Ensure road safety
The unfortunate passing of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry in a road accident on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway appears to have been caused in part by an error in judgment by the person behind the wheel. Overtaking on highways is not unusual. Incidents could happen in spite of care and precautions. Our thoughts are with the families.
Anthony Henriques,
Mumbai
The tragic accident shows that however sophisticated the car model, the driver’s road attitude does play a great role. There is also the state of Indian roads. Perhaps States need to introduce and enforce speed restrictions on all highways. There is also growing congestion even on highways due to increasing vehicular use. This only adds to the risk factors road users face. More lanes also give a driver a false sense of security.
V. Lakshmanan,
Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
The tragic accident also highlights the need for better road safety. According to the latest report of the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB), the road accident rate has been rising, with as many as 1,55,622 people having lost their lives due to road accidents in 2021.
Diganta Chakraborty,
Jangipara, Hooghly, West Bengal
The accident should make all drivers refamiliarise themselves with the rules for lane driving and changing, over-taking, speeding and insisting on the use of seat belts even by rear seat passengers. There are many dangers on India’s highways.
Govardhana Myneedu,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
Taiwan and India
Notwithstanding the different arenas of conflict, there are lessons for New Delhi from the Taiwan standoff to incorporate in its policy and stance. Clear articulation and unambiguous messaging by Taiwan of the belligerent nature of China helped it a great deal. It was also able to boldly assert its rights as the underlying point is that Taiwan is a semiconductor lynchpin. Diplomacy is paramount, but acquiescence might be perceived as and equated with being accommodative.
Nishat Bhatotia,
Manesar, Gurugram, Haryana
The rat race
The passing of a school student in Karaikal, Puducherry, after having been poisoned makes for sad reading (Page 1, “Boy dies of poisoning; classmate’s mother held”, September 5). It is natural that a parent wants their child to do well in academics and extracurricular activities. But there is also much pressure on a child to outperform his classmates.
Guruprasad P.,
Chennai
One feels that the education system is also responsible for promoting an unhealthy rat race among students. The lack of all-round development in schools is another factor as there is much rote learning. Parent-teacher meetings in schools should focus on these issues rather than glorifying academic excellence. The onus is on governments to issue directives to teachers and parents and help in all-round development of pupils.
A.V. Narayanan,
Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu
Serena’s imprint
Serena Williams will be remembered for long as she leaves behind a legacy that younger players will find hard to emulate. For Ms. Williams, it was dedication, commitment and consistency throughout her long and illustrious career.
R. Narayan,
Bengaluru
