Chandigarh, March 1 -- What do a Tarn Taran youngster who had come to the city to study, a woman trying to make ends meet by working as a cook, and two madrassa teachers fromSaharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, have in common? All of them lost their lives on Chandigarh roads due to rash and negligent driving by others. Kulbir Singh, 25, a Tarn Taran native who was a second-year BA student at Panjab University, had died on February 19 after a speeding motorcyclist, allegedly driving in a zig-zag manner, rammed into his scooter near the Jayanti Majri barrier (between PGI and Mullanpur). Instead of helping the victim, the biker called his friends and went to a hospital to get himself treated before he was eventually arrested. In another case, two madrassa teachers, Abdul Subhan, 44, and Gulsher Ali, 46, from Saharanpur were in the city to collect donations for Ramzan when a speeding Mahindra Thar SUV rammed into their motorcycle at a traffic signal in Manimajra, killing them on the spot. The driver in this case was the son of a head constable. Instead of turning himself in, the accused sped away, abandoned his car in Sector 25 before he was finally tracked down and arrested. The victims' kin, in this case, alleged that police were trying to shield the accused. In a separate accident, a 28-year-old man, allegedly driving under the influence of bhang, crashed his speeding car into a cyclist and an e-rickshaw on the Sector 5-8 dividing road, killing three people and leaving several others grievously injured. Among the victims in this case was Mamta, who worked as a cook in Sector 8 and had left for home in Kaimbwala around 4 pm after work when she was killed. Another victim was Sushila, a resident of Kaimbwala, who succumbed to her injuries at Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, while her husband, Hanuman, suffered critical injuries. All of them had families waiting for them at home but none could make it back safely because of the negligence of another road user. It's been just two months into the new year and Chandigarh roads have already claimed 23 lives in accidents. This makes for nearly 28% of last year's total road fatalities, which stood at 81. As per police officials, the primary cause of road fatalities is rash and negligent driving, including speeding, jumping traffic signals, and reckless manoeuvring on busy roads. Most fatal accidents involved two-wheelers, pedestrians, and e-rickshaws, making vulnerable road users the worst affected. "User behaviour on the road continues to be the biggest challenge. Speeding, distracted driving, and traffic rule violations are major factors behind these accidents," a senior traffic police officer said, adding that mechanical faults or poor road conditions were not the primary causes in most cases. Harpreet Singh, a Mohali-based road traffic safety management systems lead auditor, said, "Most fatal accidents are not happening because roads are bad, but because people are careless. When commuters see traffic police personnel deployed at junctions and vulnerable stretches, it automatically makes them slow down and follow rules. Visible enforcement creates fear of penalty and, more importantly, a sense of discipline on the road. Without that, people speed, jump signals and take risks, thinking they will get awaywith it."...