The Road Ruler..

3,505 road accidents registered in Goa till October 2013, of which 209 people died, out the 209, 127 were on two wheelers.

We scream our concerns for road safety, we have the road safety week from 2^nd to 7^th January candlelight marches, street plays, banners, seminars and god knows what but do people really care?

15yr. Old Gunjan is epileptic, a condition where one is not allowed to ride, her father is an army officer, she rides a two wheeler, with her sister on the pillion and her proud father declares I don’t let epilepsy stop my daughter. — If he wants to kill his daughter, or if she wants to commit suicide fair enough but she is a menace on the road.

A week ago three boys  on one single active zooming around hit a young mother, fortunately she is not killed, she had pushed her child to safety, but she is hospitalized with a fractured arm and a bashed up face.— who is responsible for this accident?

On 17^th march I go to Aryan’s study circle, (any cop who wants to make some buck should station himself/herself there at the time when they start or close classes) this is located on the one way where vehicles can go towards A.B.Borkar road but not come from there to 18^th June road.  This 11^th standard boy speeds, from the AB road, parks in front of the Aryan’s study entrance in the area earmarked for cars, when I ask him for license he says “I am not carrying one.” his excuse for driving down the one way ”there are no other vehicles”  he was offended that I took him to task.

Looking on were two parents, when the study circle finished one of them picked his kid drove the wrong direction on the one way and entered the 18^th June Road.  Two other scooters follow suit.

Then riding against the one way direction on the 18^th June Road come two sets of tourists who have hired the bike their excuse ”oh! We are tourists we don’t know road rules.”

Yes I do agree that without population outburst road-kills help in keeping the population down but fundamentally we need to understand that road rules are there to ensure road safety, one can save on candles used up in the candlelight vigilance by following them.

What parenting are we talking about, when parents flaunt rules let the kids ride without inculcating road manners and a sense of responsibility?

Do the people who hire out vehicles to tourists give them some guidelines on the traffic patterns?

Can we have speed limits?

At the end of the day it is we citizens who render our city safe no point in pointing fingers at the traffic cop, I have seen kids flaunting the traffic cop to their face.

The RTO can make rules, and try to implement it, but they are handicapped by being understaffed. If we honor ourselves others, to ensure safety then the RTO can deal with issues that need attention.