Traffic sense in India

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Here is a first hand account of the Traffic reality of India by one of us..

We are an independent nation and we have every right to use our independence. Does that indirectly also means we are free of all traffic rules that are set too?

The statistics don’t lie
India holds the dubious crown of being the worst place to drive a car in. 10% of the estimated 1.2 million road fatalities world wide take place in India and the numbers are growing steadily. According to P.K. Sikdar, director of the Central Road Research Institute which is a New Delhi-based traffic consultancy, “More than 80,000 people die every year on Indian roads due to careless driving!” Is there any particular reason why we are such bad drivers? And am I the only one saying it?

As a country, we are remarkably lax on rules!
When you have auto rickshaws, private and government buses, private cars, scooters and pedestrians plying on the same narrow roads; you are going to have problems! Drivers break signals, overtake on the wrong side, switch lanes with no signaling, have to brake indiscriminately to deal with animals and people on the road and slow down dangerously to deal with the same people and animals on the road. Some of our roads are not fit to be called roads as pavements don’t exist and they haven’t been renovated since the British Raj. Seatbelts rules don’t exist and are not enforced, mobile usage while driving is common and even drivers with no headlights contribute to the problem. If we had better traffic rules, stringent licensing regulations, and better roads with pavements; I don’t think this same problem would exist!

The Pity is that we follow the rules very diligently when we visit other countries in the west. But when it comes to respecting our own beloved India, We dont care a penny to follow the traffic rules. How Ironic

An increasingly wealthy middle class and increased job stress are also contributing to the problem. When you are dealing with so many hassles on the road, it’s getting increasingly common to have frequent road rage incidents that lead to deaths. This condition is not out of control. We can do something to control the problem but it will mean a major overhaul of the entire existing traffic rules and regulations in India.
But when will that happen?

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