It is horrifying and ever so distressing that precious human lives in Goa which is India’s smallest State, continue to be snuffed away on a daily basis due to road accidents on the streets across the State. The government has done its bit by amending the law to make penalties for reckless driving and other violations of our Motor Vehicles Act substantially hefty but accidents on our roads continue with precious lives of people being lost though sometimes they are pedestrians and innocent by-standers. An unacceptable state of affairs.

 

The government needs to take a holistic view on this very alarming issue and do everything possible. One way would be to make the issue of driving licenses extremely meticulous and stringent. As driving licenses in our neighbouring States and elsewhere in the country are purchasable, the authorities need to work in conjunction with other States to ensure that only truly qualified drivers are allowed to navigate their vehicles on the streets so that this current death trap is a matter of the past.

 

Regardless of all the efforts by the government, unless each one of us as responsible citizens try to do our bit by careful, defensive driving, in the full knowledge that any violations will be met with the full force of the law who will exercise zero tolerance, then innocent people will continue to mercilessly die on the streets.  

 

The road accident scene in Goa is so very scary and a matter of great concern. Let us not reach a stage where we must frantically pray in the morning thanking God for giving us another day and at night thanking God for having kept us alive during the day on our accident-prone roads.

 

Road Safety must always be of paramount importance to save precious lives. It must be a way of life NOT just another slogan!