Accidental deaths have become the order of the day in the State capital, with very little effort being spared to preclude fateful ends.
A recent incident that involved a kite string slitting the neck of a two-wheeler rider in north Chennai, proved beyond doubt, the fleeting nature of life, nay, how death could’ve been easily avoided had the law enforcers been effective in their crackdown on kite-flying in public places.
Two persons, presumably children, have been detained by the police for their carelessness that led to the untimely death of the 28-year-old rider. Too little, too late?
Incidents of these kinds are not uncommon. They happen now and then. Most people would take a fatalistic view of them. They would probably argue that kite-flying is common, rampant and that not everyone falls victim to the sport and pastime of the young.
Reams and reams have been written every day but reports of such accidental deaths go unnoticed for the simple reason the number of victims who have been felled by kite-strings is negligible - more the toll, more is the coverage. That seems to be the mantra of the media today. That’s quite another story.
Kite-strings snuffing out human lives are not the only cause of death that could have been prevented in the first place - children falling into borewells, containers tumbling off lorries, motorists meeting with their end for they chose not wear helmets, sillier still, riders dying of head injuries because they had not strapped on the head-gear properly, deaths arising out of jaywalking, not wearing seat-belts, speaking on the cellphone while driving or riding.
The list of what cause accidental deaths keeps getting longer and weirder. These so called accidental deaths have not been getting due attention and focus from the public.
Awareness campaigns, though undertaken by the city police have not had the desired effect. Placards and signboards across the length and breadth of the metropolis, saying: Don’t mix drink and driving, Speed thrills but kills, You have only one head, so wear helmet, Two wheelers are meant for two only, etc, etc.
Catchy lines that haven’t really caught on. The moot question is whether these golden, cautionary lines that have a shock value, have been driven home.
Many among us would still dub a fatal road mishap as fateful and shrug it off as though one would dust off grime and dirt on their clothes. It is unlikely that we learn lessons from it.
To put it in a nutshell, mishaps like the ones aforementioned arise out of utter carelessness and negligence, not at the hand of destiny, as many would like to believe. If only rules are followed, deaths could be easily avoided, and there will be less tears shed.
