TWO road accidents this week should be more than enough to remind us about road safety.
It’s not that we want accidents. In fact, in an ideal world, there should not be any accident at all.
That’s because we’d all be adhering to laws that govern usage of our roads. It’s difficult though to shrug aside the fact that road accidents do happen.
The general line of thinking would be that accidents happen because we allow them to.
It’s tough to consider that, yet it is a harsh reality of the world we live in.
We discuss the issue of road safety every year. Yet, accidents continue to happen.
Discussions and campaigns are promoted, yet accidents have become a part of our lives.
There’s always a cost factor involved when an accident happens.
Aside from the loss of productive hours when someone dies, or is seriously injured, there is the issue of first responders, subsequent medical attention, and treatment to consider as well.
There is also the emotional aspect to consider when a loved one is impacted by an accident.
Mother of three Senimili Bula lived her worst nightmare on Monday afternoon when she had to identify her husband Daniel Davend Prasad who died in a car accident in Lavusa, Nadi.
Mrs Bula could not accept the fact that she was looking at her husband’s lifeless body in hospital after speaking to him just hours earlier.
“It was only when they showed me to the room and his body under a sheet then I realised that my husband was no more,” she shared.
She remembers him as a born again Christian who lived for his family, especially his children.
“I believe if he had come home on Monday to kiss his son before he went to the farm, he would have stayed.”
The late Mr Prasad was driving when the vehicle he was in reportedly tumbled several times before landing in a field near his home.
According to police, Mr Prasad was behind the wheel when he lost control of the vehicle.
A passenger was also in the car but survived the impact. In another accident, six students of Ratu Ravuama Vunivalu Memorial School were rushed to the Nausori Health Centre yesterday morning after the minibus they were travelling in was involved in a road accident.
The accident happened along Mokani Rd, Nausori, near Bau Central College about 7.15am.
Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro said two students were seriously injured while four others were being treated for minor injuries at the Nausori Health Centre.
Again, as police investigations continue, we are reminded about road safety.
We are reminded about the decisions we must make while on the road. Road laws are there for a reason.
Our challenge is to embrace them. So let’s play it by the rule. Let’s drive within the speed limits. Let’s adhere to road rules, and pay attention to our vehicles.
That means placing vehicle service appointments on a high pedestal.
Let’s plan our journey and plan to arrive alive. Road safety is important for us all.
