-abiding, but there are speed demons among them as well. We have seen very young drivers at the helm of flashy sports or executive cars, a recipe for disaster if there ever was one.

In all these instances, training or rather the lack of it, seems to be the key factor. It is all too easy to obtain a driving licence in this country.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, one can obtain the licence today and drive a Mercedes S-Class or a Porsche Boxster S the next day, as a so-called fully qualified driver. That is simply not possible in many countries. The L-Plate gives way to a P (Probationary) Plate, which the new driver has to display for at least six months on his vehicle. Any traffic violations and accidents that are traced to the P-Plate driver leads to a loss of points and a delay in becoming a fully-qualified driver.

Such a system was in fact mooted here, though we do not know what happened to it. The authorities have made a start with the new advanced driver's licence. It is time that better methodologies are introduced to govern the training of drivers and granting of licences. The points system, which is supposed to exist, must be implemented.This brings us to the vital issue of law enforcement. The traffic police have to do a thankless job. It is also well known that motorists caught committing various offences try to reach e some sort of 'understanding' with the policemen in order to avoid paying the hefty fines and court cases.

However, one must acknowledge that heavy fines and the prospect of going to Court have had a deterrent effect on road users at least to some extent. Law enforcement matters - it is not enough to have the laws on paper.

A case in point is the recent introduction of the mandatory seat belt law.

We believe the law was in the books for some time, but never really implemented. Weeks after its much-heralded introduction, we are yet to see traffic police spring into action regarding the seat belt law.

The bottom line is that seat belts save lives. Educating the motorists on this aspect is essential. In fact, even rear seat passengers must be required to wear seat belts. Of course, the Police will have to exempt older cars that do not have seat belts, but all modern cars, SUVs and trucks do have them. There is no reason why the seat belt cannot be applied strictly to these vehicles. Today, every motorcyclist wears a helmet thanks to effective enforcement of the helmet laws - the same should happen with seat belts. Alcohol laws related to driving must also be strictly enforced.

Driving under the influence of liquor is common and leads to many accidents, especially at night.

The authorities should also explore the possibility of making driver's side airbags and ABS brakes compulsory for imported and locally assembled vehicles. These devices too save lives. Any taxes and duties levied separately on these items should be waived or at least reduced. These are essential and integral safety mechanisms of a vehicle and should be treated as such. These additions are certainly not luxuries.

The traffic police must also re-assess their role in the light of certain complaints. One of the most common is their (usually unnecessary) presence at traffic lights. We have seen plenty of instances when they direct traffic in a manner that is diametrically opposed to the light flow. This is a bad example to motorists. Moreover it can lead to confusion and worse, serious accidents. This practice must be reviewed. Policemen also must obey road rules unless they are on an emergency mission. They have to set an example to other motorists.

Police personnel driving motorcades must also be instructed to follow road rules to the fullest extent possible, allowing for security considerations.

The other major problem that gives rise to accidents is the highly congested nature of our roads. Flyovers are being built to address this problem, but congestion will not disappear overnight. The roads cannot cope with the increasing number of vehicles (nearly 200,000 vehicles are registered annually). The road network has to be renovated and widened. Road signage has to improve. More traffic lights are needed in Colombo and elsewhere.

Cameras should be installed where possible to track down offenders, as done even in many developing countries. The authorities should study success stories regarding road safety from other countries.

Reducing deaths on our roads will essentially be a long-term process. It will take years for the disappearance of many ingrained attitudes and manners among road users.

Education, training, discipline and law enforcement are the main pillars of a multi-pronged approach to road safety.

This calls for a greater commitment from both road users and law enforcement agencies.