Team-BHP - State of road safety in India

Once again today the papers carried news about another horrifying crash on the Mumbai Pune road.
India has the highest rate of road accident fatalities in the world, and I see nothing on the horizon that is about to change that dismal statistic. I was in the RTO the other day for arranging a NOC, and I was stunned to see the entire ambience there, which is one of the root causes.
I know that there is a thread on accidents on the site, but I have to ask the question - as a growing lobby in the country, how can Team BHP take the lead in changing this aspect of India? Assume of course, that it wants to take on this responsibility in any way. All I know is that what happens on our roads is something that every educated Indian should be ashamed of, if we had the civic sense to be so. In every aspect - from how licenses are obtained, how cars are passed, how the PUC checks are passed, the way rules are flouted, all the way to the fate that accident sufferers are left to on Indian roads.
How can we do this? I do not know, but given what I see on the site in terms of talent, I do know that this team can make a transforming difference in India on this on going scandal, if it so chooses.
If this effort is already underway on the site somewhere, my apologies for this post. Please direct me there and I will be glad to see if there is any value I can add, and do so.
Here is one thought, just to get things kicked off.
One of the greatest Indians who ever lived made a very powerful statement that he lived and died for - Be the change you want to see.
All of us have a list of the things that get us steamed up on the roads, when they are done to us. Can we make up a top ten such items list, and see if we can turn it around into a ten self imposed commandments kind of things that we, as members of Team BHP, will never do in this context? And be honor bound to observe these, with zero external policing?
That to my mind would be the first step in earning the right to start moving in the required direction.

Some thoughts:

- We ourselves should follow road rules scrupulously, whether it is in respecting red signals or stopping before the white line at zebra crossings

- Tyres and brakes are very often the cause of many accidents - there can be no compromises on good maintenance of these 2 vital car components

- Where we hire drivers, ensure that they too follow safe driving practices

- Dangerous practices like overtaking from the left lane should be avoided

- Curb your egos when you drive, don't dare everyone else on the road

- Even if you drive faster than the legal speed limits, the least you can do is to slow down in high-density traffic and in congested areas

- Never take your eyes off the road

- Discourage drunken driving

Quote:

Originally Posted by pras.oct25 (Post 1382481)

I had created a similar thread which was met with a PM from the mods saying it will be deleted.
I believe the mods had some plans of launching a safety related thing on tbhp, dont know what happened to it.
I have no more words left to express myself regarding safety and basic road sense in india. All i can say is :Frustrati

As I pointed out, it is for Team BHP to decide if it wants to take this mission on itself. If it does not, that's a moderator privilege. As is their right to drive the way forward in a manner that they think best. In which case, I will be glad to help in any way I can. Far too many of us sit back expecting some one else to transform our country for us is my overriding thought at this time.
Let's see how things progress.

One thing I follow (in addition to follow rules) is to wear smile on my face when I drive. These days I see a lot of irritated drivers (in Bangalore at least) on the road. They honk, shout, drive with anger and what not.

Let's all make our roads a better place by giving a small smile to adjacent rider on a signal, traffic etc and make driving a less stressful task than it seems currently.

Just my 2 paise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sawyer (Post 1382499)

agree: I'm in. Question is how many more are?

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...accidents.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...accidents.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...-drives-4.html

Couple of related threads...

Last week while traveling on a double lane divided road, saw a IKON went into the opposite side climbing over the center median (about 2 foot height) & was stuck perpendicular on the road. Seems like a front tyre brust and oil leakages on the front position. Later heard that it was overspeed which has resulted in driver hitting the median...

Staying within speeds where one feel comfortable and within his driving capabilities is more important

My list of things I do not like done to me on the road
1. Overtaking from either side and cutting in to force me to brake
2. Coming at me on a one way lane on the highway, even if you are on the extreme left/right
3. Tailgating me
4. Crossing an intersection when I am approaching a green signal
5. Speeding up when I am making a legitimate overtake
6. Honking behind me within nano seconds of the red going to green, or even in anticipation of that happening
7. Overtaking me when I have stopped to let oncoming traffic through, that then makes it risky for them to turn
8. Changing multiple lanes because you have decided to make a turn at the last minute
9. Stopping on a narrow road without getting off it
10. Opening lanes by stealing them from the oncoming traffic if the lane is temporarily empty at traffic lights, and then expecting me to let you back into the correct lane

Just a top of the head list, as raw material. Still does not cover things that are dangerous on their own and a safety hazard..

And here's the thing - none of us who have driven abroad, do these things there. Why do we ourselves have to treat our home country as a third world country?

Ok let's get a few things right first. If, and this really is an if because of the effort involved, we want to change our dismal road safety record, its not enough to make sure we follow the rules and drive safely. That is almost a given if you're interested in safety. Making lists of dos and don'ts on the road is better but still not enough.

Real change needs some support from the lawmakers, cops, RTOs etc. If any TBhpians have connections that can induce such change, that will be the starting point. Raising awareness in more ways than just posting on the internet will be necessary. I'm just pointing out that posting safe driving practices (which you can find on any road safety related site) and assuming it will be sufficient is wrong. If we're really interested doing something, it has to be concrete and will take a lot of time and effort.

Now tell me, do you have that kind of time to spare? Do you have (or are you willing to liase with people who have) the necessary clout to change the system? If yes, then we have a real chance at making some change happen. If not, its fighting a losing battle. Of course, it is creditable because you will be making a small change here and there but at the end of the day, its not enough.

I hear you and your concerns. I would like to point out here that there are now over 50000 team members on board, and that by a long long way is a lot more people than what other movements that have made transformational impacts had with them to start with. If we together choose to do something, I know it can be done. The people on this site are the most enlightened drivers in India, and if anyone can do it, this team can. And if this team cannot, no one else can.
Will it take effort - of course. Nothing of any significance was achieved without that. Will it take time - of course again. Rome was not built in a day. It was built brick by brick. But it would never have been built if the bricklayers had not laid the first brick, then the next, and so on. And not given up on starting, by being awed at the size of the endeavour. In a local sense, substitute Ellora for Rome. Or the Indian independence movement.
I think what is important is for the team to decide if this purpose is worthy of it, and not the other way around.