NGO creates awareness against road rage

Road rage continues to dominate Mumbai’s congested thoroughfares. On Friday, the Mumbai police and Sanity on our Roads (SOOR), a non-government organisation, held a programme at the Growel 101 Mall, Kandivli, to increase awareness about the reasons that led to incidents of road rage in the city.

Road rage continues to dominate Mumbai’s congested thoroughfares. On Friday, the Mumbai police and Sanity on our Roads (SOOR), a non-government organisation, held a programme at the Growel 101 Mall, Kandivli, to increase awareness about the reasons that led to incidents of road rage in the city.

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“Road rage is aggressive behavior exhibited by road users where people lose the emotional consideration towards others,” said Dr Sajid Ali Khan, consultant psychologist, Kohinoor hospital. Khan added that stress also leads to such behavior.

Activists say that all citizens should take up the responsibility of enforcing discipline on city roads. “The police can’t be omnipresent; citizens need to behave responsibly while driving,” said Amrin Wandrewala, activist-lawyer, SOOR.

“There is considerable development in traffic management and road infrastructure, but people continue to behave insensitively while driving,” said Dr Mohan Kumar Dahikar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic). He also said driving behavior is influenced by cultural upbringing, peers and parents.

“The low level of tolerance and patience is the main cause of road rage,” said Khan. In November this year, 25,601 cases were registered for jumping the signal and 4,044 cases for lane cutting.

Vinod Haritwal, chief executive officer, Grauer & Weil India Ltd said: “Pedestrians should also follow traffic rules and not blame motorists for everything.”