At least half a dozen lives lost in few weeks but authorities slow to act even as Road Safety Week begins today
MAPUSA
As Goa gears up to observe Road Safety Week from September 8 to 14, alarming statistics and tragic cases highlight the deadly role that potholes, poor road engineering and stray cattle continue to play in road fatalities across the State.
In Bardez and adjoining talukas, at least half a dozen deaths have been linked to such conditions in just the past few weeks.
On Saturday night, a 45-year-old man riding a two-wheeler lost his life in Arpora after colliding with stray cattle that had strayed onto the road.
Barely 24 hours earlier, a youth died instantly after his bike rammed into a tree while attempting to avoid potholes along the Cunchelim – Mapusa road.
Last month alone, two women in the Canca–Mapusa stretch met with accidents under similar circumstances.
In one case, a motorcyclist lost control on a bumpy patch and fell, leading to her death. In another, a two-wheeler skidded into a deep pothole, causing serious head and leg injuries.
A motorcyclist in Ponda also recently succumbed in a crash attributed to pothole-ridden roads.
While these incidents are among the reported fatalities, residents insist that numerous non-fatal accidents – causing fractures, head injuries and permanent disabilities – go unreported.
“The combination of bad road surfaces and free-roaming cattle is a lethal mix. We see lives being lost, but corrective measures are painfully slow,” said a traffic police officer on condition of anonymity.
A senior official at the Directorate of Transport acknowledged the issue, admitting that “engineering defects in road design and lack of timely maintenance are among the biggest contributing factors to road accidents in Goa.”
He added that road audits and stricter enforcement of cattle control laws are needed to address the crisis.
Activists argue that responsibility cannot be shifted.
“Every year during Road Safety Week, we hear speeches about awareness, helmets and speed. But nobody talks about potholes that kill or cattle that roam freely on highways. The State must take accountability,” said a local road safety campaigner from Bardez.
With Goa recording a worrying rise in accidental deaths, the upcoming Road Safety Week may well serve as a stark reminder that awareness campaigns alone will not suffice unless authorities also address the physical dangers –broken roads and stray cattle – that continue to claim innocent lives.
