Road safety call

FARHAAN Ali and his cousin Tanzeela Raza had great plans. They both loved boxing and were living their dreams. Then tragedy struck!

Raza, 17, was killed after a road accident at Waimalika in Nadi on Monday.

She succumbed to her injuries at the Nadi Hospital that night, a few hours after the driver of the vehicle she was travelling in, died, around midday at the scene of the accident.

Farhaan, the son of the late boxing champion Zulfikar Joy Ali, was still in a state of shock when the news was relayed to him at his Nawaka, Nadi home the same night.

Raza was accompanying a group of friends to Lautoka to attend a birthday party when the accident happened.

The cousins grew up together in Nawaka with their grandmother.

And he remembers Raza as someone who was passionate about boxing. She was motivated to succeed.

This is the reality of road accidents! Accidents will continue to happen because we allow them. And sometimes there are deaths. They leave an indelible impression on the minds of those who were connected to the victims.

This is why we advocate the need for us to place value on road safety.

Connected to every death is a story that survivors will reflect on. They will talk about good times, and the joys of life. They will share happy moments and feel great sadness.

It is never easy losing someone you hold close to your heart.

Road accidents have such an impact on families. Every year we talk about road safety campaigns. We discuss safety issues and reflect on lessons learned over the years.

Yet every year, despite all the discussions, we continue to have road accidents.

Our challenge will always be on adhering to road rules and placing safety as a priority.

The question begs: when will enough be enough? When will we truly prioritise safety on our roads?

The answer lies in a shift in mindset. We must move beyond seeing road safety as a mere slogan and embrace it as a fundamental responsibility.

Raza’s dreams will never be realised!

We can only imagine the countless others whose stories remain untold as well.

They serve as reminders that every journey, every decision on the road has the potential to impact people.

We look to Raza’s story as a call to action. We hope it will drive a commitment to appreciate safety.

So, let us choose safety. Let us choose to rewrite the narrative. Let us be the catalyst for change, advocating safety, and arriving home safe and alive.