Lane discipline? Eh? What's that?

So the rural development minister dies in a car crash. Because a driver thought it was okay to jump signal. How many such countless lives are lost on our roads? How many families have lost their loved ones for no fault of theirs?

An average Indian driver will come across all sorts of dangers and uncertainties on road. If you’re not on constant red alert, there are high possibilities that you might never make it home. Driving regularly the past few months has made me come across shockingly poor road etiquette. We Indians seem to be having a tough time comprehending simple road rules.

Reckless honking tops the list- it looks like people’s fingers are stuck on the horns like Aladdin’s magic lamp. They think that they can clear the traffic by just honking. At times I see people honking constantly when the signal is red. What do they expect? That the signal will turn green on honking? On the contrary, they do not honk at sharp turns when they actually have to!

Then comes jumping signals. It’s like a feat! You jump a signal- Bravo! You rock. You are a rule breaker. You’re the Don of the road. The traffic police is too exhausted and tends to ignore you!

Couple of years back I used to live in a house in a one-way street. Trust me, I have never crossed the road without looking at both sides. There is always a bike or two striding happily from the wrong side, sometimes in full speed..! They think it’s okay! Why waste time going all the way on the right side when you can quickly go through the wrong side?

Sticking to one lane seems like tying up our hands. We want full freedom to jump to as many lanes as possible. Is your lane moving slowly? Then jump to the next! If that lane is slow too, then jump to the next one. And oh! Overtake other vehicles as much as you want! When you do jump lanes, DO NOT look into the rear view mirror to see if there are vehicles behind you. It is kept there to check if your hair is in place, otherwise don’t use it at all. And indicator? You mean that fancy light on both sides of the vehicle? Is that actually used to signal the person behind you, that you’re trying to jump lane? He will know anyway when you’re jumping, so what’s the point in taking pains to switch on the indicator! Such is the state! I have seen vehicles that have no rear view mirrors. I wonder how they dare to bring the vehicle to roads. I mean, how do they even manage to drive with no view of what’s happening behind them! We seem to have a mindset of shift of responsibility. The responsibility of safety is shifted to the person behind, who has to be alert to your sudden turns or lane jumping. And it’s a cycle.

And then there’s this youth in that bright colored fancy bike with weird honk sound. He likes to draw invisible designs on road, making zigzag moves. He appears suddenly startling you, making your heart skip a beat and then disappears in the traffic! Whoa.. looks like he’ll be the first to reach home!

Then there is this haughty pedestrian who totally ignores the pedestrian crossing or any signal and runs across like a kid. I’m sure all of you would have come across the group of giggling girls who think running across roads is fun. They pose a great risk and should be banned from road. I have always wondered.. Are there laws to fine the pedestrians for breaking the rules? Tell me if you know!

We have the attitude that breaking rules for our convenience is acceptable. Jeopardizing others’ lives does not seem to be a matter of concern. And sadly, it passes on the next generation because our children learn from us. All I can say is.. Let us pledge to adhere to the rules and teach our kids the same!

Image taken from Internet.