Teach youngsters the perils of speeding early on

The Mercedes allegedly driven by accused Rohan Abbott at the time of the accident.

This paper has a front-page report about a heartbroken father, grieving the recent death of his two young sons. The bike-borne boys were killed after a speeding Mercedes car hit them. The father, who is in the police force, claims that there has been a delay in the probe, and said that he will quit the force if his sons do not get justice.

Inside in the paper, we have a small report about students standing at a Prabhadevi junction, holding aloft banners that read about the need to cut speed. The collegians made a powerful statement simply standing at the spot with dense traffic, exhorting drivers and riders to go slow, for safety and survival. There were no slogans and no shouting, they made silence a powerful and thought-provoking tool.

Both reports, though not directly related to each other, had the message that speed kills. Both involved young people - in the first instance as the victims, and in the second as advocates for change.

It shows the importance of roping in the young, into road safety measures. Those who are on the verge of getting their driver's license should be educated about the fast-could-be-fatal philosophy.

Youngsters zipping madly on bikes, in gangs or solo, speeding in fancy cars on an adrenalin high need to be taught early that speed is not thrill, it is kill, it is cowardice and irresponsibility. Weaving this demographic into Road Safety Week and initiatives strewn throughout the year is all-important.

We do have road safety campaigns, but we need to see more consistency and a constant push so that the message is hammered home. Changing mindsets by involvement in such initiatives means a little more safety and sanity on our roads.