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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