Road accidents keep on occurring almost daily in Jammu and Kashmir. People lose lives or get injured in such mishaps. Despite the loss of lives the number of such accidents keeps on increasing.
Large number of people driving on the roads do not take these deaths on roads seriously and keep on violating the traffic safety rules, resulting in more accidents. Over-speeding, rash and negligent driving are some of the reasons for the accidents.
People of all age groups, while driving, keep on violating the rules. Even as the traffic police is trying to take strict action against the violators but they cannot be present everywhere for doing so. Awareness regarding traffic rules on large scale is very important.
This awareness must start from the family to the youngsters, starting driving or who have just learnt the driving. Such awareness campaigns must also be run in schools, colleges, universities and professional institutions.
The awareness campaigns must be a consistent effort to minimise the traffic violation rules and make the driving safe for the drivers and travel for the passengers.
There are complaints of rule violations particularly against a number of sumo and other cab drivers, school children carrying cab drivers and even those driving private cars.
Strict action is needed against the violators. Reports say that sometimes those indulging in violations engage in heated arguments if stopped by the concerned officials.
There is no scope of arguing if the rules are violated. Those driving on the roads must follow the rules not only for their own safety, but for the safety of others driving on the roads, and also for pedestrians.
Sometimes action is also taken against the drivers parking their vehicles on the roads and causing jamming. The vehicles must be properly parked in designated parking slots. But there are also complaints of lack of parking slots in most areas of the city.
The authorities must ensure establishing more paid parking places so that people are not unnecessarily forced to park the vehicles on roads. There is a need to widen the narrow roads in city where ever possible for the smooth traffic movement.
The encroachment on roads must also come to an end. The roadside vendors must be given proper places to earn their livelihood but disruption of traffic movement must be discouraged.
The pedestrians find it difficult to move on the encroached roads and while moving on the roads they are sometimes hit by the vehicles.
There is an overall need for improvement in traffic management besides strict adherence to traffic safety rules. This is very important to protect the lives from getting lost in road accidents.