Drive carefully on our roads......

I am terribly pained and deeply saddened reading the news of horrendous road accident, head-on collision of a private bus and an omni-car carrying school-children, that took place last week in Trassi near Kundapur, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka State, where eight young and tender school-going kids lost their life. Our deepest condolences and my heart goes to the bereaved family... I pray Almighty to rest the departed souls in peace and give needful strength to the families who lost their dear ones.

  

The news of this ghastly accident sends painful and chilling effect in our spines. How these accidents take place in our roads, almost every day ....? Why such anarchic condition in our roads….?

Our roads, including the state and national highways, are worst nightmares….! There is no law and order followed in our roads these days, except in some cities and townships. Every vehicle zooms through by your side, right and left, with unbelievable speed. The coastal highway from Karwar to Mangaluru passes through several busy towns which include Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar, Murdeshwar, Bhatkal, Kunapur and Udupi. On the way, there are numerous other thickly populated villages and townships. I have been driving in this road more than 20 years, from Goa to Mangaluru. It is not enough only if we take care. Everyone who drives a vehicle should be careful. Twice I met with serious car accidents in this road simply because of the mistake of opposite vehicle. Though several years passed, this highway did not undergo any major overhauling but a phenomenal increase in vehicular traffic took place. Goods carrying trucks, long- and short-route buses, road-widening big, big machines, private cars, mini-buses and 2-wheeler bikes, everyone uses the same narrow road....This has lead to a near impossible and nightmare-like congestive situation. I am singling out one town, Bhatkal, where numerous 2-wheelers ride in the town without any traffic rules. Believe it or not, I get tensed up when I pass through Bhatkal every time. These 2-wheelers zoom in the front and back from left to right and right to left without any traffic sense. Presently, this highway is getting upgraded to 4-lane highway, from Karwar to Kundapur and hopefully road conditions will improve in the time to come.

Whoever drives a vehicle; one should follow the traffic rules systematically and have enormous patience. Urgency has no priority in our roads except for ambulances. I have seen on the roads, everyone honks and tries to overtake the other. It is not a civic sense but a chaotic situation almost every day.... Unless, all of us impose self-discipline and drive carefully we will not contribute to improve the system.

I appeal everyone to follow the traffic rules and drive carefully. Then only we will be safe and live long. After all, life is precious....

D. Jayarama Bhat