Speed kills, so drive safely!

HOW do you feel when loving parents lose their only son in a traffic accident? How do you feel when a devoted wife loses her caring husband in an accident caused by reckless driving? How do you feel when innocent children lose their loving father because of a ruthless driver who runs a red light instead of waiting for a few seconds? Heartbroken – feel yourself in their place. An affectionate mother prepares her son’s favorite dish to be served when he returns, and instead news of his death in a traffic accident arrives. Heartbroken – feel yourself in their place.  Young children wait for  their loving father who promised to take them to visit a park, but instead his dead body arrives. Heartbroken – feel yourself in their place. A jubilant  family goes for a picnic but a reckless driver comes from the opposite direction and abruptly shatters their joy with the loss of innocent lives. Such devastating cases are now alarmingly increasing with more and more people who do not have an iota of affection for their loved ones causing terrific emotional damage to the social fabric of the community by their ruthless driving on our roads. Their recklessness also places a huge burden on the nation as different agencies spend trillions of riyals on health and insurance.  I have heard many emotional stories of victims of traffic accidents as I work in an establishment which supplies medical equipment to patients with special needs. During my interaction with those who have been injured in traffic accidents, I have found that most of them accept that they violated traffic rules and many of them have pledged never to make the same mistake once they have fully recovered. In short: a moment’s mistake brings suffering for a lifetime. Recently many news items have appeared in various newspapers in which traffic officials expressed their concern about the increase in traffic accidents on the Kingdom’s roads.  If we look at various studies conducted by the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology and WHO and at research by various faculties, a clear picture emerges, viz., traffic accidents are increasing alarmingly day by day, and the major cause of accidents is speed, human error, reckless driving, unlicensed teenage drivers, the use of cell phones while driving, ignoring traffic lights, overtaking from the wrong side and the lack of respect for traffic rules. Now it is the duty of all of us to avoid carnage on our roads; education of traffic rules must be mandatory in schools, and public campaigns must be conducted at social gathering and religious sermons. It should be compulsory that new drivers visit a traffic accidents hospital ward before they are given a drivers license.  One must remain cool as there are various reasons for the change of mood and behavior of those behind the wheel.  Avoid being angered by other drivers and always keep photos of your loved ones in front of you to remind you that someone is waiting for you back home.  The role of government agencies in enforcing traffic laws is vital in order to put fear into road users.  The suspension of drivers licenses, the  uploading of violators’ details on websites, the cost of the treatment of victims being borne by violators and the confiscation of the vehicles of violators are some suggestions for reducing the deaths of innocent people. Those of you in the younger generation must think of your parents who wait for your safe return to be with them.  All of your stress evaporates into thin air when you see them at home with a smile of welcome on their faces.  You in the younger generation are the builders of tomorrow’s world,  you are the dream of the nation, the nation awaits your contribution. You young people must think of your aged grandparents who raise their hands with tears in their eyes for supplication to the Almighty for your safe return home. You must think of your caring and loving family waiting for your safe return to be with them to hear the stories of your day and to have you listen to theirs. You expatriates must think of your family back home, their smiling faces, their prayers; responsibility for them is on your shoulders. Your parents wait to hear your voice; your wife and children wait for you to return on vacation. Rules are there to be obeyed for our own good. Make a sincere oath to obey traffic rules and say no to traffic violations, no to overtaking, no to reckless driving, no to driving on the wrong side of the road, no to running red lights and finally no to using to a cell phone while driving.  We must all join together to protect the younger generation, the future of tomorrow, from untimely death and physical disability as a result of traffic accidents.     Mohammed Abdul Waheed, Riyadh