Another
fatal road accident took place this weekend at the Tanji-Brufut highway,
bringing the number of such catastrophes to two in that area in just about
seven months in the same year 2016.
While
the previous one in the year took six precious lives with more than five people
seriously injured, police report stated that the weekend accident this time
around took nine lives on the spot, and about three other people on the
passenger van sustained serious injuries, that have placed them in a critical
condition at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul.
This
is a serious cause for concern, as accidents on our roads have become so
frequent and fatal that some swift action needs to be taken to put such tragic
happenings under control on our roads.
In
early February this year, about seven people lost their lives on a road
accident involving a passenger van that somersaulted along the Trans-Gambia
Highway, with some passengers critically injured.
Less
than a month from then, exactly on 22 February, another fatal accident occurred
involving a car that killed two people on the spot with other two critically
injured, on Kairaba Avenue.
All
these accidents, and even more that we have not mentioned in this piece,
occurred this year alone. A media colleague was also reportedly hit by a car to
death in Lamin, and the driver fled without being spotted.
It
is becoming increasingly clear that most of our drivers are acting
irresponsibly, with little or no respect for traffic rules and human life,
especially so that some of them that are licensed to ply our roads with cars
are just too immature to be trusted with carrying the lives of people on
vehicles.
For
instance, the driver of the truck that was involved in this latest fatal
accident on the Tanji-Brufut highway is said to be 26 years of age!
In
other countries, such an age is considered to be too young or immature to drive
a giant truck on the road. These are some of things that should be considered
by our traffic police unit or department, as they issue licences to drivers in
this country.
It
is also very important that passengers refuse to compromise their lives when
drivers are over-speeding or driving recklessly, by cautioning them before they
endanger or destroy their lives, as we have been seeing happening across the
country, with rampant fatal accidents occurring now and then.
The
drivers, the police and the general public or passengers have a role to play to
curb these tragic happenings on our roads.
“Caution
is not cowardly. Carelessness is not courage”
Unknown
