MONDAY'S road accident in Hail which claimed the lives of 12 female university students is a tragedy that has been added to the blaze that hit a private girls' school in Jeddah that killed two women teachers and injured 46 teachers and students on Saturday. The Hail disaster is an indication of the widespread disregard traffic laws and regulations by many motorists in the Kingdom and the laxity of traffic police in enforcing these regulations. In the case of the school blaze, the Director General of Civil Defense said the emergency exits at the school building were not fully used to evacuate the teachers and students. In addition, the school authorities had not given teachers and schoolchildren instructions and training on how to deal with emergencies like fires and other disasters that may occur. This was the major reason why teachers and students panicked. In the case of the Hail tragedy, traffic officials should be reminded to always emphasize to people who are given their driving license that they should drive safely. Most often, road accidents happen not due to lack of regulations but because motorists disregard these regulations. Many motorists disregard safety in their rush to get ahead of others. At traffic lights, it is not unusual to see drivers who are going to turn left positioning themselves in the extreme right lane if that lane is vacant, instead of waiting behind the car or cars in the left lane. Often, they obstruct cars that want to turn right. Unfortunately, traffic police and patrol cars turn a blind eye to such violations thus encouraging motorists to continue violating traffic rules. On highways, many motorists drive far beyond the speed limit with complete disregard for their own safety. Traffic patrols should be very strict in enforcing road safety rules not only to protect the lives of reckless drivers but also those of other motorists. News reports said the tragedy in Hail was caused by a head-on collision between a minibus carrying the students and a Land Cruiser. It is difficult to image how such a collision could happen on a highway unless one of the vehicles crossed into the other lane. Reports said that an investigation was being conducted to see if there was any negligence on the part of officials. While an investigation is in order, authorities should place the emphasis on precaution. A campaign on safe driving should be launched with billboards and television ads showing gory accident scenes to remind motorists that reckless driving often kills people and ruins the future of the victims' families. Many motorists drive recklessly because they think that they are demonstrating their skill behind the steering wheel. But driving is not a skill that one should show off. It entails a social responsibility. More than brawn, motorists should use their brains. __
