[chaitanyakrish]

Road Safety is a very taboo subject in India as there's no formal training or awareness among general public.

General public is literally not aware of Motor Vehicles Driving Regulations and basic safety precautions to be taken while on the road. Most of the accidents are attributed to luck and drivers are not aware of risks associated with certain road conditions or weather.

For example, MVDR says we shouldn't overtake on bridges,culverts etc. The reason is, on the bridges, culverts etc, road can narrow and during an overtake, there is a risk of hitting the sidewall of the bridge/culvert.
When people don't read and understand the rules, they will attempt such a move and invite risk.

Another video which I had come across recently is the one uploaded by Venkata Satish Guttula, CEO of CyberXGen.
This happened near Mumbai, where a girl was crossing the oil tanker dangerously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUX2FMQ7_tA

This video is one such examples, which illustrates the risk awareness in our country.

With this in background, I had some funny or interesting conversations with my family on road safety.

The goal of this post is to show the awareness levels of road safety among general public and emphasizing the need to have a robust training program.

Experience 1 : With my Uncle who is having 15+ years of driving experience.

A few months back,I drove to Hyderabad to visit my uncle's house.He's a native of Hyderabad and has been driving for 15 yrs. Had some interesting conversations on road safety with my cousins.We thought of buying some groceries so we went in his car.

There's no left side mirror for his car. I asked him about the mirror.
He said that a biker had hit it and he was not getting time to change it.

Meanwhile, I started imagining how my drive would be.

Then, I kept the seat belt. He said,he never keeps.Then we both started to Yadagiri Gutta Temple in 2 cars,my car and his car. He is tailgating trucks and going on and not using indicators while changing lanes too.My cousin who sat in my car, told me,"wow,you are giving indicators while changing lanes,I thought they would be used only at night "

While returning back to Hyderabad from Yadagiri Gutta, my another cousin came with me.
My other cousin to me : "does your car have airbags"

I said yes.

Then she said:"which button you need to press to activate them."

Both of them have driving licenses by the way.

Experience 2 : Overloaded Alto

Two weeks ago, I attended a wedding at a remote place in Andhra Pradesh. They gave us hotel accommodation far from the wedding venue and for other events like Sangeet etc and they said they will arrange a car for transport.

We were 8 people and one Maruti Alto came to the hotel. After seeing the car, meanwhile, we started splitting on who will go first and the others in the second trip.

The car driver said,"no need sir, everyone can come at once". We were 8 and 9 including the driver. I was sitting on the hand brake. The rural driver started rash driving all over the bumpy roads on first gear as he couldn't change the gears due to lack of space.

We got so scared and we booked our own vehicle from then. After seeing the way the driver was driving and when the same driver was sent in a different car to bring the bridegroom, I was tensed until he came back safely. If I utter anything on safety there, I would have to face some comments that, I was talking negatively in an auspicious event.

No wonder, in rural areas, we see more accidents with overloaded vehicles. With literally no training or at least basic driving schools in rural areas, it's like inviting disaster any day.

These are just few examples, and there are many more where basic safety is not given any importance due to ignorance. Please do share your experiences too.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[SS-Traveller]

1. Many professional drivers (including cabbies) I have come across, do not understand that they should not rest their left foot on the clutch pedal, when not shifting gears. Or that the clutch and brake pedals should not be pressed simultaneously in a moving car.

2. When stopping at a traffic light, people do not stop according to lane markings. They line up behind the queue that is the shortest, and then proceed to move in their desired direction once the light turns green, even if they cut across 2-3 lanes of traffic.

3. I have lost count of the number of people who have asked me, what is the purpose of the amber (yellow) light in a traffic light setup?

4. Innumerable drivers cannot engage / disengage cruise control.

5. People are not sensitized enough not to use the horn near hospitals. Every time I visit a hospital, I end up ticking off a few drivers for persistent honking (and they talk back about how they are unable to drive on because of the congestion, and how the honking clears traffic easily!)

More incidents as I remember them. Let's hear what other members have to say.

[karthikkv]

1) Usage of high beams, especially the after market blinders. People have no idea how and when to use high beams.

2) Using hazard lights during rains creates unnecessary confusion.

3) Using turn indicators to allow overtakes.

4) Randomly parking vehicles at blind curves in ghats and taking pictures.

These are just from my drive last week to Kukke subramanya from Bangalore

[epiccross]

• Good friend just refuses to maintain sufficient distance between vehicles, he constantly says there's enough space and I'm just over anxious (bohot jagah hai.. nahi jagah hai )
• Convincing people in the rear to wear seatbelts is a pain! I really wish my car had rear seatbelt reminder, the only reason people would find convincing is that otherwise it'd make the annoying beep noise
• People overtaking in curves and sometimes blind curves, this is a real worry for me! Why oh why would you do this!?
• Perhaps the worst amongst all and one of my nightmares, overtaking from the left. I constantly fear bikers etc cutting me from my left and getting hurt at some point! Surely I'd be blamed for being the "bigger vehicle". Heck, even cars squeeze through in slow moving traffic when you try to be in line and be patient.
  

[montsa007]

Am based in Mumbai & am sure many will agree to some of the pointers below,

1. 2 wheelers riding on footpath whenever there's traffic on the road

2. Jumping signals when there's 10-15 seconds left to turn green, giving no opportunity to pedestrians to cross the road

3. Riding without a helmet, top it up with high speeds & double top it with zig zag driving by 2 wheelers

4. Driving/Riding on the wrong side of the road, I see it often & the rider sees the other person at fault

5. Starting to honk, when you're about 100 feet deep in the traffic, signal has 10 seconds to turn green (Assuming all cars will magically disappear)

[neeravnaik]

Our populace does not understand probabilistic thinking and lives on false faith. If you say without helmet your chances of dying are 1 in 10 on a fall vs. 1 in 100 with it - they will read it as mostly people do’t die even if you don’t wear a helmet.

“Kuch nahi hoga” is the general attitude taken far on everything like driving on the wrong side, overtaking on a blind turn, etc.

Other big factor is “everyone does it” and this risky behavior is normalized as they don’t see how things can go horribly wrong.

On the other side not enough is done by the authorities to educate everyone on the risks and enforce the rules strictly. Cycle continues.

[Vkap257]

IMHO, the biggest bane of the Indian road circus is wrong way driving. Solving this issue can singlehandedly cure 80% of traffic congestion, dings and scrapes, accidents, parking issues and fuel economy troubles.

And for the love of everything holy please stop jumping red lights. I find it as the ultimate judgement of character if a person is able to hold onto his nerves and adhere to the red light even if all the lanes are empty - just because it is the rightful thing to do.

Also, cows belong in the Tabelas, not on our roads. Donot stop in the middle of the road, feed them your unwanted stale home cooked food that should go in the bin, recite “Hanuman Chalisa” 3 times to ward of evil when you are the evilest thing on the road at that point of time holding up traffic.

And finally, please stop the practice of rubber-necking. I have personally seen chain events leading to 4 people going to Hospitals instead of 1. It is a punishable offence in Germany and in a country like ours where people gather to watch even JCB digging, it should surmount to some offensive action.

[aravind422]

ALL OF THE POSTS ABOVE are very much true, and these are the ways a huge majority of the population drives. Most people have absolutely ZERO respect for pedestrians or other cars.

But nobody is doing anything about it. In my place, even the Police park their Boleros in the most inappropriate locations imaginable. Who's to ask?

Once, I saw an MVD Nexon parked in a truly absurd place just near the R.T.Office. I had some free time, so I parked my ride a few meters away (so that the Gods in uniform won't blacklist my vehicle to target later), walked over to the MVD's vehicle and asked the driver why he was parked right on the road. He didn't like it at all and said that his SIR would come soon. I again politely asked him to move his vehicle so that other road users may move on freely. Then a friend of mine who saw me, stopped his scooter and came over to enquire what was going on. When that happened, the driver slowly (and reluctantly) moved the vehicle to a better spot.

Just imagine, these are the people who should enforce the law in the first place. It is unfortunately up to the layman to set them straight.

By the way, the girl crossing underneath the trailer sends shivers down my spine. I have more than once, told school kids to take a few steps back when they are too close to big vehicles stopped on the roadside with their engines running.

[Mustang Sammy]

IMHO a huge part of our problem on Indian roads is peoples’ selfish mentality and unwillingness to think about the common good.
If everyone drives in their lane and follows the rules, everyone will reach their destination without too much delay.
But no, people have to cut in or get on the wrong side because they are smart, and because they just. Don’t. Care. About others. And this screws up the traffic for everyone, including these smart a**es.

[anivy]

Have been thinking of starting a new thread on "quotes", "sayings" about our behaviour both when driving or not driving (e.g., as a pedestrian) but wasn't able to get past the writer's block! This thread helped in providing the push to pen down a "quote" from Star Trek: Discovery (Season 1).

"Laws are for Lackeys while Context is for Kings."

We all know there are traffic related laws but when we start driving or even simply cross a road/street, we apply our own context within the space we are in. For some of us, this context more often than not is in conflict with the laws because we are the kings of the space we are in.

[cdrajeevkumar]

Having traveled the globe and been amidst crunching traffic i can vouch that Indians top the list of being selfish, rude, don’t-care-attitude! Top that with the “influence factor” and you can sum up our behavior on roads. We’re hard wired to behave this way given our upbringing but some of us become worldly wise and start showing compassion and maturity on the streets! Rest keep going down the path of being oblivious to fellow travelers !

Wish we could implement a thorough training during license issuing process, which I trust would reduce the bad attitude we show on the roads!

[Arun Varma]

Everyone is an enthusiast driver these days.

From government buses and autos to the big Germans, many tend to drive their cars like an autorickshaw. Here are some common tendencies that make the lives of the rest of us miserable

Compulsive overtaking / Reactive overtaking - egos are so fragile that there is no room for any vehicle faster than our own. Including overtaking on curves, bridges, narrow roads, on the wrong side, while taking turns, and so on
Cycle gap'le autorickshaw - a Chennai term to denote the tendency of any vehicle to squeeze into the tightest of spaces even when there is no need
Weaponized honking - a pervasive disease where honking is used to intimidate law-abiding road users. A great example is that of blaring horns the moment the signal turns green even if one is 50 cars away from the signal.
Loud pipes and the many gripes - if we are not maniacally honking, then it is the nuisance of the loud exhaust menace. The stock silencer is no good for almost everyone these days. Nothing is more annoying than a stupidly loud silencer blaring at ungodly hours or right next to your ear
Light Assault Vehicle - the influx of LED and other ultra-powerful lights aimed directly at the oncoming drivers/rider eyes is another literal eyesore. A misplaced machismo to prove that we don't take s**t from anyone but will dole it out generously!

[Totoro11]

Originally Posted by Arun Varma

A great example is that of blaring horns the moment the signal turns green even if one is 50 cars away from the signal.

The farther you are from the signal, higher the honking (yet to create a mathematical equation and get a constant named after me ) it has to do with the increased anxiety that while the cars in front have enough time to cross the signal, you will get stranded with it turning red... hence the urge to honk and make people hurry up.

I have become much more conscious of road safety since i started reading Team-BHP posts and perhaps more aware of violations happening around us. But then our forum members are too few to make a significant contribution on roads.

I have got strange looks from relatives on being asked to buckle-up, refusing to overload and driving conservatively. Unfortunately i cannot make them all read the 'Accidents in India' thread.

[NomadSK]

We are the species who love our cars and in that process we stop having empathies for the other road users. In general we are in the survival mode always. We barely seem to learn from the innumerable accidents that happen in India due to the careless disregard for safety. But why, because we have grown up with such callous behavior in life. We have seen people taking shortcuts, people breaking signals, speeding, zig-zag driving, overtaking from wrong sides, tailgating, honking, complete disregard to safety. Shouting at pedestrian if they come in our way. We forget a basic principle of empathy. This all is deeply ingrained within us. I wasn’t an Exception, till I drove in INDIA, I was novice. I would say rather a crude driver. The ones who give regard to safety are unfortunately in minority.

When I try to explain safety (related to anything) to my parents/friends/cousin/siblings, they in general give me raised eyebrows looks.

I will try to give a very simple sample space of flight, where so many safety things are taken as for-granted, How many of us asks for emergency seats during the flight just for extra leg space, how many of us listen to the safety announcement by cabin crew ? How many of us switch on the phone before even the plane is stopped ? How many of us are belted through out the flight ? How many of us stand to get our luggage from the overhead bin even before the flight comes to an halt. This was just one sample space, have zillions on them.

Once a guy told me that Indians drive like they walk, shortest distance to the destination to be followed. In a culture where there is lack of discipline, disorder can turn lethal/dangerous quite easily in any wrong circumstances.

This disregard for public safety is so very extraordinary that it comes as no surprise whatsoever that probably the highest number of road accidents and fatalities occur in our country. And the worst part is that, we forget it in few days and become insensitive to the fact. The things and antics we see on Indian roads, it’s simply embarrassing, if we carry the same behavior outside of India.

What is at the crux of this disastrous situation? Firstly, it all boils down to carelessness that is deeply ingrained in the Indian psyche, very aptly captured by the “Chalta Hai” attitude. Just as we don’t respect punctuality because it’s “OK”; more or less, anything and everything is “OK”for us. This is one of the fundamental reasons why we disregard safety in general. We sell cars with “optional” airbags, don’t forget optional ABS too in top end models and guess what, people buy them. Less we talk about the salesman selling the car on safety features. I’m happy for the tight regulations for the emissions, but would be more happy if they regulate the safety too with zero tolerance with the stringent of standards available in the market. Agreed all that comes with a price tag. And unfortunately we are a price sensitive market, safety do comes with a price tag.

Mind you this behavior ain’t only on roads, it’s at work place, it’s at home. It’s deep in our mindset. This failure at the national level is compounded by the widespread political and bureaucratic corruption where the flouting of rules and regulations happens so shamelessly, will not go further on this due to the decorum of the forum.

Considering the above the best is to be wiser/safer and be responsible for your own safety be it on road, home or at work.

We say - safety comes from the top and I’m happy this forum gives safety the highest regard and while heading to be a developed nation one day, we will be safest too. Till then just keep Revving Safely.

PS. I was seeing the news of the train wreck and the high disregard to the safety, where so many high officials are at the accident site with innumerable unsafe conditions and none wearing the PPE’s (personal protective equipment) they say picture speaks 1000 words.

Pls Accept my apologies in advance if it hurt someone’s sentiments in anyway.