Gross disregard for commuter safety
Pictures may speak a thousand words, but they do not always tell everything. It was a sad spectacle of a helpless woman lying recumbent in the middle of a road, published in this paper on February 20, that has shocked us. The bus she was travelling in had thrown her into the middle of a busy road. It did not wait or slow down long enough to ensure that she alighted safely.
Only an hour ago, a man was killed while getting down from a running bus opposite to where the said incident occurred, and two years ago a journalist colleague of ours was killed in the same vicinity under similar circumstances.
Bus drivers in the city seem to be of the opinion that it is their God given right to stop the vehicle to pick and drop passengers wherever and whenever they feel like. Such behaviour is criminal because it endangers the lives of others; this is especially so when the nearest bus stop is only a few feet away.
The issue of road safety is one that the city has been plagued with for longer than we are able to remember. This originates from the law enforcing agencies' failure to enforce traffic rules and a culture of impunity that permits errant drivers and bus owners to go scot-free. We demand stringent punishment for such drivers and conductors and it has to be handed without much delay. Only then can this mindset be changed for the better. The traffic police department also needs to make commuters aware of the importance of following traffic rules.
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