It’s never safe, but Eid is season for traffic chaos [Archives:2004/791/Community]

Yasser Mohammed Al-Mayyasi
We have heard the lot about Yemen's traffic accidents. Such accidents go up during Ramadhan and Eid, caused by high speed and the violation to the traffic rules, in addition to the improper maintenance of the vehicles, the roads narrowness, poor planning of such roads as well as poor driving by the teen-agers.
The high speed and breaching of traffic rules are the most important reasons of the traffic accidents that occur. Violations to the traffic rules are many and various. Ignoring red signals during the driving and inappropriate parking in different streets are just a portion of many violations.
Children and teen-agers who drive vehicles are often the sons of the state officials, merchants, and businessmen, who give vehicles to their sons for transporting and moving from different places to schools and bazars, and sometimes just for leisure.
So here is the problems with youth and their mad-speed, wandering around in the middle of the towns causing much disturbances to the citizens. Some of them crush souls of others in the streets and avenues where many traffic accidents are caused.
Further those young boys never feel shy about stopping in front of different schools teasing the girls in there, as well as in other different places. As a result, many horrible disasters occur to people, and also property like electric poles and advertisements boards.
The objective of the traffic rules is not a target within booklets, but have to be interpreted practically understood by the drivers of different vehicles.
Most of the drivers may not know what do the traffic signals mean – they may not differentiate between the driving on the right hand side and the left hand side, neither the compulsory parking and the appropriate parking as well.
So the reasons that are so much and various – are not to be borne by the traffic department, in particular, but part of it as well to be borne by the citizen. Furthermore, we find that most of the citizens never receive any traffic guidance to learn.
So such a matter is attributing to the weakness of different media means such as the Radio, Television and the press, due to non-raising of awareness in driving rules and guidance.
It is supposed to consider the Television as special more-spread media.
As well, the radio station is supposed to spare sufficient and wider space to cover the traffic rules and guidance as well as to enlighten the citizens by the risks of walking inappropriately. Furthermore, the rest of the media such as newspapers, magazines are supposed to spare sufficient spaces aiming at raising awareness to the citizens on the traffic rules.
The Ministry of Education shall as well bear a portion of responsibility of the citizens being unaware of the traffic rules and therefore it is advisable to insert the traffic ordinances and rules within the schooling syllabuses so that the young boys learn about it and can reflect the same knowledge to their community sooner.
The reasons for such major accidents are the negligence to the vehicles and its maintenance, as that problem can be seen clearly during Eid and the increasing of the travelers' movement between the different towns.
The drivers are working continuously so that they can earn income in an unsteady situation, as they work with over-burden capacity which causes accidents also, neglecting the maintenance required for their vehicles.
As well, the narrow roads and the inappropriate planning of some of the towns' entrances are the elements leading to traffic incidents so easily.
Eid seasons, unfortunately, are not under sufficient control by the traffic departments. The stands of the taxis/vehicles to the villages are working randomly and in unorganized system. The fares are not fixed and stable but imposed according to accords.
As well, the drivers of vehicles which are operating inside the towns and are carrying messengers via long routes are of no experiences familiarized to such long routes wherein such vehicles cause horrible incidents and many dead victims result out of it, due to no immediate medical aid as well as due to bleeding non stopping.
Therefore, it is a duty of the official authorities to issue strict directives for organizing the transportation movement, and impose penalties against those violating the traffic ordinances.
Besides, it has to stop the vehicles operating within the towna from working on the long routes so that they don't cause confusion and painful accidents to many.
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