Monday, July 21, 2014

Safe-driving signs on lorries are not what they seem - Letters to the editor - Dt. The National 21 July 2014

Safe-driving signs on lorries are not what they seem



Letters to the Editor
July 20, 2014 Updated: July 20, 2014 03:36 PM

I refer to “Am I driving safely?” No, but there is no point in calling the number on the lorries (July 19), about the phone numbers displayed on heavy vehicles.

Many lorry and bus operators have found ways to get around this initiative. I cannot remember how many times I have been unable to reach the displayed number when I have witnessed a road-rage incident and tried to report it immediately.

There are three different scen­arios. One is where one or two digits are deliberately erased from the contact number; another is to provide a landline number that is never answered. A third is to display the number of a mobile phone that the offending driver himself is carrying.

When I do get through to the truck or bus operators, I never frame it as a complaint. Instead, I word it as a precaution, suggesting they keep their eye on a particular driver. Some companies have ­acknowledged my efforts and ­conveyed their thanks.

I feel that there is a need for a simple, easy-to-dial number to report all cases of bad driving. Companies operating lorries and buses should be required to register a contact number with the authorities, who would act on the complaint.

Road safety should be considered an integral part of our daily lives. Let us not ignore its importance, even for a minute.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi


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