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Traffic goes out of gear
MUDMAYEE CHATURVEDI
Indian streets are buzzing with automobiles. This boom, however, has thrown traffic out of gear. There are adequate rules in place to regulate traffic but like every other place, here too regulators are less, and violators many.
To begin, I would emphasise that I am, by and large, a law abiding citizen, at the same time I must also confess to my selective behaviour while adhering to rules. Driving for last nine years, despite regular pleadings and orders from my parents, I have never worn a helmet. My argument: “They should regulate traffic and not think about saving my head. My head does not come under the purview of their responsibilities.” I have driven at a speed of greater than 50 kmph on a two-wheeler on busy roads. Delhi is known for its strict traffic rule enforcement.
An acquaintance from Ghaziabad showed me with great pride his almost sieve like Driver’s Licence (DL). He had been unbridled in violating traffic regulations. In the process, was caught, however, relatively a less number of times (three times) that allowed chunks of paper between holes in his DL. I enquired to how he reached the feat. He described that since, a good helmet costs around Rs. 600 whereas one is fined Rs. 100 for being helmetless, that too only once a day, he drove to Delhi without a helmet and dished out 100 bucks on being caught. Another time, he was stopped for having three riders on a bike. O the pretext of stopping his bike to one side of road, he switched to neutral gear and by the time the traffic policeman came to enquire, he reverted to the third gear and sped away. The adventure did not continue for long; he was chased and nabbed. Poor guy, now had the last option of imposing the weight of his ancestry on the policeman. So, he roared, “Don’t you know whose son I am?” The trick didn’t work. The policeman charged him with a fine as a commemoration of being caught violating rules. There are ceaseless instances of customary left side overtakes, over-speeding, thumbs being eternally fixed on horns and breaking signals. I have never understood the fun we derive from breaking rules. It’s time we understood that we can rule the vehicle, not the road.
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