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Survival of the Biggest
Tuesday, 12 July 2005 - 1:58 AM SL Time
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Our front page picture yesterday bore ample testimony to the sheer magnitude of Saturday night`s killer accident on the Colombo-Kandy road. It left ten persons dead and six others, including children critically injured. The tragedy had occurred when a lorry plying at break neck speed collided with a van carrying the victims, who were returning from a religious function.
What characterizes our roads is the survival of the biggest. The bigger the vehicle, the safer it is. Awe inspiring metal Godzillas abound on public thoroughfares and one has to be extremely lucky to reach one`s destination by avoiding these monsters, unscathed.
The police have blamed Saturday`s accident on the driver who couldn`t control his lorry. Every time a fatal accident occurs, drivers are blamed, and the matter is forgotten in a few days. Everybody gets lulled into complacency until another disaster strikes.
The asphalt cowboys are, no doubt, the main cause of accidents and they must be reined in. But a close look may reveal that they are only the wheels in a giant machine that keeps churning out death and devastation on public roads. All attempts so far made to deal with the problem of the high incidence of killer accidents have had their focus on the drivers who are mere products of a faulty system.
The process of producing killer drivers begins with the submission of applications for driving licenses, which is usually done through the so-called driving schools, which are a dime a dozen. (All are A Grade schools and we are yet to hear of a B Grade one!) A person who doesn`t know the brake pedal from the accelerator is sent for `trials` after a few days of training. The palms of the examiners are greased and the licenses issued almost over the counter. Many a successful candidate learns driving properly after obtaining the license!
The issuance of heavy vehicle licenses is also replete with malpractices. In countries like Australia, where obtaining a driving license is a life time achievement of sorts, most Sri Lankans who possess licenses here often fail their driving tests. Isn`t this an indictment on Sri Lanka`s Department of Motor Traffic' Foreign expertise ought to be sought and better training courses designed to produce good drivers. Serious thought should also been given to screening the applicants to check if they are psychologically fit to drive. Most private bus drivers are a bunch of misfits, if their reckless driving is anything to go by. Besides, how many of them wear spectacles' Very few! Does this mean they all have perfect vision' Nay, whether they can see or not, they don`t simply care; they just drive on dealing death to other road users.
Alcohol and narcotics addiction is prevalent among heavy vehicle drivers. Regular checks are called for to nab drivers high on intoxicants. Some time ago there was a proposal to deploy policemen in civvies but it was shelved due to resistance from the private bus operators. It needs to be implemented. After all, it is the President of the Private Bus Owners` Association who chose to call some of the bus crews Thirisannu (animals) following the recent train-bus collision at Alawwa.
The issuance of vehicle fitness certificates is a farce. Every Tom Dick and Harry is authorized to issue them for money. It is not seldom that some rickety juggernauts turn turtle and stall in the middle of the road causing congestion. But who cares' They all carry fitness certificates!
The police, too, have to share the blame for disastrous accidents. They who play hide and seek with motorists near colour lights are usually conspicuous by their absence at night, when speed fiends and dipsomaniacs show their true colours. They appear to have mistaken their job for booking a few errant motorists to justify their existence and then making an extra buck at the expense of others. Their failure in proper implementation of the law has manifestly led to the consternation of the public, which they vent following fatal mishaps in the form of mob attacks on bus crews and arson.
So, when the system invites disaster, trying to curb accidents by dealing with individual drivers alone is an exercise in futility.
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muniraj16
Senior Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1220
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13 Jul 2005 11:58:53 GMT Report for Abuse
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First step towards this menace is to restructure the RMV...starting from firing all the corupted RMV staff...it may be true that nearly 95% of the staff will have to be terminated...but still it has to be done ...
chao... |
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