Traffic fatalities soured the Eid

Ekrem Dumanlı

A total of 87 people lost their lives in traffic accidents during the first six days of the nine-day Eid al-Fitr national holiday period. The deaths of more than a hundred people while returning home from the holiday has plunged their families into grief. Traffic accidents have left behind not only dead people but also disabled ones as well as orphaned children. The material damage is immeasurable.

It is strange that everyone knew that the Eid would be mired in blood. The government took measures against accidents, police teams worked around the clock for days and set up inspection points at many crossroads while the media published warnings for drivers to be careful. However, what we were afraid of came true and there were still many fatal traffic accidents.

It is hard to understand the cause of traffic accidents. Our roads have become very modern, a situation which cannot even be compared with the state of our roads five years or 10 years ago. There are double-lane roads and highways even in the remotest parts of our country. The state has fulfilled its responsibility, dug out mountains to create tunnels, established modern facilities along roadsides so that people can take rest breaks while travelling long distances. Alas! There are many people who can now buy vehicles which used to be considered luxurious a decade years ago. The high-capacity cars people drive today are equipped with the latest technology including emergency braking systems and other safety features activated during an accident. Despite all these, people are still being killed in traffic accidents. Why?

Unfortunately, we must come to face to face with the bitter truth: The training level of drivers has not increased nearly as much as the improved quality of roads and vehicles. People have no respect for each other in traffic as they do in other aspects of their life. We do not have a culture of driving. Our compliance with traffic rules is very weak. Even if you are very careful and comply with the traffic rules, another driver can create trouble for you with his or her arrogant and snobbish driving. You can be sure that there are no other people living in any modern country who drive as aggressively, eagerly and ambitiously without being called to account for their mistakes in traffic.

When I recently had the opportunity after many long years to take a road trip to visit my relatives on this occasion of the Eid, I was able to observe firsthand the tragedies taking place on our roads. I saw a mother covered in blood as she was retrieved from an overturned automobile. I saw a child shedding tears for his mom. I saw an interprovincial bus force an automobile carrying a family off the road and I saw the reactions of the people who witnessed the incident and how the driver of the bus and his team responded to the reactions with laughter. I struggled to understand dozens of drivers who constantly changed lanes in a manner that put both their lives and others’ lives at risk. Some of those drivers were seemingly well-educated people and most of them were fathers or perhaps grandfathers. If you had come across these people in any another environment you would think they were decent gentlemen; however, these people seemed to be taking delight in driving aggressively, exceeding the speed limit and flashing their lights at other vehicles as they tailgated them. Ok, so what is it that makes ordinary and calm people lose their minds in traffic? We need to find an answer to this question.

The number of fatalities in traffic accidents has left the number of fatalities in acts of terrorism far behind. From my Twitter account, I recently raised this question: “Is there anyone among you who have not lost a relative in a traffic accident?” Only one person said he has not lost a relative in a traffic accident but he said he is very afraid of such a possibility. Unfortunately, almost every citizen in this country has lost at least one loved one in a traffic accident and there seems to be no developments on the horizon that promise any end to these deaths on our roads.

Certainly, the issue of traffic accidents has something to do with the state. Traffic rules will be implemented more harshly, punishments will be more deterrent, supervision of driving licenses will be increased, some drivers will be given psychological assessments as is the case in modern countries, there will be prison sentences for drivers with criminal records, driving under the influence will be strictly banned, etc. Even taking all these measures will not be sufficient. The state will invest more on railway and air transportation, giving the opportunity for people to choose from among different alternatives of transportation. However, there is one thing that needs to be clarified: How will the person driving be prevented from losing his/her mind in traffic; how will they be prevented from being a hostage at the hands of ignorance and brutality? This is the heart of the matter.

Perhaps, we need to go back to the square one. We have to teach everyone from primary school children to 70-year-olds about respect and tolerance for people and we need to make this a part of our lives. Here the biggest responsibility lies with the media as much as it lies with educational institutions. Laws will particularly punish those who say, “I become a different person and act like a monster when I drive.” Or else, more blood will be spilt and many more Eid holidays will be soured by traffic fatalities.

Conscientious aspect of traffic issue

Every issue surrounding human life and conscience can be looked upon with religious and moral principles. The same goes for traffic as well. Laws should be there for people who consistently do not abide by traffic rules and deliberately put the lives of others at risk; however, religious principles should call on people to act virtuously. Interestingly enough, not many statements are made on this issue.

I want to share with you the views of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen about the traffic issue that are of crucial importance. “Obeying traffic rules is our duty as citizens, and before that, as Muslims. If we approach the issue from the perspective of Islamic law, it is even possible to say that obeying traffic rules is obligatory because all these rules were implemented following extensive trials and research. For instance, high speed is among the leading causes of traffic accidents. In this respect, we can say that it is obligatory to comply with the speed limits set for intercity and interprovincial travel. If a fatal accident takes place due to the violation of the speed limit, this accident can be regarded as murder. In Islamic law, such a death is called killing that is akin to deliberate killing. In addition, another principle that lies at the core of Islamic law is this: A person who does not avoid any action that causes damage to others when it is possible for him or her to avoid it, and acts negligently, is responsible for the result of his or her negligence. Seeing traffic accidents from this perspective, it is possible to say that those who cause the accidents are the parties responsible for them.”

Even these summarized lines reveal just how much responsibility we carry when in traffic. What do you think?

Published on Today's Zaman, 04 September 2011, Sunday