How often have you stood at a zebra crossing waiting for a car to stop and allow you to cross? You should count yourself extremely lucky if one does. Most cars just zoom right past the designated crossing, only ever stopping if there is a red light. Have you ever wondered why that is? Is it perhaps because jaywalking is the norm here in India or because people are in such a rush to get to their destination that they simply don’t care about those around them?
Road manners sadly are hard to find on Indian roads, especially in metropolitan cities such as Mumbai. Funny enough, the city of dreams is never asleep. Be it two in the afternoon or two in the morning, the streets of Mumbai are always crowded. The only time that Mumbaikars were off the roads and in their home was during the mandatory lockdown. It was startling to see the city quiet and barren without its otherwise chaotic, traffic-jammed and noisy streets.
It’s safe to say that if we didn’t have signals and our traffic police, there would be an accident every fifteen minutes or less. Sadly, in spite of there being multiple signals at several places, there is always chaos and unnecessary traffic jams. The cause of this can usually be chalked down to our Indian road rage. When you’re driving or riding in India, whether it is a city or a village, road rage is the order of the day, unfortunately. Even if you are the most zen person, you are bound to come across someone or something that will drive you crazy; and if you’re lucky enough not to go through that you’ll find someone else angry driving or riding beside you.
Rash driving and riding is something that everyone has witnessed when in India. If you actually pay attention while waiting for a bus or sitting as a passenger in the car, you will come across numerous accidents that almost take place. Who knows if it’s the grace of God or just sheer luck that stops these from taking place.
Everyone is in such a hurry to get somewhere that they don’t care about anything or anyone. This gives rise to the selfish entitled attitude of ‘me first’. This is exactly why overtaking from the wrong side of the road, breaking a signal, riding on the wrong side of the road, entering a one-way street, double parking or just parking in front of someone’s gate is such a common uncouth behaviour practised by us Indians. You would be lying if you say you haven’t done at least one of these things.
Let’s not start on the incessant honking of rickshaws, trucks and cars. It is almost as if we Indians believe that the traffic will magically start moving if we honk loud enough. But no, unfortunately, that’s not how it works, you can’t make the person in front of you move when everyone is stuck. Instead, now we’re all stuck together listening to the incessant discordant sound of honking. Lest we forget that the traffic jam was probably caused by an impatient driver in the first place.
And whatever happens to the pedestrians in all this you may wonder? Well, as said earlier, the zebra crossing is more of a decorative piece on the streets. Hardly anyone gets to use them because most of the time it’s under the belly of a car. Yes, we were all taught in school that we needed to stand at the zebra crossing and that the traffic would slow down or stop for us to walk across, but that almost never happens. What they forget to instil in children and teenagers is civil duties towards society and most importantly, how to be mindful of others.
Parents hand out expensive cars and bikes to their 18-year-olds, sometimes to even younger kids, and then blame others if their children are in an accident. But more often than not it is their immature and underage children who cause these accidents, injuring or killing innocent lives. Rash driving is the biggest killer today. Apart from not respecting road rules, people don’t wear seat belts or helmets. People are busy staring at their phone screens, texting away while driving. Youngsters start speeding for fun or go racing with their friends with music blaring from their cars. This mindless adrenaline rush that is generated by the need for speed is toxic and dangerous to others on the road.
You see, it’s not that we lack road safety rules and regulations. For once we can’t really blame the government, we can only blame ourselves. Road safety starts with each one of us. Before anyone sits behind a wheel or on a bike, they must have a sense of civic responsibility towards their own safety and that of others. Children, and even current license holders, should be taught that they need to respect and follow rules even when no one is watching. For example, just because it is late at night and the roads are open doesn’t mean that you should run a red light. One can never know if a pedestrian or cyclist is trying to cross over and that would be lethal.
Be the change you want to see. Do your best and follow the traffic rules, slow down and let the other person pass. Make sure you don’t take up another person’s parking space, don’t stop in the middle of the road and don’t ride on the wrong side. If each of us makes these small changes, hopefully, our roads will become a safer and better place to ply on.
Written By Jessica Albuquerque,
A master of being a Jack of all Trades, A method in madness some may say. I’m just a girl on a never-ending journey, Standing on the precipice of my next big story.
Week 26, July 2021
