Never gamble with safety

Unsafe acts will keep you in stitches, says an adage. It holds true if you don’t follow safety rules, especially while driving. Though staying safe and complying with safety instructions is a responsibility of both motorists and pedestrians alike. Otherwise, regretting for the consequences is no penance. Don't try to learn safety by causing an accident or getting hit by a car, but make the maximum use of the rules for prevention. In an accident, leave alone your life, you risk the lives of your dear ones and many others too.

Safety is not just a word for its sake; instead it is part of one’s life. Don’t simply ignore the advice on safety because you need it every moment of your life. Safety is like a stone of luck for all you need to do is to keep it as safe as anything that you feel precious and part of your life. Committing to safety while driving has not been given high attention by some people unfortunately. Nevertheless, driving is a necessity for most people; they go to work, run shopping, and take kids to school, so every time they do, they are taking a risk.

People are becoming so phone-driven, it is when their phones ring for receiving a text message or a call, they want to respond immediately. Thus, texting can take driver’s eyes off the road for seconds at a time. However, distraction is not just limited to phones. It is anything that takes attention away from driving the car. Eating, playing with the radio, and adjusting the navigation system all distract from safe driving. In fact, many things can make driving risky; speeding, not paying full attention to the road, and driving while tired all increase your chances of a crash.

Millions of road accidents happen every year, of which tens of thousands prove fatal. Even safe drivers can be victims in accidents. Hence, defensive driving is very important because one can take safety measures to save own life and others. Driving requires constant attention because people are becoming more distracted than ever. With cell phones and screens everywhere in the car, distracted driving has become a major problem nowadays.

After causing an accident, perhaps many people try to put the blame on others. Nobody bothers to do a self-retrospection. In most cases, it is reckless driving attitude that leads to crashes. Mechanical snags do happen, but self-made human errors are plenty of course. Prevention is better than cure. It is worthless to complain or put the blame on others for being unwatchful driver or over speeding if you are doing the same!

Staying vigilant while driving and following the safety rules will keep all safe on roads. Roads have always become death traps with frequent car accidents happening here and there every now and then. Many are condemned to wheel chairs for the rest of their life. The Royal Oman Police (ROP) undeniably has accorded tremendous efforts and left no stone unturned to control and minimise accidents. However, motorists and the society should shoulder this responsibility as well.

The statistics of road accidents in Oman are indeed horrifying. The Capital Market Authority stated, in a recently released announcement, that 76,200 accidents were recorded during 2022. Of the total number of traffic accidents, 15,300 were major, while 60,900 were minor accidents. Such a big number of accidents bring different personal and monetary loses to individuals and nation as the value of compensation paid for motor insurance claims, in 2022, reached RO 25 million.

Better a thousand-time careful than once dead. It is better to reach home late than never. Ignoring a warning can cause much grief and regret. Therefore, it is always advised to leave home sooner, drive slower and live longer. Yes, there is no doubt that speed thrills, but kills!