Road accidents amid festivities

Just a few days ago when the Muslims were celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr, the roads in Srinagar and other districts witnessed a rise in road accidents, indicating the non-obeying of traffic rules and regulations, which plays a key role in preventing the road accidents. The rise in the road accidents forced medicos to make a fervent appeal to the commuters to drive cautiously. Amid the Eid-ul-Fitr festivities, over 60 per cent of cases admitted to the hospital during the first two days of the festival were attributed to road accidents. The doctors have been quoted as saying that the surgery department at SMHS Hospital had attended 1155 patients within the last day, with 56 requiring admission. Among these cases, a significant portion comprised victims of road accidents, reaffirming the urgent need for caution and responsible driving practices. On the day of festivities, the people are seemingly showing reluctance to follow the traffic norms, which simultaneously leave them in trouble. As the road accidents continue to occur in Kashmir, especially in Srinagar, the time calls for strict vigilance by the parents to their children on the special occasions like Eid to ensure the loss of lives are prevented. Moreover, the government should also make special arrangements for the traffic on the special occasions so that strict action is taken against any traffic violations, which would help in preventing the road accidents and consequently the loss of precious lives as well. The parents as well as the government have to play a key role at this juncture to ensure the change in the ground situation.