Mindless, needless but preventable
road accidents – we must insist they stop

Dear editor,
The villagers would pull out the babies from down stream, clean their wounds and nurse them. Everyday, they would conduct these exercises. Then one day, they got tired, absolutely exhausted. They decided to go upstream to beg those who were throwing the babies into the stream to stop. Since then, they haven’t pulled any baby out of the stream.
We know who or what is/are largely responsible for these road accidents which are needlessly costing precious lives. Let’s tell them to stop. Let them stop. They should stop. Or like the villagers, we should beg them to stop. It’s easier to call an ambulance and rush the wounded and the dead to the hospital. It’s much easier and cheaper to prevent the causes of these “preventable” human “deliberates”. Worn out tires. Faulty breaks. Faulty lights. No licence. Unrenewed license. Disregard for traffic rules and measures. Imagine if someone insisted the vehicle won’t “push-plas” unless these things are well fixed or acquired. Imagine if all on the chain insist on same. I bet these won’t cost more than D3500. Imagine the cost of life if these aren’t fixed. Put monetary value on the life and you would see why prevention is cheaper.
I don’t know the economic cost of road accidents on our heavily burdened, overstretched health care system but I bet it must be very huge.
I can bet though that the costs on family are incalculable, irreparable, irredeemable. I know a mum who lost a son, her only son. She is still grieving, five years. Kumba knows a bride who lost her groom, just few days after their marriage. Lamin told me he lost a friend who christened his son just last week. Fatou, she lost two siblings, one the breadwinner, the other, the life and soul of the family. Kaddy was coming from work, eager to prepare that delicious meal for her family, when a motorcyclist knocked her unconscious and she passed away en route the hospital. Ansu still suffers from the debilitating injury he got from that ghastly accident.
We all know a relative, friend or neighbour who passed away in a ghastly but preventable road accident or someone who is battling with a life threatening injury from such accidents. Let’s insist that the one who is causing these needless road accidents stops. Otherwise, the ghosts of these relatives, friends and neighbours might never allow us to sleep, for their deaths were/are preventable.
Njundu Drammeh
Fajara