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Happy New Year Twenty-Ten
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The 21st Road Safety Week - 2010 is almost coming to an end. Whom has it
benefited? No answers. But it has definitely helped exhaust the budgetary
provisions for the financial year 2009 -2010 and contributed by giving a
platform for publicity to the Transport Minister and others. All one could
finally gather was that instead of a 'road safety week', it was a 'road safety
gear week'. Traffic cops and citizen volunteers enforcing the head gear and
seat belts. The action against selling of non-ISI helmets seemed more urgent
than the horrors of pedestrians, specially the aged, children and hadicapped,
while crossing the roads. The fruits of our independence continued to be
celebrated by jay pedestrians who prefer to use the roads instead of foot-paths
and pedestrian crossings. The slogan of 'walk and talk' is also extended to
'drive and talk'. The big bullies continued to dominate the space on the roads
and throw traffic rules to the wind. It appears that road safety weeks are m
ore of a sham and only meant to collect funds for the government through fines
imposed on violators of traffic rules.
-Soter D'Souza
