Two higher secondary school students were knocked down at Nuvem by a motorcycle on the Zebra Crossing triggering outrage amongst activists and school authorities over the failure to implement road safety measures. It is pertinent to note that in Goa the culture of slowing down while approaching a Zebra Crossing is grossly missing among vehicular drivers. Most of the drivers do not even take note of the Zebra Crossing and drive at full speed. Pedestrians use the Zebra Crossing to cross the roads thinking that the vehicles will slow down. In the West, vehicles even halt to allow pedestrians to cross the road at pedestrian crossings. If a pedestrian is knocked down while crossing the road at a Zebra Crossing, the vehicular driver needs to be given a harsher punishment as it is the right of the pedestrian to use the Zebra Crossing to cross the road. Proper sign boards need to be put up to warn the vehicular driver of the Zebra Ccrossing ahead so that the drivers become alert. It would also be desirable to put up rumbler-strips on the road on either side of the Zebra Crossing.
ADELMO FERNANDES, Vasco
