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Tamil Nadu
They feel privileged to look down upon smaller vehicles on the road, writes Vidya Venkat Drivers of Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses seem to consider themselves as kings of roads and not without a reason. Perched on their high seats, they feel privileged to look down upon other smaller vehicles on the road. And therefore, they break rules too though these rules apply equally to all road-users. The traffic police said most MTC bus drivers jumped signals with impunity. “They conveniently ignore the yellow signal and even when the red signal is on, they act smart by following the vehicle in the front,” said a traffic police officer near the Anna Statue on the Mount Road. A traffic policeman in Saidapet said MTC buses often blocked other vehicles on the road. “The drivers expect other vehicles to trail behind them and wouldn’t budge despite horns from others at the back,” he said. According to Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sunil Kumar, 3000 MTC bus drivers were booked for violating traffic rules since January. The violations include cases of rash driving. MTC buses were also involved in 220 accidents in the city this year. Of this 40 accidents resulted in death. Sources in the Transport Department said that the only way to make drivers comply with rules is to provide them good training. The practice of sending errant drivers for refresher training course, for instance, is a step in this direction. Not only this, Transport Secretary Debendranath Sarangi told The Hindu that following a Madras High Court judgment on an accident involving a State transport bus five months ago, all the seven transport corporations in the State constituted an accident mobile unit which swings into action as soon as a bus is involved in an accident. This unit comprises technical officers who conduct an enquiry and take appropriate action against drivers. In case of an accident, drivers are suspended, he said. ‘Traffic’ Ramasamy, a road safety enthusiast who has made vociferous protests against traffic rule violators, said the enforcement by police leaves much to be desired. He said the police made allowances for erring MTC drivers as they were seen as part of the government. “Make complaints and send memos. Only with public participation can we make MTC bus drivers respect rules,” he said. The MTC does have a grievance cell where road-users can lodge complaints against drivers. The number is 9383337639. Harassed commuters and angry road-users could also turn to 103 - traffic helpline, if need be.
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