[sgiitk]

We have two basic beliefs.

1. God is an Indian.
2. Accidents only happen to others.

Let me ask

1. How many will pay extra for ABS, Airbags and refuse to buy a car without these?
2. How many wear seatbelts if they are not under the threat of a Challan?
3. How often do we turn right from the right hand side of a Tee junction?

[watashi75]

If you have read the article carefully, truck drivers are at more risk of a fatal accident than car drivers or 2 wheelers.

[mobike008]

AP and Maharastra are the leading states in terms of majority accidents

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by mobike008

AP and Maharastra are the leading states in terms of majority accidents

Heard on the radio last evening that APis the highest ! Darn!!!

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Heard on the radio last evening that APis the highest ! Darn!!!

I am not surprised since we get to see accident news ( as if it's a welcome one) daily in TOI.

Yesterday's news was AP and Maharastra were equal in terms of percentage ( not sure if it was 13.4% or 17% per state of total deaths in accident in the country)

[horabonny]

The problem we all discussing here is the same,but on a larger view,the main problem is the lack of functionality within the system (or the traffic management system to be).Unlike developed nations,we dont have road standards,neither do we have traffic signs horizontal on road nor vertical posts.(what we have is next to not having).Do we have an education system before we are handed over the driving permit.(we all know what we have).Being a european license holder i know the fire one goes through to have this privilege to drive in those nations.We dont have enforcement of the laws that we already have.As long as the fear of enforcement authorities does not exist even the educated loose their brains behind the wheel.Europe does not give a two wheeler driving license (minus the mopeds) unless one has had a "clean" car driving license for two years.At home our policemen themselves are not aware of the existing laws, more than half haven't ever driven a four wheeler in life,police department has separate employees who are "drivers" only.Till date irrespective of investigation,whatever the accident,the survivor is booked for negligent driving,taken to the police station,bailed same day or next for 5000 rupees.Thats about it.case solved.Half the accidents wouldn't happen if the driver maintains a safe distance, in case the driver ahead has to brake heavily.but then these rules do not exist in this part of the world.So we continue with whatever we have.

Unless the system is put on place with the political will,we shall continue to add to the chaos with no of vehicles adding by the day.

[hemanth.anand]

Sadly discipline is what we have never learnt. The attitude of adjustment is so much into ourselves that breaking rules is not considered an offence at all.

The other day I was going is a small one way road as wide as one car...
...In the opposite side came another car and blocked the way and he asked me to go back.
I just put the hand brakes and switched off my vehicle indicating him that i will not move an inch backward.
He then started the usual big volume talks spiced with some swear words with all his 3 children and parents in his car.
I didn't utter a word until he moved out of my way in a Gandhigiri style

Now with that incident I was just thinking about the lesson and the discipline those children are taught by their parents...

I really want the 2012 thing to happen hoping that all this may change after that

[atrisarkar]

I second what Horabonny has said. The major problem is the law enforcement. A huge percentage of the society knows discipline only because of the fear of the law. In India the traffic police have NO sense of the responsibility they have towards the society.
One of the many examples of this is the blinking orange lights. Even in a city like Bangalore, at 10.30 in the night the traffic lights shows a blinking orange in one of the busiest junction in the city (Hosur rd-Residency rd). Dairy circle, which is another perfect scene for chaos as vehicles move virtually at any angle has non-functioning traffic light for 3 days now.
Now whenever any accident happens in these circumstances, who's to be blamed?? I shot off a mail to the traffic police complaints/suggestion section and I got a reply "yes will consider". It has been 2 days since I've received the mail and things haven't changed.

[freakmuzik]

I do not think that making ABS and Airbags mandatory would solve the problem. Basically, law enforcement is pathetic. For example, in a signal even if the red light has not changed, people start moving and this happens even if a policeman is standing right there. And they do not seem to bother much too. Lack of proper roads, dividers, sign boards, reflectors and more are causing the accidents. And in India, nothing is going to change unless the driving license test procedures change. Most of them do not even know the basic rules. For example, we can see most of the people on the road using the HAZARD Lamp as a signal to go straight! I hope I will be able to do some good contribution for creating awareness regarding these after my schooling!

Spreading awareness is really important as there are millions of drivers who have already acquired their license! The only way to educate them is by informing them, as it would be crazy to make them take a driving test again! lol

I would like to share a funny conversation that i witnessed when i was in chennai (not meaning to hurt any tamilians here). While we were at our mechanics place, we saw a truck parked close by. We saw a person painting a pair of eyes on its front, and this was( i guess it is still) a common sight there. So my dad went to the driver and asked him what this was for. His answer was like - "saar, vandikki kannu irutntha athukkum paakkamudiyume enna dairyam saar. Athunaala nammakku kavalai kammi! Athukkaka thaan kannu varakkarom!"(sorry i am not good in tamil. So please forgive me for writing rubbish!). What this means is " Sir, if the vehicle too has eyes, we get a confidence that even the vehicle can see!!! So our tension is less. Hence we paint eyes on the vehicle!" And he was saying this very seriously! My dad somehow controlled his laughter and ran off from there!! What can we say about this? Next they might say after an accident that it was the vehicle fault, as it had eyes and still did not react!!

[H3LIOS]

Originally Posted by mobike008

AP and Maharastra are the leading states in terms of majority accidents

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Heard on the radio last evening that APis the highest ! Darn!!!

Maybe the auto-rickshaws are a contributing factor. I read a few months back that nearly a third of all 3-wheelers produced in the country are sold in AP alone.... imagine that

No wonder that the autos occupy all parking spaces, bus bays and clog the roads. In my location (on & around NH-5), I see atleast one accident a week involving an auto. They follow no rules and go whichever way they please. I had a couple of close call with these pests on the road. But, in the absence of a reliable public transport system they have a become a necessary evil for the people in the suburbs who depend on them.

A recent article in the Hindu said that if the current rate of vehicle sales and road infrastructure growth remained the same, then by 2025 the road surface in Hyd would be just enough to park the vehicles - no space to drive

[Chetan_Rao]

The heart of the problem is people's lack of respect for their own lives. People wear helmets for the cops, not for themselves. They slow down to strap-on seat-belts when they approach a check-post. Who'll be injured/dead in a mishap? The police constable at the check-post?

One incident I can clearly remember from 2006. I was driving alone from Bhopal to Indore in our family Zen. A middle-aged (and educated-looking) guy was driving rather enthusiastically in a new Scorpio. He would speed up, make a pass, cut across you at highway speeds, and then brake-test you suddenly. This carried on for nearly 50-odd kms. He nearly got himself killed various times in that duration. People familiar with the route would know the Dodi Ghat area, that has some flowing, blind turns. I just let him through each time, not wanting to risk a high speed smash in my beloved but puny machine.

On a straight stretch of good road, I was cruising at 100-110, when this guy comes up in my rear view again. He wanted to get past, and honked/flashed wildly. There was a bus approaching in the other lane, but he absolutely refused to back off. I was thoroughly pissed by this time, and didn't slow down or let him through. I held my line and place till the last moment, and let him through only when the bus got dangerously close (close enough that it knocked his wing mirror off when he cut across me). I found this guy at a rest stop a few miles down the road, walked up to him and said, "The next guy you try your stunt on might not slow down in time, or not at all". He was speechless.


P.S. I'm not proud of what I did that day, and it might have led to a nasty accident if I'd judged my move even slightly wrong. I have to be honest that one does find a certain amount of satisfaction teaching erring drivers a lesson, but my aim in recollecting this incident is to demonstrate how callous people can get w.r.t. to safety on the roads. Put in the same situation again, I'd pull up on the road-side for a few mins to put a few miles between myself and the maniac driver. Better than ruining the entire drive and risking injury/death.

[SushilBajpai]

One factor that I think contributes to road poor signposting and road markings. Our roads are not marked (painted) properly. We could at least mark the road surfaces properly. For example, overtaking on narrow roads could be confined for one side for a couple of kilomtres and then the other side.

Similarly all too often there is no advance to the driver. Signpost are placed way beyond the place where action should have started. With reduced reaction time, the driver engages is all sorts manuevres.

[RoadTiger]

I think lack of discipline on our roads has to do with the general belief that in India, democracy means freedom to do what we want with very little sense of responsibility towards others ... and if we get caught, firstly we've been stupid enough to get caught and of course, a few notes do the trick !

Its frustrating to see how folks drive on the road with no concern about their lives ... more importantly with no concern to others' lives :(

[Deep Blue]

Came across this article in today's The Hindu. If you look at the tabular column, the statistics for Delhi are very high compared to other metros. What makes Delhi more dangerous?

http://m.thehindu.com/news/national/...ce/?secid=2781

[C300]

Agree with most of the posts here.
In addition to overall discipline, IMO one of the key factors contributing to the fatalities is the sheer diversity of vehicles using our roads. From a bullock cart to a Bentley, all of them use the same tarmac. Nowhere else in the world will you see such diversity. Accidents are bound to happen when vehicles of varying speed use the same road.