Wednesday 14 / May / 2025
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.
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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.
“If it is not necessary, don’t go there. It is probably going to be the case of you not needing to go there, because at night, all your work is done and you don’t need to go anywhere. We at ORSA always say that if you are feeling tired, take rest, because if you go on the road when you are tired, you are putting yourself and many others at risk as well, just like what happened with these young men.”
Al Barwani showcased examples of the accidents that took place on the Muscat-Salalah route that forms the spine of Oman’s road network, and passes through the town of Haima.
“You read of many unfortunate accidents on that road from Salalah to Muscat,” he pointed out. “Why is this the case? Most of the accidents either take place late at night or early in the morning. This happens because the drivers are unable to pay attention to the road because they are tired and they need rest, but they have been driving all night.”
The Times of Oman was able to get in touch with Percy’s family for an update on his condition.
“He is improving by the grace of God, that’s what the doctor told us,” said an immediate family member. “By God’s name, he is coming out of it. He is not able to talk yet but he is getting much better. We are just praying and praying, expecting him to come home with us. And we know that by God’s name my brother will be healed faster and will come
back to us.”
The family member said Percy’s survival was a ‘miracle’ and asked youngsters in Oman to listen and pay attention to their parents.
“I feel from the depth of my heart, that children should listen to their parents,” he said. “Because sometimes there are some intuitions where God sends his word through parents or God speaks through them. Also everybody should follow the rules.”
According to data released by the Royal Oman Police, in 2017 a total of 3,845 accidents occurred, down from 4,721 the previous year. Some 640 deaths occurred in 2017, compared to 692 in 2016. And, 3,134 people were injured in 2017, compared to 3,261 people in 2016.
Most of the accidents took place during the day in 2017, with 2,124 accidents, compared to 2,584 in 2016. The number of accidents that occurred during the night in 2017 stood at 1,721, compared to 2,137 in 2016.
As many as 417 Omanis lost their lives in 2017, 89 of them females. The number of expats who lost their lives in road accidents stood at 223. While 2,353 Omanis were injured in road accidents in 2017, the number was 841 for expats.
Speeding was still the most common cause of accidents (2,261 in 2017, down from 2,499 in 2016). Negligence (552 compared to 672) and improper behaviour (521 compared to 705) were also leading causes of accidents and deaths on the roads.
