Road accident tragedies vs COVID-19 success

Having received tremendous applause from other countries for our excellent work in controlling the coronavirus, sadly, we have failed to bring discipline to our road users, namely the motorists. The worldwide death toll, from the COVID-19, stands at 691,971 and our contribution to this is just 11, whereas 157,905 from the US, 37,426 in neighbouring India, and 5973 from Pakistan, so far. The World Health Organization (WHO) has commended the steps taken by the Sri Lankan authorities to control COVID-19. Expressing her views, the WHO representative in Sri Lanka, Dr Razia Pendse, has said she admired the steps taken by Sri Lanka to control the virus through educating the public, easing unnecessary fears and carrying out quarantine in an effective way. We Sri Lankans are really proud of our health authorities, and the support they received from our forces, on the guidance of our President.

Can we also be commended for how we have fared in our road manners and road safety? Sadly, no! Motor accidents so far, in 2020, as per our record, stands at 8880, and road accidents have killed 921 people so far this year. The World Bank says Sri Lanka has the worst road fatality rates, with a report published by it saying Sri Lanka has the worst road fatality among its immediate neighbours, in the South Asia region. It added that Sri Lanka needed US $ 2 billion additional investments, over the coming decade, to achieve a 50% reduction in national road crash fatalities. The study, by the World Bank, further points out the estimated annual crash deaths per capita, in Sri Lanka, is twice the average rate in high-income countries, and five times that of the best performing countries in the world. As per report, 38,000 crashes happen annually, which resulted in around 3000 fatalities and 8000 serious injuries. This is attributed to the rapid growth in vehicle ownership in the country, which is already high by regional standards and grew by 67% between 2011 and 2018. If the trend continues, the number of accidents, and crash fatalities, will increase. However, we are of opinion that reckless and drunk driving also have contributed to the increase of road accidents and fatalities. We hope the government, which drew applause for controlling COVID-19, can succeed in bringing about control in road accidents, which have brought more fatalities than the virus in few countries.

S. H. MOULANA