‘Don’t drive late at night, early morning’

Times News Service

MUSCAT:

In the wake of two young Indian men losing their lives in a head-on collision after their car smashed into an iron pillar near Darsait, the head of Oman’s Road Safety Association (ORSA) has asked people to not drive late at night and in the early hours of the morning.

On May 7, Darwin Selvaraj and Prince Edward died on the spot after their car crashed while they were driving home at around 3:15am after they had dropped a friend home. A third passenger, Percy Coelho, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Khoula Hospital, where he is recovering.

Ali Al Barwani, the CEO of ORSA, told Times of Oman that unless absolutely necessary, residents and citizens should avoid driving at such odd hours, as fatigue could impair people’s judgement and decision-making.

“When it is so late at night, you have not slept for a long time and you cannot think properly, because the mind also needs rest from time to time,” he said.

“What has happened to these three young boys is very sad, because it could have so easily been avoided. When you are young, you think you can do anything and you often think that just because this happened to someone else, it will not happen to you, but the truth is that it can happen to anybody.

“If you need to go somewhere at night, first think about whether you really have to go there,” added Al Barwani.