'Road discipline' must be included in school curriculum :

Traffic laws alone can't prevent fatal accidents - SP Ajith Rohana

by Manjula FERNANDO

Colombo is one of the safest cities in Asia. Fatal accidents in Colombo city are very rare, according to Police Spokesman SP Ajith Rohana. But the number of road accidents in the country as a whole has increased at an alarming rate, with 5 - 7 deaths being reported a day due to vehicle collisions. This is a serious issue; the statistics warn of an impending danger.

According to police data, nearly 40,000 road accidents were reported last year in which 2,664 men, women, girls and boys were killed. Two thirds of the victims of these fatal accidents had been pedestrians, the ones who are least expected to die in a vehicle collision. When road conditions improve, the accidents must subside but the statistics speak a different story.

Last Sunday nine people were killed due to vehicle collisions. What has gone wrong? The Sunday Observer asked the police spokesman who is an Attorney-at-Law and the ex Director of the Police Legal Unit, in an interview last week.

The excerpts from the interview:

The top most causes of accidents in Sri Lanka are 'speeding' and 'rash and reckless driving'. According to available data, the majority of accidents reported annually have been due to these causes but there are other contributory factors.

Within city limits serious accidents are rare, fatal accidents are even more rare. This is due to the presence of traffic police. There is a popular belief that if a Traffic cop is directing traffic the roads get more congested, but the statistics do not corroborate this notion. The occurrence of fewer accidents within Colombo is due to the high deployment of traffic police during 'rush hours'. If not for this, there would have been more road deaths reported from Colombo city.

When compared to other countries in south Asia, our road network is better. The urge to speed on a well carpeted road is more. The biggest threat is that many drivers don't abide by speed limits and road signs. For instance if there is a signboard cautioning of skidding or of a sloped road, a few take serious note of this warning. Lack of respect for road signs is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, if we have to minimise road accidents and deaths.

Drivers give little regard to the condition of the vehicle. Not many keep regular tabs on brake pads, headlights and signal lights, or get the vehicle serviced on a regular basis. Although it may seem trivial, a malfunctioning signal light could determine the difference of life and death in a matter of a split second.

Road discipline among our motorists is another area that has to be given serious attention. Discipline cannot be forced upon people by tough rules. It has to be incorporated in the education system so that people grow up with it.

With over 500,000 new vehicle imports per year, and an unprecedented road development drive taking place, before long this issue will reach gigantic proportions, if the current trend of rash and reckless driving continued unchecked and if the current attitude of people continued.

At present people follow rules to get away from fines and other punishment, because they know they are in trouble if they break the law. But the rules are there to protect them, this is something that they all yet to realise.

Drivers love to tip off an oncoming vehicle if a traffic policeman is present somewhere. You must have noticed the flashing headlights. I can hardly call this a 'show of solidarity'.

This highly unacceptable practice is exclusive to Sri Lanka. Many do not know that those who tip other drivers off are committing an offence, that they are breaking the country's law and it could be dealt with under aiding and abetting/conceding evidence or obstructing a public servant laws of the Penal Code. Both spell out tougher penalties.

Sleep, Rest and Drive

Next to rash and reckless driving, the other biggest contributors to road accidents are drunk driving and driving without sleep or rest. Bus drivers who arrive in Colombo from distant destinations early morning, try to embark on their return journey shortly afterwards, without any rest. This is highly dangerous. Sleep is a biological need and so is the fact that your body needs rest to keep yourself alert.

During the 'Deyata Kirula' exhibition in Anuradhapura, almost all the accidents reported had occurred because the drivers from long distances had little sleep and rest in their haste to cover as many trips as possible to the exhibition city.

Private buses

The unruly behaviour of private bus drivers at the wheel has been identified as one of the biggest threats to road safety.

Accidents involving private buses happen mostly when they ‘race’ each other to collect passengers. In Mundalama police area two Jaffna-bound buses brushed off each other and a passenger on the footboard fell off. A total of 17 got injured in the accident.

The commuters become victims of the drivers’ greed and unruliness. They have no say when they are inside a private bus. Many private bus drivers violate perhaps all the road rules and ignore the safety of the commuters, pedestrians and other road users. Their ultimate aim is the day’s collection. The police have a hard time trying to discipline them. 

Not all contributory factors to road accidents involve vehicle drivers. Pedestrians and other road users; motorcyclists, pedal cyclists and three-wheeler drivers are also indirect contributors. Their reckless behaviour on the road has a direct impact on the increasing number of accidents recorded daily.

Motor cyclists, pedal cyclists and three-wheeler drivers too are much to blame for this fiasco. They hardly respect road rules. They are often a law unto themselves, an irritant to other road users and accident triggers on the road. It is not an easy job to control them by mere laws.

Pedestrians

And this applies to pedestrians as well. They must not invite trouble. While crossing the road or walking in a busy street, your mind must not be preoccupied. Listening to music on the mobile phone or having a telephone conversation should be avoided. Two thirds of victims of fatal accidents in Sri Lanka are pedestrians, which means out of the 2664 people killed in accidents last year, 1,776 were pedestrians.

When you set off from home, promise yourself 'I will not be a victim of a road accident today'. This will have more effect than a hundred and odd road safety rules. Everyone, drivers, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists must have an accident conscious mind. Instead of 'It won't happen to me', attitude, it helps to think 'It could have been me'.

The majority of fatal and serious road accidents have occurred outside cities, where there is no traffic police presence. This shows that people abide by the law just to get away from 'traffic fines'. There is little recognition that these laws let you live. The practice of wearing helmets is the best example. Recently an accident was reported in Mannar. Two men without helmets died on the spot when their motorcycle crashed head-on with a tree by the roadside. Their heads had been smashed against the tree.

Traffic bribes

I don't deny that there are traffic cops who take bribes. But it should be known that giving bribes is also an offence. We are dealing with this issue. Even recently we took disciplinary action against two traffic cops who solicited bribes and a case is continuing with the Bribery Commissioner as well. But I refute the suggestion that people disregard laws due to faulty cops. Respect for the law must come through self-discipline, not out of fear.

A groundbreaking law was passed in Parliament a month ago to penalise traffic offenders. This law will be implemented in the country shortly. It has proposed a points system where the drivers who break the law(s) will get points added up. The microchip in the new driving licence will record the data. Once the points exceed a certain limit the police can suspend the licence. After two suspensions it will be cancelled for the rest of his or her life. This law is to be implemented shortly. At the moment we cannot trace past traffic offences. A speeding driver can hit a pedestrian in Colombo and then subsequently go to Jaffna and run over another person. There is no record of the first offence. But some years back a booklet was issued to drivers where the registrar of the Courts used to make entries when a driver is found guilty of committing a traffic offence. The microchip in the new driving licence will act as this booklet in the future. Everything will be recorded henceforth.

It has to be, however, underscored that deterrent laws can only supplement road safety. They don't protect you. The responsibility of your safety cannot be relegated to a law or something or someone else. The police is there to make sure the law is properly administered and heeded. But ultimately it is you who can protect yourself and others on the road.