Road accidents have been a constant in a fast-evolving Goa. A State that has been boasting about major infrastructural developments through its “double engine” government, with swanky roads and concrete highways, has never shown confidence in tackling road accidents. Sadly, an increasing number of youngsters, including teenagers, are getting involved in accidents, and the system that should have been proactive to prevent these tragedies seems to be reactive all the time.
In the past few weeks alone, lives have been cut short in ways that are as tragic as they are avoidable. A 27-year-old assistant professor, Suchita Bandekar, was killed by a car coming down the wrong side, hitting her two-wheeler at Mashem-Canacona, on Wednesday. A day earlier, Diksha Parwarkar lost her life after a speeding Mini Cooper, driven by a 22-year-old, crashed into her two-wheeler at Dona Paula. A 20-year-old two-wheeler rider was killed in a road accident at Tivim, and a few months back, a 19-year-old tourist from Delhi, behind the wheel of a rented SUV, lost control and ended up killing an innocent bystander. Different accidents, same pattern: speed, recklessness, and a system that fails to step in before it’s too late.
This is no longer about isolated incidents. It is a pattern, and a deeply worrying one. The bigger worry, however, is that authorities are not showing any intent to drive a change. If the government data is to be believed, North Goa alone has officially identified 31 high-risk areas — 17 “Black Spots” and 14 accident-prone zones. On paper, enforcement appears to be tightening. There are checkpoints, surprise drives, and an increasing reliance on technology. But step onto the road, and the reality tells a different story. Over-speeding cases have risen exponentially in recent years, and so has the brazenness of those behind the wheel. Fines and challans have gone up, but what about lives? The message simply isn’t getting through.
Now consider this. The traffic department admits it does not even maintain basic data on the age or gender of those involved in accidents. That is not a minor administrative gap; it is a fundamental failure. Without knowing who is most at risk, how can authorities even begin to respond in a meaningful way? Policies without data are little more than guesswork. FIRs are filed, statements are taken, and the cycle repeats. What’s about prevention? Where are the deterrents that should make drivers think twice?
The government has been toying with the idea of installing around 90 AI-enabled cameras to monitor traffic violations at various locations across Goa, mostly in the South. This has been in the pipeline for more than a year. While that is taking time, safety measures continue to be overlooked, and so are accident-prone stretches. Lack of proper speed-breakers, poor lighting and absence of signages at crucial intersections are common highlights.
Responsibility doesn’t lie with one department alone. Road safety has been a collective failure. And young drivers, predictably, are taking that chance, knowing well that they can literally get away with anything. Over-speeding and recklessness are rampant because enforcement is weak. This is what Goa is up against today.
If there is any lesson to be drawn from these repeated tragedies, those piecemeal responses will not work. Each department has to work towards road safety — Traffic, Transport, PWD, and even the District Collector. Road safety needs serious interventions, not patchwork. The cycle of outrage, statements, and silence need to stop, and action has to take over. These young lives are lost not to fate, but to failure. And unless the system finds the will to act, there will be bloodshed on the roads.
