Expensive road development is not a racing go-ahead: CP

The Commissioner of Maldives Police Service Ali Shujau has said the expensive road redevelopment and upgrade projects aim to provide eases to the public and should not be construed as go-ahead to race recklessly.

He made the remarks at the convocation ceremony for the 100^th batch of school traffic monitors, held at Fuvahmulah School.

At the ceremony, Police CP Shujau said reckless speeding and racing on public roads must come to an end to ensure safety of these public avenues. He also highlighted the growing number of accidents in Fuvahmulah City.

According to Shujau, a total of 163 were reported in Fuvahmulah City from July 2022 to July this year, with two of these incidents, resulting in two deaths and eight more injuries. He added the number of accidents only increased in the city last year.

Speaking in this regard, Shujau said the number of accidents can be reduced by adhering to traffic regulations. He added that travelers must adhere to these regulations to ensure safety of pedestrians.

“Action is taken against those who break the regulations while their vehicles are towed. Besides this, compensation is awarded to the damaged vehicles as well, but there is no way to bring back those whose lives are lost in such accidents. There is also no respite for the families who are left with members of their family handicapped from such accidents,” Shujau said.

The commissioner further said the roads will not become safe simply with traffic light installations if travelers do not adhere to them.

He said the traffic monitors program aims to encourage younger generations to follow traffic regulations. He said this would contribute towards a decline in road accidents as younger generations are encouraged to pursue their lives as law-abiding citizens.

Police statistics show that a total of 1,750 road accidents have been reported to the authority so far in 2024.