The never-ending fleet of vehicles on our roads everyday during peak hours is a sure sign of progress and affluence in our country. In no other decade, from ox-carts to Mercedes cars, have we witnessed such drastic changes taking place in our midst. We drive in comfort and live in luxury but little do we realise the exorbitant price we have paid for it. We stare in horror at the incredible slaughter of innocent people on the roads.

Life has become so hectic that we find no time to breathe. Cynics consider the internal combustion engine as the greatest curse of our age. In the name of progress, virgin forests are bulldozed to make way for motorways. Because of oil, innocent civilians are massacred in the Middle East. Towns are converted into ugly, huge car parks and the countryside is desecrated by road networks. The air we inhale is polluted and traffic jams are a daily occurrence we have to bear stoically.

Man is waging a relentless battle against motorcars and he is the ultimate loser. The atrocities of road accidents are palpable. Some have become bedridden in the bloom of their youth because of broken backbone in an accident. Others are disfigured and confined to a wheel-chair for their remaining days. Hundreds of people are killed or horribly injured annually. How can we sit back and let this happen without pricks of conscience? Does the mass annual slaughter become nothing more than statistics, to be conveniently forgotten?

For many motorists, the ignition key of a car constitutes a charter of liberty. They believe that others must move aside to make way for them to pass through. Is it a licence to drive or to kill people? When a driver is sitting behind the steering-wheel, he loses his human identity. He becomes worse than a monster. Among all the power (political, economic, spiritual or psychological), a person may wield, the most dangerous, uncontrollable and deadly is the mechanical one. The hidden sides of his personality are unmasked. People who in normal life are quiet and pleasant may become unrecognisable when they are driving a car. They hoot for no reason, swear endlessly, become ill-mannered and uncivilised and turn into aggressive and selfish automatons. All their concealed frustrations, disappointments and jealousy are unveiled by the act of driving. They vroom down the heavy congested roads, without caring for others. They proclaim themselves as kings of the roads.

Society smiles so benignly on the motorist and seems to condone his behaviour. Authorities have raised the alarm to stop the massacre. Aggressive campaigns are launched every now and then but with flimsy results. In France they have passed a shocking advertisement on television daily just to raise awareness among people about the horrors of road accidents. It is high time to take serious measures to combat the mass annual slaughter. The traffic laws are notoriously lax. It is inconceivable that a driver found guilty of involuntary homicide can get away with only a few thousand rupees fine. Human lives cost more than that. The driving test should be more rigid. All vehicles should be put through stringent annual tests for safety. Old rattle-trap vehicles must be removed from our roads. Those found with a high amount of alcohol after a breathalyser must be heavily fined and disqualified from driving. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can impair a person’s vision and driving ability. Radars must be installed at vantage points on motorways to deter motorists from driving at mad speeds. Speed limits must be imposed at busy crossroads and in accident-prone area. Im portant road networks must be computerised to track down reckless and negligent drivers.

These measures may sound inordinately unpopular but human lives are worth more than that and they are too precious to be wasted like this. Road accidents take a heavy toll on human lives. Only when we can walk safely on our roads and when we can drive courteously and cautiously, we can call ourselves civilised human beings.

<B>Philip LI CHING HUM</B>