Cars behave, drivers dont
By H. Kishie
Singh
BY all definitions this column
should have been called Road Rage but that would have had
very negative connotations, and we should have a positive
attitude towards driving. The smile factor.
Driving can be an
extremely pleasurable experience. But if drivers
misbehave on the road the pleasure dims to an extent
where frustration builds up in the drivers. The driver
may have other matters on his mind already. There are
small factors like watching out for those overtaking from
the left, constant and needless horns blaring all around
and the slow-moving traffic when you are in a hurry. All
these things are bound to irritate a driver who is late
for a meeting or impatient to get home.
A bump on the cars
bumper or fender may be the spark required to make
drivers explode. They get into verbal duels and even
exchange blows. Road Rage! All this is quite unnecessary.
If you, the driver, were to drive sensibly, observe rules
and show a bit of courtesy and good manners, the roads
would be pleasurable places.
I was reading a booklet
on driving tips in the U.K. and it showed hand signals
and what they meant. There was a driver behind the
steering wheel, he had a big smile on his face and his
hand was raised in a friendly wave. The caption read:
" We British are a polite people, we give right of
way, we stop for pedestrians. We obey rules, we wave and
smile and say thank you!"
Why dont we
Indians too try to follow rules and make it a habit. It
would be a good habit, just to be polite. Talking about
habits! We have to change some of our driving habits in
any case. My friend has a brand new car an
electrical bit of wizardry with multi point-fuel
injection system, electronic ignition and sensors in
various parts of the engine. The car has no carburettor,
no C.B. points, no ignition coil. And yet when he gets
into the car and closes the door, his right foot
automatically kicks down on the accelerator. It was
necessary to do this when you drove a car with a
carburettor. The gentle kick down on the throttle sent a
squirt of petrol into the carburettor and made for an
easy and quick start.
If you didnt have
a carburettor, this woud be a perfect example of a
totally non-productive move. Ever since my friend has
realised this, he grips his right leg with both hands
when he gets into the car. This prevents the leg from
making the instinctive move to press the accelerator
pedal!
Most of the new
generation cars have an electronic sensor to monitor the
flow of fuel to the injectors. This happens the moment
you turn the key in the ignition. In most cars there is a
mandatory waiting period. Some cars have a red light on
the instrument panel that reads start No .
After a few seconds, you will get a green
lightstart. One Korean car has a pleasant ding ding
ding chime. Only after the 5th ding, you should start the
car. This brief pause allows the electronic gadgetry and
sensors to prime the engine for a quick and instant
start. Just a gentle turn of the key and the engine fires
into life.
These cars are virtually
maintenance-free. Isnt that a good reason to smile.
And the smile can get bigger if our roads allow
hassle-free driving conditions and we follow the traffic
rules.
The cars behave
themselves, the drivers dont. In any case, smile.
Happy motoring!
This
feature was published on November 13, 1999
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