Better roads could prevent tragedies

A passenger bus that bus slid off a mountain road and fell into a deep gorge near Kullu, in India's Himachal Pradesh state, on July 4. More than a dozen people including schoolchildren were killed in Show more

Better roads could prevent tragedies

With regard to Taniya Dutta's report At least 25 dead after bus falls into gorge in Indian Himalayas (October 4): The recent mishap in the Indian state of Uttarakhand was sad to read. The state of many of the country's roads make this sort of tragedy more familiar than it should be. The terrain and the monsoon rains does not help keep the roads in good shape. It is a sad fact that reports of road deaths in the country are all too common. As the piece quantifies it, 150,000 people on average are killed each year in traffic accidents in India.

This bus was carrying more than 40 passengers for a wedding and it fell into a gorge, killing 25. More people are missing. The roads in Uttrakhand can be narrow and steep and exceptionally dangerous so it may be one of the reasons for the mishap. The local governments must prioritise the redevelopment and maintenance of the roads to ensure the safety of all passengers. I pray for the departed passengers and the grieving family members.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru, India

Seeking accountability for car mileage fraud

With regard to Ali Al Shouk's piece Warning to UAE motorists over vehicle mileage fraud (October 5): tampering with an odometer is a federal offence in the US. Perhaps the same could be considered here.

Elisabeth Kendall, Dubai

I would like to know what happens to the fraudsters. For the sake of customers, a database of such car vendors could be compiled so consumers know to avoid dodgy dealerships.

Demos Kyprianou, Dubai

There should be a heavy punishment for this. I sold a car last year and a few days later it was listed on a site with half the mileage and double the price!

Tommy Mc Daid, Abu Dhabi

What causes pedestrians to behave irresponsibly?

With reference to Ali Al Shouk's piece Dubai Police arrest man after he lays down with pillow on busy road (October 5): Really makes you wonder what goes on in people's minds. For all we know his circumstances were such that he wanted to get arrested for the free food and shelter.

Zack MJ, Dubai

Let's not discount mental health issues. It does not justify the man's irresponsibility, but let's hope he gets help because he might be going through a lot.

Andres Innocent, Dubai

In the video with the article, he does not appear too stressed or depressed. It could be just an attention-seeking tactic. People do all sorts of strange things for “likes” and any sort of validation or attention.

Spero Meliora, Dubai

A lot of drama he caused, just for the sake of Instagram or TikTok. Not to mention holding up traffic.

Jay Pena, Abu Dhabi