The transport department of each and every city around the world has been entrusted with the responsibility of providing a smooth public transportation system on roads. Traffic rules of the roads are both the laws and the informal rules that may have been developed over time to facilitate the orderly and timely flow of traffic. The basic idea to devise rules is to make the traffic more organized. These establish a direct contact with the driver and help making the ride easy and controlled. An organized traffic has well established priorities, lanes flowing in particular directions. The benefit is that it reduces the travel time. Some rules and regulations have been formulated for an easy driving. The idea behind formulating traffic rules is that the roads are meant not only for the drivers (including motorists/cyclists/motorcyclists), but are shared by the pedestrians and animals by the road side. The rules belonging to these categories are mandatory to be followed while using the roads. You can observe all the above-stated rules only if you are patient, considerate and careful.
India is the world's largest democratic republic. With the advancement of Transport systems, countries are identified on the basis of their "Roads". India has difficult road and traffic conditions. In this part of the world, "Roads" are not meant to commute from here to there, but the road themselves run from here to there. India has the second largest road network in the world with over 3 million km of roads of which 60% are paved. These roads make a vital contribution to the India's economy. On the whole, the facilities for the road users are not up to the mark, leading to a high toll of the death victims.
The main roads are narrow and in poor conditions, most of them lacking overpasses for intersecting roads. They are used for sleeping, walking and somewhere down the lane serve as "Temporary Shops". Vendors often encroach upon streets and block sidewalks, restricting traffic. In the last 50 years, India's automobile population has grown 170 times while the road infrastructure has expanded only nine times. While roads are widened to allow the increase in vehicle population, side-walks for pedestrians have shrunk. The pedestrian's right of way at zebra-crossings is something of a dream.
Ultimately, it is the common man who has to suffer at the end of the road. Who should they blame for the sufferings?
I think the first should be he himself, the main victim, who make a huge hue and cry about the issue are responsible for lagging behind in the safety measures as these people on the first hand do not follow the already devised rules. One can easily spot people jumping traffic lights, driving while drunk, driving recklessly at supersonic speeds, forgetting lane discipline and no care for each other. One must respect and acknowledge the traffic rules to make the drive easier. The driving sense and manners are as important maintain the decorum on roads. Professionalism in driver training/as well as driving is absent, proportion of untrained drivers is continually on the rise and a positive driving culture is lacking. Let’s think for a second, before we start blaming the Government, Authorities, poor condition of roads or even the law enforcement, have we, as a citizen has done the right things while driving?. Obeying rules are often seen as something incompetence rather than the right. Accepting the lowered standards in everything from vehicle to road to law enforcement is one of the core issue with which the other factors have come up.
Are we really so bad at it …..??? Ha... No way, that’s where we show our true colours. The same person who does all the above said, becomes the most obedient the moment he crosses the sea. At times you would even wonder is it the same person, whom you met in the busy corri’roads’ of Indian cities!!! What is prompting him to behave the way he behaved, in another country? I kept on thinking about this for long time….. And these are the only answers I could think of ….
a) No Proper laws have been devised and those devised are not meant and dealt properly.
b) Here it, Just drive as you like and if you happen to kill someone, just forget it with a heavy pocket. Such is the height of corruption in India.
c) There is no one to stop me, so I do whatever I feel like – don’t care attitude.
d) The sheer rogue attitude.
e) Simply they forget the responsibility of a Citizen.
f) Unfortunately we feel, it’s our home so we can do whatever we feel like.
There is only one thing I have to remind all of us, let it be Poor infrastructure, poor roads, under implementation of road safety standards, the corrupt government / governance or / and the lack of laws and their proper enforcements, let’s start cleaning up from ourselves.
It may be remembered that ‘one often meets his destiny in the road he takes to avoid it’.
