Road to perdition

Road rage on Delhi roads has joined the ranks of the ever increasing list of incidents ?expected and accepted? in this city.

Road rage on Delhi roads has joined the ranks of the ever increasing list of incidents ‘expected and accepted’ in this city. Expected, albeit resignedly, by the public, and tolerated by the police. It is six years since the first reported fatality of road rage, in which an enraged skating instructor drove over a fellow citizen after a minor collision, took place. A few weeks ago, Delhi Police Commissioner dwelt upon the city police’s ‘helplessness’ in curbing crimes against women inside homes. It has been pointed out that Delhi’s police have failed to secure the safety of its citizens outside homes.

HT Image

Not for nothing is Delhi known for its sheer aggression. And inept policing doesn’t help matters at all. All that the police manage is a semblance of traffic control. Jumping lights, zig-zagging across lanes, even going the wrong way on a flyover have become the norm rather than the exception. Just as easily as the issuance of challans is side-stepped, pedestrians jump over dividers, and cyclists, at their own risk, ride against traffic. It is when these seemingly small things are ignored that motorists feel that they drive in a climate of impunity that leads to incidents of uncivil road behaviour and worse. Perhaps the first place where the police need to crack down is at the RTOs that issue driving licences. Just what kind of standards are maintained at these points was brought out when a licence was issued to a blind person a few years ago.

The result is a generation of drivers that does not know the basics of motoring etiquette, leave alone the law. While in great measure, the fault lies with ignorant and boorish drivers, the police, too, need to clearly spell out to Delhi’s drivers the basics of what constitutes bad behaviour, what is hazardous and what is illegal. The time has come for the police to apply brakes to the anarchy it has allowed to rule on its roads which is already taking an unacceptably high toll of human lives.