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The highway of lawlessness

Speed is the biggest killer on Indian roads.

The highway of lawlessness


Speed is the biggest killer on Indian roads. This compounds the problem as our roads are also notorious for their faulty designs.  Automobile expert and columnist H Kishie Singh suggests that the best strategy to remain safe while on the move is defensive driving.

A fast car and the new multilane highway are a killer combination. It is now  an established fact that speed, not necessarily overspeeding, is the biggest killer on our roads.  

The first lesson to be learnt for road safety is defensive driving. That is while on the move. I really don't know what sort of defensive mechanism a stationary motorist has against rash drivers. While on the move, there are many points that can make driving safer in spite of the fact that everyone around you is misbehaving and not following road rules.

Let's start with you, after all, as the driver who will make the road safe or dangerous. Some people have a habit of treating their car as an office-cum living room- cum- TV room. 

You may argue that this entertainment is for backseat passengers. No matter where the TV screen is situated, the noise, the conversation will be a tremendous distraction for the driver. In India, you have enough distractions being thrown at you from external factors. Don't add to them.

Keep the car interior spick and span. No loose objects. A briefcase put on the floor boards behind the driver's seat can become a missile in case you hit an unmarked speed breaker or worse, in case of a rollover.

In one of the early Himalayan rallies, a competitor had a tyre puncture. The car came to a halt. The driver and codriver jumped out of the car. The driver undid the spare wheel, the codriver jacked up the Jeep and removed the flat tyre. In no time, the spare wheel was on, the Jeep was ready to roll. The driver got behind the wheel and the codriver, to save time, just threw the tyre and jack, about 2-3 kilos of steel into the back.

No one knows the next sequence of events. But when the rescue team got to the Jeep, deep down the 'khud', the driver was unconscious with a bad and bloody gash in the back of his skull. Rally regulations demand that all objects in the car be bolted down, tied down or fastened securely. 

The moral of this episode is that road rules and road signs are put up for your safety. Obey them. They are put up after years of research to make the roads safe. Ignoring them can be dangerous and in extreme cases, fatal.

Last month, I had to travel to Sangrur. The road to Sangrur was superb. Just before Patiala, I took the bypass and left behind the chaos of the bus stop, the Fountain Chowk and the cantonment. It was the best road I have driven on in India!  You can exit at the speed you were travelling on the highway and come to a gradual slowdown.

Quite unlike the exit or entry points on the National Highway from Zirakpur to Pinjore - where they are just a cut in the road-divider. You have to brake hard to exit. A very badly designed, and consequently, a very dangerous road. 

The road to Sangrur meanders through the verdant green of Punjab's wheat fields. The drive is exceedingly beautiful! There were moments I thought I could be on a Canadian Super Highway. My euphoria did not last long. The dream drive came to an end when a huge overloaded truck was coming at me! I was back in India.

Everybody on the road is on a cellphone. Traffic from the side road joins the National Highway, ignoring Stop signs. Trucks drive only in the fast lane. The reason for all this is that no laws are in force. Making rules and passing laws is only a bark. The bite is missing! There has to be patrolling and onthespot fines. Take the law to the lawless! Word will get around. Watch out! The police is everywhere. That may be a deterrent. 

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