Get rid of road rage
H. Kishie Singh

RAGE on the road is just that! Rage is described as violent anger. It is uncontrolled and makes people act in a manner they would not normally do. It can be momentary or last a long time. A person with violent anger can be dangerous. Ordinary, well-behaved people become vicious monsters when they fly into a rage.

There is a great difference between road rage and aggressive driving. Aggressive driving would be reflected in speeding, overtaking on the wrong side, unnecessarily flashing lights or blowing the horn, waving fists or even verbal abuse. This basically allows the aggressive driver to let off steam and eventually cool off. This in itself may not be a bad thing. For no one gets physically hurt.

Road rage would definitely mean getting physical. In North America, there have been incidences of drivers pulling out guns and shooting dead the offending or irritating driver. This is a case of aggression turning into rage.

Fortunately, Indians are not so aggressive. The "aggression" Indian drivers exhibit is more for showing-off than for being actually aggressive. Acts of speeding, wrong overtaking and bad driving will understandably annoy other drivers but they are not likely to fuel a physical encounter.

During a fender-bender Indian drivers yell and scream but hardly ever have I seen a fisticuff break out.

I have witnessed the worst example of road rage where else but in Delhi. Delhi which has more cars than Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata put together, has spawned a new breed of drivers. A super-brat or offspring of a babu, the driver who belongs to this breed has direct access to the P.M.O. and that too from his cell phone. No policeman would like to check such well-connected brats. Due to this, the number of aggressive drivers is increasing and Delhi streets are nightmare for the disciplined driver.

But to return to "road-rage, Indian style", it happened in a parking lot. While a driver was reversing into a parking lot, another driver zoomed into his parking space. This so enraged the first driver that he moved and reversed full speed into the offending driver’s car. Both cars were damaged, both egos bruised and much to the amusement of bystanders, they provided a free Punch-and-Judy show.

Whatever else this may have brought into focus, one fact is clear. Indian drivers lack road manners, etiquette and small courtesies.

By and large, Indian are well behaved and well mannered. But automobiles brings out the worst in us.

In a small city like Chandigarh, it should be possible to instil a sense of discipline in the traffic. Let Chandigarh set an example and for sure you will have: Happy motoring!