Imam Yazid noted that each year 1.2 million people are killed in road traffic crashers around the world, leaving behind shattered families and communities, and most of those killed are in their teens in the prime of their lives. He warned that breaching traffic regulations could destroy offspring and People should consider traffic regulations as a religious obligation, which they will be questioned about in the hereafter if they violate them.
Imam Yazid said that people should understand Allah blessed them with transport methods to run their errands, and should be grateful and respect those methods by being cautious. He also highlighted the importance of checking the mode of transport before travelling to make sure it is safe and functioning well.
He admonished all that the Qur’an in Suratu rad verse 9 says “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it”. He encouraged all to spread the message of the World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims as only collective responsibility we will reduce road crashes in the country.
In his remarks the license supervisor Sierra leone Road Safety Authority, Mr. Mohamed Habib Kamara who represented the Executive Director Dr. Sarah Finda Bendu said that the Day of remembrance for traffic victims is a day of increasing public awareness of the burden of road traffic collisions on communities, and to emphasize the need to initiate and promote efforts to control this major public health and development problem.
Mr. Kamara disclosed that the aim of the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority is to reduce road facilities and serious injuries by 50 percent in order to reduce the cost of prolong medical care and loss of a family bread winner. He urged Muslims that Traffic rules are part of Islamic education as Islam has set its basis and set its rules to preserve human life and safety.
Mr. Kamara admonished them to join in raising awareness for change of attitude by highlighting extreme human suffering caused by road traffic crashes, as this day has become an important tool in global efforts to reduce road casualties. He emphasized that the day offers an opportunity for drawing attention to the scale of emotional and economic devastation caused by road crashes and for giving recognition to the suffering of road crash victims and the work of support and rescue services.
In his vote of thanks the Deputy Imam Professor Dr. Aroun Daniya reiterated that the Holy Quran lays out instructions on road behavior from different aspects with several verses that instructed people not to cause damage on earth: Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah said, “If you have to sit at all, then fulfill the rights of the road.”
The programme was climaxed with prayers in remembrance of traffic victims led by Chief Imam Alhaji Owolabi Tejan.