'Driving is a privilege, not a right.' proclaims my driving license. Well, I believe it. And that is why I find driving in the city a bit of a disheartening experience. People drive big flashy cars, race superbikes, not once thinking about the privilege- right issue. We often complain about the potholes or the bad roads, but do we always follow traffic ethics? Forget rules. They are to be broken. No one considers a signal jumper a criminal. But are we driving ethically?
Mine is a land of rickshaws. (there is no such word in the Microsoft dictionary!) the rickshaw wallahs are a different breed. You have to be born with it. Something which you cannot learn. I presume they are denied their badges if they give an indication of their turn. They are the absolute savages of the road. They think that their vehicle is meant to fill in the gaps in the traffic. They feel that the world is full of Photophobic people. They absolutely shun headlights! They never, ever give you a clue about what they are going to do next. A word of caution here: If you are an amateur, keep at least 10 meters gap between your vehicle and the Bajaj Ape (that’s their trade name. it lives up to it!) you will end up with a dent and without an apology.
Then there are those kids, hardly ten or twelve, who think that the traffic rules do not apply inside residential complexes. I think they are the ‘unwanted’ children- their parents are not scared of any harm which they might sustain, or worse, do.
Female drivers scare me. I don’t mean to be prudent, but it is a fact. They ride their gearless scooters with the same valour that the great Marathas once rode on their steed. One friend of mine is a good driver, but, she does not believe in applying brakes when she sites a speed breaker. She scares me. The scarier fact is not their driving alone, added to it, is the indifference towards learning the mechanics of the motor. They never try to learn to correct the minor faults or to try to know where the fault lies.
And the ultimate winners are the drivers of Pune. Even Rocci cannot drive there. There is an ABSOLUTE lack of rules there. Now, thinking about the cause, half of the Punekars are pukka Punekars; they will never give up their pride. And other half thinks that they are Americans. So there arises confusion. WHICH WAY TO DRIVE! The females moped-ers of Pune are the scariest of the species. At the first look, you would feel you are in Afghanistan. All the veiled Taliban roaming around. Then they will take a wild acute turn to the right, from the leftist lane. Their mirrors are for adjusting the goggles. I have actually seen a girl typing an SMS while riding on her Activa. I mean, we can make exceptions, she was not breaking any rules. Just talking on the phone is not allowed while driving!
I burn my own blood every time I see people not respecting others lives, overtaking without asking for a pass, or taking a turn without indicating. I have given many people a verbal bashing, at times sarcastic, at times stern. I know it is not enough. Something must be done. I am not asking to get everything ship-shape. That’s asking for too much. Just value the lives of other people on the road. All it takes is a flick of the thumb, and you might just have saved a life!
