Motorcycles plague Hodeidah [Archives:2004/769/Health]

By Abdulwahab A. Al-Sofi
[email protected]
Just as locusts wipe out many agricultural crops in Africa nowadays, so motorcycles in Hodeidah city destroy people instantly. Day by day, the more motorcycles increase in the city, the more accidents happen. Most accidents that occur in the city – if not all – are caused by motorcycles.
It is impossible to go to any private or public hospital without finding patients hit by motorcycles. Moreover, we don't find any family in Hodeidah city, but, a member of the family has been exposed to a motorcycle accident. This is aside from the pollution to the atmosphere and the disturbance all day and night that motorcycles cause.
The noise, which is caused by the din of motorcycles has a bad effect on our hearing. Therefore, many people settled in the city may have become a little deaf. It is a worrisome noise. Hodeidah has become a bad city, in which it is difficult to live. What causes astonishment is that any useful debate pertaining to the matter, doesn't get any response of those responsible in the city, claiming that those huge numbers of motorcycles are considered to be a main resource of many families livelihood. They forget the dire consequences of these machines.
This is because they don't have any foresight. There are enormous numbers of motorcycles spread in all roads. They are triple the number of other vehicles. I think, with no exaggeration, there is a motorcycle in every home in Hodeidah city. There are more than 15,000 units of motorcycles in the city, imagine how much pollution and din in the city they produce. Every day and night motorcycle accidents happen and victims suffer broken limbs, and unfortunately, many others die.
We all are suffering from too many motorcycles. Many are so frightened and scared that they can't even walk on the pavement safely. We often cannot determine which direction a motorcycle is coming from, and so have no chance to escape or avoid an accident but we invoke Allah to protect us from. In the name of so many sufferers in Hodeidah city, I appeal the Minister of Interior through your prestigious newspaper Yemen Times, to get a real salvation and to stop this danger, which threatens the people of Hodeidah day and night.
Mr. Minister of Interior, I would like to bring to your notice the fact that motorcycle accidents in Hodeidah streets are increasing, and are leading to a real calamity. Motorbikes are causing a great inconvenience to people, civilization and pollution to environment.
It is also an uncivilized phenomenon. Motorcycles in Hodeidah city have evolved from being transportation tools into being killer machines. We also invoke Allah to inspire our responsible leaders to rescue us from the dangers of motorcycles.
We really suffer from these accidents. Our children are expose to serious accidents by motorcycle. A year has not yet completed since a motorcycle crashed my child and broke his leg. He is still lame. Two weeks ago another motorcycle hit me and I seriously injured in my left leg. As a result of that, I went to the hospital.
I entered the hospital through the causality Department where painful sights met my eyes. All the patients were emergency cases, which were caused by motorcycles accidents. There, I saw some children crashed by motorcycles were so seriously injured that they couldn't eat or smile and I felt really sorry for them.
There is no hospital to visit in the city but you find patients with injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents. We face an actual catastrophe.
We need a succor of our minister of interior. He should quickly deliver his instructions to whom it may concern to vacate Hodeidah city of the motorcycle, before the problem develops into more disasters.
Traffic officials must be strict and firm to stop this dangerous phenomenon before more of us meet misfortune. A word to the wise is sufficient.
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