Mahesh Chander Sudan
We, the people of Jammu and Kashmir, are concerned to note the rising number of road accidents in the recent past. The alarming number of road accident casualties and injuries across the globe is posing challenge for the entire mankind. It sends shivers down the spine to know that around one and half million people die on roads and around thirty five million are injured or handicapped all over the world annually. We are losing almost five hundred lives on road every day in our country and the number of injured and handicapped victims also stands around thirteen hundred. Rising number of vehicles, defaulting on traffic rules, carelessness on the part of road users and bad road infrastructure is majorly responsible for increasing number of road accidents. The requisite road safety to minimize road mishaps needs to be given due priority unlike the present trend of celebrating safety week only as if rest of the time some super natural power shall come to our rescue. The issue requires a holistic approach to educate people for safe usage of roads, strictly implementation of traffic rules and to improve road infrastructure not only in terms of roads but all associated road furniture including signage etc.
Education.A systematic method of educating road users as drivers, pedestrians and public and private transport passengers would enable us to sensitize people about necessity of traffic rules for achieving road safety to arrest loss of precious lives on road. Issue of driving licenses/permits is to be regulated with due care towards professional ability of applicants and not any other influencing criteria as seen in the present system. Driving schools whether privately owned or run through state traffic department may give equal importance to teaching of vehicle handling/driving and the traffic rules before sponsoring any candidate to Road Transport Department for issue of driving license. Issue of Learners license may be extended till an applicant clears both written and practical test with due proficiency without any relaxation or favorable consideration and the traffic inspectors responsible to clear any candidate for issue of license must satisfy themselves so that only physically fit and professionally trained drivers are allowed to become part of robust road safety network in the interest of mankind. Here the role of Traffic Inspectors becomes very critical in assessing candidates with pointed objective to ensure level of efficiency and training through these tests as a requisite for suitability of the candidate for final issue of Driving License.
Implementation of Traffic Rules. Well drawn traffic rules without strict implementation will remain a paper exercise and therefore the traffic department has given due importance to it by assigning this task to traffic wing of police department. These policemen and women are selected for traffic duty out of state police cadre with requisite aptitude for this difficult job. Management of traffic on road and implementation of traffic rules are two important aspects especially so in the congested road environment where traffic jams have become daily routine during peak hours. Traffic policeperson is expected to guide, manage and maintain his cool against unbearable polluted road environment. He is also expected to keep an eye on the road defaulters and violators who create hurdle for other road users and affect smooth flow of traffic in the interest of desired road safety. These trained traffic professionals on the roads perform dual duty of guiding traffic and checking defaulters to ensure that due order is maintained exclusively as per traffic rules as enshrined in the law of land. A clear line of difference between adherence/violation of traffic rules is to be diligently understood to weed out habitual violators for strict disciplinary action against them as no letup should be allowed to breach sacrosanct road safety norms. These traffic police personnel are bestowed with public mandate to regulate the flow of road traffic for contributing towards no loss of life on road.
User Friendly Road Infrastructure. Efficient user friendly Road infrastructure encompasses well laid roads and other road furniture that contribute towards achievement of road safety. Road Infrastructure Management System (RIMS) includes all physical assets within the road reserve, including not only the road itself, but all associated furniture and all earth works, drainage, structures like culverts, bridges and buildings etc. Technically speaking, the composite road management system includes all functions like management function, typical system components, component selection and generic steps for system implementation. This aspect of the laying roads, maintaining them operational for traffic in at all times is shared by Central and State/UT governments. A sound road network spread across the country facilitates day to day movement of men and material besides accelerating economic growth of the country. It is equally significant to create robust road management system to install healthy road environment for achieving best possible road safety to minimize irreparable loss of lives on roads. All these pre-requisites as discussed in proceeding paragraphs would require involved agencies responsible to frame traffic rules, implement strict adherence to these rules, carry out snap checks to test the efficiency of the system and educate road users adequately to behave responsibly on roads would certainly enhance the road safety.
No doubt, we have yet miles to go but a conscious approach towards scientifically designed roads and their maintenance against fair wear and tear on regular basis would make a difference. The issue needs a holistic approach in managing road traffic strictly in accordance with law of land with zero tolerance for traffic indiscipline by concerned road authorities both civil and police without any discrimination would yield healthy road environment. It is also a fact that the condition of roads in JKUT has been adversely commented in media often. It is difficult to find any road furniture on most of the UT managed roads except on few busy rotaries of National Highways. Missing sign boards, caution boards, speed limits and display of important road notices meant for public consumption, zebra crossings for pedestrians and empathetic handling of poor people by traffic police persons do advocate for themselves and authorities concerned especially at higher level must impose their influence to achieve desired road safety otherwise celebration of traffic safety week or fortnight annually to mourn and regret loss of lives will not speak healthy for the system. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.
(The author is Wg Cdr (Retd)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
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