Road safety

Two recent road safety violations I witnessed tell me of the drivers’ deliberate ignorance.

A father holds his son on his lap in the driver’s seat and ‘controls’ the steering. He smiles and enjoys the ‘drive.’ He often looks outside. His attention may be diverted as he talks to the family sitting next to him and another two in the back seat.

In another case, a person who is talking on the phone and driving with his family has school-going children with them. Again, a clear violation of traffic safety norms. As everyone knows, it’s prevalent across the world that the use of mobile phones is strictly prohibited while driving.

I wonder if such people’s deliberate behavioural change for their emotional pleasure put others on the road at risk. Moreover, what messages do such habits send to the family and children?

It further questions how much people learn from road accidents and how seriously they start their journey. Just for their enjoyment and pleasure, they are putting others’ lives at risk.

Those who violate the traffic norms must realise their attitude may lead to accidents that may have a more prolonged impact on their family and others around them.

Road safety is not something we talk about, observe, and ignore; instead, road users must remain vigilant at all times to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.

Ramachandran Nair,
Muscat