Ethel gets into a rage about road ethics
HEART 2 HEART
BY ETHEL DA COSTA
Does life come cheap in Goa?
I don't have a strong stomach for blood. Let alone see it spurting
out of a human body. If Goa is progressing in leaps and bounds - read
that as more traffic chaos and pathetic road discipline - there is
also exists an insensitive twin that looks on and drives away. If
not, add more to road rage. This I saw first hand at the tragic road
accident, early New Year's Day at Porvorim, on my way home after the
evening's festivities. The sight made my blood curdle in fright.
Between a mangled heap of metal and the leftovers of two mauled
wheelers, lay three bodies sprawled in grotesque positions that still
chills goose bumps on my skin. As we slowed down to take stock and
help, I watched other cars nonchalantly drive past as one would a
regular scene. "Oh accident? The buggers must have been drunk,"
yelled an occupant from a passing car, even as I hysterically dialed
the police and ambulance to get to the venue, wherever they were. I
must laud the services at this point of time for promptly responding
to the call of distress, but for my visibly shaken group of friends
who drove home in silence. Me, in quiet anger. `Did we get help on
time? Could the boys have better chances of survival if somebody had
called in earlier?' `What happens in the villages where 100 and 102
are simply digits with no face or purpose?' And then fury at the
drunk comment who was also endangering some victim's life on the road
along with the occupants of his car. Those rich, spoilt brats who
drink while driving to a party. The insensitivity of people who don't
stop to help at an accident, because they don't want to get involved.
But most of all, why weren't the boys wearing helmets?
Are we turning into an insensitive, uncivilized society?
If not blood and gore shown on our Goa Liberation VCD (so many
twisted minds wanting to twist history and poison our systems with
more poison), then there's much blood and gore on our roads. It is
mayhem with a legal license. An alarming 28 percent increase in fatal
road accidents, according to 2004 statistics, cannot be brushed under
the carpet. We're talking precious lives here .... victims who could
be somebody's wife, husband, brother, son, daughter, a family's only
livelihood..
We have only ourselves to blame for this murder by mutual consent,
because unfortunate quirks of fate are far less than the ones we
bring upon ourselves because of our under-developed road sense. Look
at our road ethics. They are primitive, if not a sure fire death
warrant in sealing our own fate. From drivers who get their licenses
passing a note under the table, to vehicles that don't even possess
proper registration papers, we are a race speeding towards our own
doom. How? Because we still haven't learnt that a seat belt can save
your life. So, whom are we fooling when we see a cop at an
intersection and hurriedly pretend to wear a belt (what of those cars
which still don't have seat belts?). Likewise, wearing a helmet
(all those silly, lengthy, baseless arguments when it comes to
helmets are exasperating). Similarly, we still haven't learnt that
driving and cell phone jabbering don't go together. In the car or on
a bike (yeah, especially on a bike. Mother-in-law or hot girlfriend
on the line, we don't care. Do your business at home). These cell
phone glued species are potential high risk, dangerous riders/drivers
and must be challan-ed big time. I would implore the cops to ban or
confiscate their damn instruments, if not used with a hands-free on
the road. It annoys me that we are such a senseless, moronic
population that we need cops to forcefully remind us to be
responsible and save our own butts, when it should be our duty to
ensure the safety of our own lives. Don't we automatically follow
these rules abroad? So, why a fuss in our own country? Why can't we
get people sensitive? But, this is Goa you see? And life these days
comes at a low premium.
So, what good these yearly Road Safety Week programmes which address
traffic discipline issues with an elitist view, even as you find
people violating traffic rules right in front of the traffic
personnel? Mr Chief Minister, since your roads have now become super
fast, how about some super sure traffic guidelines (and zebra
crossings along the Campal-Miramar highway) since you do love
playing 'super cop' once in a while. Get on the streets and rap the
violators. In times like these, action does speak louder than words.
-----
(courtesy: TGF - The Goan Forum)
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