A total of 4,79,320 vehicles including buses, coaches, trucks, covered vans and other automobiles are running on roads and highways across the country without proper fitness certificates as shown in a Road Transport Authority (BRTA) report. Following the submission of the report, the High Court issued directive to vehicle owners to renew fitness certificate of their vehicles from BRTA by September 30. It also said if any owner does not collect fitness certificate for his outdated vehicle by the stipulated time, those particular vehicles will not be allowed on the roads after September 30.
Experts blame unfit vehicles, unskilled drivers and reckless driving as the core reasons behind the staggering number of road accidents. Many bus owners recruit drivers considering personal relationship and recommendations of known people without properly examining their driving skill. What is more saddening is that a number of unscrupulous BRTA officials provide licence to the unskilled drivers and fitness certificates to the unfit vehicles without giving any test. As a result, a large number of unskilled drivers get chance to ply their vehicles on roads illegally.
As long as the gruesome practice of
giving license to the unskilled drivers
and unfit vehicles is not stopped,
the grisly procession of deaths on
the roads would continue unabated
As long as the gruesome practice of giving license to the unskilled drivers and unfit vehicles is not stopped, the grisly procession of deaths on the roads would continue unabated. Therefore, in order to reinforce road safety transport owners must scrutinize the driving skill of the drivers before recruiting. Authorities concerned should take immediate measures to improve the current road safety issues, such as examining driver’s skill and vehicle fitness, discouraging reckless driving, improving the traffic police control system and ensuring more cooperation between the drivers and owners.
Every time the gravity of road safety issues get intensified when any student dies in road accident. After every incident of road crash we hear pledges from the BRTA, police, and other transport authorities for improving the situation. Now all pledges should be translated into action.
