Take heed of road safety rules

ROAD safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Year in, year out, the Motor Vehicle Insurance Limited and the National Road Safety Council (now Road Transport Authority) would conduct nationwide campaigns on the importance of road safety.
But one still sees road accidents happening because people deliberately ignore the safety messages.
It comes back – again – to our attitude.
We do not need to be reminded as Papua New Guineans about our attitude problem.
Not only as regards but also the laws in general, public properties and public safety.
The same checks currently done during the lockdown and state of emergency in the country is a step in the right direction.
Road safety should be an important focus of our lives as we take on the challenge of the new approach to things with Covid-19. When road rules are disregarded, safety messages overlooked, road conditions not considered, road accidents happen.
And the costs are high. Lives are lost.
Compensation claims, more so in this country than any other, have to be paid to the relatives of the deceased if the driver is at fault.
Everyone is given a driving licence after going through a test.
They are tested on simple road rules which should be at the back of their minds at all times.
To pass the driving test, the applicant should demonstrate skills in steering, braking, signalling, doing three-point turns, applying the right-hand rule and be able to do parallel parking.
Pilots, on the other hand, also go through rigorous training and certification processes.
Plus, one must go to flight school and receive a licence.
Most airline companies require pilots to attend at least two years of college. Unlike on the road, there is an intense screening process to determine those who are licensed to fly.
The pilot will not take a flight unless he or she has been cleared and the aircraft is safe to fly.
Imagine if everyone, prior to getting on a motor vehicle, behaves like one who is on an airplane.
One will find passengers paying full attention to the pre-flight safety demonstrations, either conducted by the flight attendants or through video presentations, instructing passengers to acquaint themselves with the safety cards prior to take-off.
From passengers to cargoes, no other form of transportation is as examined, investigated and monitored as commercial aviation.
It has been said after many years of having vehicles, Papua New Guineans still do not know how to use the road properly.
We still do not know how to behave in the vehicle.
We do not know how to use the roads.
We also have the issue of overloading in vehicles and boats.
Maybe the same intense screening should also be applied to drivers and boat captains.
Many drivers are reckless because operating a motor vehicle feels so mundane.
Errors such as multi-tasking, failing to wear a seat belt, talking on the phone while driving or simply forgetting to use the traffic signal result in deaths.
The laws are there for our convenience and safety.
But they are only as good as the people obeying them, and those who are supposed to enforce them.
The role of police and Road Transport Authority are very important.
By working together, committing ourselves to respecting road rules and the safety of our passengers and other road users, we can reduce road accidents.
Anyone who fails to adhere to safety procedures have only themselves to blame if they are involved in an accident.