Not a day goes by when a car crash does not take place on our roads and highways. According to a report by the World Health Organisation, the country loses an estimated 1.6% of its GDP due to road crashes.
Speeding and reckless driving are the primary reasons for the high rate of accidents on our roads and highways.
It is a practice in developed countries that, after a road accident, the drivers involved notify the police and wait at the scene of the crash until the police arrive.
After the police arrive, they make an official record of the accident, and depending on its severity, police may penalise the drivers involved by fining them or even imprisoning them.
However, in our country, such practice is almost non-existent. This is why, in most reports of road accidents, they state that “the driver fled the scene.”
Since documentation is something that is not practiced in our country, it becomes very difficult to track down the driver, because not much information about the driver is known. As a result, it becomes very difficult to file a case or take any other action against the driver at fault.
Moreover, sometimes, even if drivers responsible for the accident are caught by the police, drivers get bail or get away with their offense through loopholes. In fact, only 5% of drivers at fault are penalised in our country.
This gives a message to drivers: No matter how you drive, you will not be held accountable for your wrongdoing, and so you, are free to drive however you please. This lack of accountability on the part of drivers is the main reason why the rate of road accidents in our country is comparatively higher than in most developed countries.
In the proposed road transport law, a provision should be made to make it mandatory to display drivers’ identifications on public transport and freight transports. For instance, in Thailand, the driver’s identification is displayed on public transportation such as buses, micro-buses, taxis, etc at all times. Some of the information that is displayed includes the driver’s name, a photo, license number, date of birth, etc.
If the driver’s information is displayed on the vehicle, then, even if a driver flees the scene after a road accident, the passengers, police, or media will have information about the driver.
This will make it simpler for victims or the authorities to file charges against the driver, and it will be easier for the police to track them down.
Aside from this law, it should be ensured that drivers responsible for a road accident or traffic law violations, are penalised.
If drivers at fault continue to get away with their crimes, the law of making it mandatory to display drivers’ identifications will become ineffective, as drivers will continue to drive recklessly, which will, in effect, continue to keep our roads and highways unsafe.
Road accidents do not only have a negative impact on the country’s economy, but also have a negative socio-economic impact on the victims and their families.
Research has shown that road accidents may force poor families into poverty. As road transport is the main mode of transport in the country, it is important to make road transport safer; otherwise its negative impact may become an obstacle to the development process of the country.
The proposed road transport law, if implemented and enforced, will certainly make the roads safer.
However, in addition to the proposed provisions, if it is made mandatory for the driver to display his/her identification on public transport and freight transport, and if it is ensured that drivers at fault are penalised according to their offense, accountability of the drivers will be ensured, which will subsequently force drivers to drive with more caution.
Such implementation of basic traffic laws and policies will help reduce the rate of road accidents, making our country’s roads much safer in the process.
