Every now and again, we receive some information about some fatal accidents or the other. The most recent was the one that occurred yesterday involving vehicles of members of the national assembly which resulted in the death of at least two people.
Our roads are becoming more dangerous than HIV and AIDS and Ebola combined! What is the cause of this? How can we minimize deaths on our roads? What can government do about it?
Some theories have it that many of the drivers causing these accidents are either drunk drivers, wrongly licensed drivers or some other avoidable causes. These theories must now be converted into facts by conducting research into the causes of these activities.
We cannot continue to lose our people, sometimes the young, on our roads. It is the responsibility of a government to protect its citizenry, sometimes even against themselves. Therefore, it is high time we looked at the causes and solutions to road accidents. These problems’ causes may be multidimensional and as such will require multifaceted solutions.
In the first place, there should be a massive campaign against reckless driving. The police should – have to – be more forceful in enforcing the law against drinking and driving. Besides, the issue of overspeeding should also be addressed. Some drivers over speed on our roads and this sometimes causes accidents.
We must all make a concerted effort to ensure that our roads are safer for both drivers and commuters. This is important and, there is no time like now!
