News
Impatient drivers risk death in imported junk vehicles
“There is nothing called being too careful”. However, this is not the case for people who act as if they have an appointment with death. Several accidents that have led to death or injury could have been easily avoided with a teaspoon of common sense and a pinch of caution.
It is a common sight for cyclists to ride at night without any lights, or reflective gear.
Many carry infants and young children in the front seat of their vehicles where a deployed airbag could cause deadly injuries.
Another safety issue is traffic lights that change from amber to red too quickly and so do not adhere to internationally accepted safety standards.
“When we were small, we never rode pushbikes at night without lights or reflectors as we were so scared of the police. But, today, the push cyclists are riding like black knights in the dark. Do we have to wait until more people are dead to enforce safety measures?” asked Rajagiriya resident, Basil Perera.
According to the Department of Census and Statistics, 2,829 have been killed in road traffic accidents in 2019, compared with 3,151 in 2018. The number of people injured in road traffic accidents in Colombo alone was 1,281 in 2018.
The statistics for 2020 have not been released yet.
A recent accident in Chavakachcheri. Pic by Romesh Madushanka
Amal Kumarage, a professor in the Department of Transport and Logistics Management, told the Sunday Times: “I have been in the industry for roughly 38 years. When I first started my career, the probability of death due to a motor accident was 1 in 120. Since then, the probability has increased to 1 in 30. This means every thirtieth funeral in Sri Lanka is the result of a motor accident. One of the main reasons for this is imports of unsafe vehicles. Unsafe vehicles include three-wheelers, motorbikes, and most small vehicles. About 50% of our motorised fleet are two-wheelers and another 15% are three-wheelers, making about two-thirds of motor vehicles on the roads in Sri Lanka unsafe. Safe vehicles, which are well balanced and fitted with safety features such as good quality airbags, are discouraged through high taxes.’’
He added: “From nearly four decades ago to now, many say we have developed because we have more vehicles and travel has increased. However, in my opinion, the quality of development is poor because, with more vehicles, we have had more deaths. This may seem likely, however, the reasons for these deaths are overlooked. Many safety standards are not adhered to by all parties on the road, pedestrians, drivers, passengers, and law enforcers, which lead to unsafe road systems.”
Retired SSP, T. Sundaralingam, said: “In my experience, improving road safety does not need much monetary help. Improving road safety can begin with discipline. Many motorbikes and three-wheeler drivers do not stick to their lane, and many drivers do not pay attention to road signs or traffic lights. Buses race to pick a single passenger yet do not seem to worry about the many pedestrians and other vehicles on the road that are put in danger.”
He said that “one of the main areas that can contribute to road safety but is overlooked is adhering to ‘no parking’ areas. Many park in these areas due to convenience, however, they restrict vehicle movement resulting in numerous accidents. The message can be passed through strict enforcement of the law and fines’’.
The Sunday Times spoke to several people about their experiences with poor safety standards in Sri Lanka and personal safety being ignored.
The deputy headmaster at a leading international school, said: “I started having sessions on road safety with my classes and have realised many of my students fail to do simple things that could potentially save their lives because they do not understand the gravity of the situation. When asked why some do not wear seat belts when they are seated in the back, there were three main answers: they are ‘less likely to be caught’, ‘it is uncomfortable’, ‘there is a seat in front of me in case something happens’.
“It was appalling to see some of my brightest students give me such answers. Since then, I have made it a point to introduce regular sessions on the importance of road safety and more importantly, the consequences of what could happen because something was ‘not comfortable’. For the younger students, I have made it clear that parents are not allowed to drop them to school, nor leave school with a child seated on a parent’s lap in the front seat. Many parents and students have sighed at my efforts, but I keep telling them a moment of fun or comfort can turn into a lifetime of grief.”
Sean Fernando, a resident of Canada visiting his family in Sri Lanka said: “I have seen many motorcyclists ride with slippers and not shoes. I keep wondering if they could buy a motorcycle they can easily afford a pair of covered shoes. It would certainly cost less than the hospital bill if their foot were to be injured by the heat of the engine or lose control as a result. If this is not part of common sense anymore, then should it not be enforced by law?”
A school leaver from Ratnapura said: “I recently started learning to drive and it has been one of the scariest experiences of my life. I feel like I am playing a video game because I have to watch out for people who cut across without any warning, who do not stick to their lanes, the traffic lights barely stopping at amber. When I was studying for my driving test I read that amber serves as a warning that the signal is about to change, but there are many places where the amber light is just there for the sake of it and does not stay amber long enough to indicate a change. This has led to me having to brake unexpectedly and I have had a few close calls with the cars behind me stopping too close because they had to brake unexpectedly.”
A retired nurse said: “From my personal experience, driving in Sri Lanka has become quite tiring. It is something I dread, yet I feel unsafe to walk to most places at night as well due to the lack of proper street lights in certain areas. It is Hobson’s choice. Something I cannot wrap my head around is why roads are dug up a few months after they have been paved well. There are countless roads with potholes and road humps that are not painted. These shortcomings should be attended to instead of ruining our freshly paved roads.”
Referring to road traffic accident victims, she said many suffer the consequences of impatience on the road.
“The sad part about the patients I have seen is the amount of pain caused by a quick rush of blood and a single moment of recklessness. Some tend to blame the younger generation, but this should not be a blame game. Rather it is simply common sense that should be passed on. It is also the responsibility of older drivers to be role models. I have told several people that we cannot always expect people in authority to fix things, we can start with simple things such as obeying road signs, traffic lights, walking on designated pavements where there are available, and so on.’’
The issue may lie in people living in denial that bad things could happen to others and not them. It could be overconfidence and superciliousness that lead to the erroneous thinking of invincibility. However, a moment of carelessness or a mistake would be a lifetime of misery. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
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