The fact that four people are recovering in hospital after they were involved in three separate road accidents at the weekend should attract attention.
In fact it should keep us on our toes.
It should encourage us to be proactive whenever we are out on the road.
Any accident on our roads must raise concern.
It must encourage us to look deep within us, understand and appreciate road safety tips, and actually adhere to rules that govern road usage.
As our report today on Page 7 points out, a police statement confirmed a 28-year-old electrician was injured after he was allegedly hit by a vehicle driven by a woman along Pritam Singh Rd, Tuirara in Nasinu.
The driver allegedly fell asleep, the statement read, causing the vehicle to veer off the road resulting in the accident.
The victim, it stated, was admitted at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva as investigations continued.
In a separate incident, police said an 18-year-old student was under investigation after the vehicle he was driving allegedly collided with another vehicle driven by a 53-year-old businessman along the Queens Rd, Viseisei, in Lautoka.
The report stated the suspect allegedly overtook the victim’s car as he was trying to turn into a side road, which resulted in the accident.
Two of the passengers travelling with the suspect were admitted at the Lautoka Hospital after sustaining injuries.
In another incident, a 50-year-old woman was rushed to the Nadi Hospital yesterday after she was involved in an accident along the Queens Rd.
We learn that a vehicle driven by a man in his 30s, with four passengers, tumbled while travelling from Navua to Lautoka.
There has to be some acceptance of the fact that accidents happen because we allow them to.
Every year we go on massive campaigns that target road safety and every other factor designed to ensure safety on our roads.
Yet every year accidents continue to happen.
It seems the big words, banners screaming road safety, awareness campaigns, workshops, and panel discussions are cast aside once they are done.
We then come full swing back to the issue every time there is a major accident.
This shouldn’t be the way things happen.
In fact, in an ideal world, we should all be adhering to road safety advice.
We should be following road rules and sticking to speed limits.
Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world, and neither can we safely say that road accidents will never happen.
The onus is really on us to do the right thing every day.
Our challenge is to be vigilant whenever we are travelling anywhere.
There has to be an appreciation of defensive driving daily.
Let’s plan our journeys.
Let’s stay well and safe on our roads.
Let’s be considerate!
