The price of carelessness is too high to pay and this is the message GOACAN will drive home when it embarks on a campaign to remember victims of road accidents on November 19, 2023.
The coastal village of Vagator is paying the price of someone's carelessness that killed 57-year-old Remedia Albuquerque in a freak and tragic mishap. The woman was mowed down by an SUV that crashed into the reception area of her own resort. The man behind the wheel was intoxicated.
The coastal village of Vagator is paying the price of someone's carelessness that killed 57-year-old Remedia Albuquerque in a freak and tragic mishap.
GOACAN's campaign will kick off on Sunday, November 19, 2023, to mark 'World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims' and end on November 26 which is World Sustainable Transport Day.
Besides pushing for an efficient public transport system in Goa to address the huge number of road accident cases, the campaign will highlight the need for justice for road traffic victims by all government agencies implementing the recommendations of the Supreme Court Road Safety Committee and putting in place the required institutional mechanisms.
Some of the key points GOACAN intends to highlight during this campaign are:
1) The setting up of an exclusive website to be hosted by the lead agency and supported by the Directorate of Transport and traffic police to provide updates on court cases filed due to drunken driving, rash and negligent driving, hit-and-run cases which have resulted in grievous injuries and deaths.
2) Minutes and action taken reports (ATRs) of the District Road Safety Committees be uploaded on the websites of the respective District Collectorates and the Public Works Department.
3) Minutes and ATRs of the State Road Safety Council be uploaded on the website of the Directorate of Transport.
GOACAN will initiate discussions with local bodies for preparing an action plan for an efficient public transport system
4) Regular site inspections be conducted and reports prepared by the police station-wise sub-committees on causes and analysis of motor vehicle accidents.
During the campaign, GOACAN will mobilise volunteers from village-based consumer forums and campus-based consumer welfare clubs to create awareness about the huge number of road fatalities and to remember the victims in a special way.
GOACAN will also reach out to the panchayat and Municipal Road Safety and Traffic Management Committees to remember the victims and also initiate discussions and prepare an action plan for an efficient public transport system in the villages and towns to reduce road accidents and fatalities.
No day in Goa passes off without news of a fatal road accident. Looking at the rise in the number of road traffic deaths, the State needs to change its approach to tackle this major public health challenge. And the need for sustainable public transport is felt more than ever.