Manu Khajuria
Ask any seasoned traveler who takes to the road to quench his thirst of wanderlust, the first introduction to a city and its essential character is the way its dwellers conduct themselves in public spaces, including on the roads. The way people drive, their concern for the safety of fellow drivers and pedestrians, their willingness to follow rules or not is a reflection of the success and failure of the traffic enforcements, the efficiency of the transport department, as well as the attitudes of the civil society at large. In Jammu Kashmir 63.5 percent of the total unnatural deaths have been caused by road accidents compared to the all India figure of 63.5 percent. The recent tragic death of Janvi Gupta shows mirror to the city and its characters.
The Pedestrian: As she made her way through the old city lanes, she walked with a carefree gait. She had after all mastered the art of dodging the onslaught of motorcycles and scooters which squeezed past impossibly narrow roads, whizzing past pedlars and shopkeepers, who encroached upon the road and sold their wares. She was relieved that another day had ended, and her toes were not crushed beneath a motorbike tyre. Even on wider city roads, crossing the roads and finding a pathway, to walk without putting oneself in the face of danger is a herculean feat.
The Matador Driver : He is the sole breadwinner of his family. He wakes up early in the morning to leave his village, to come work in the city. He is fortunate that after being taught how to drive, by a friend at very young age, there has been no looking back. He ‘managed’ to get a license. All it takes is a few connections, maybe some money which the matador service owners shelled. It is good that everyone is into making a quick buck these days.. The owners, the licensing authorities, the traffic police and he himself. He drives down city roads the whole day, making endless trips on the same boring routes. Monotony is broken only when he speeds and overtakes the rival matador, which has been tailing him and goading him to drive faster. Driving recklessly to loud Punjabi songs, he in those moments feels like the King of the Roads, invincible and all powerful. The Shahenshah that he is, he forgets that he is responsible for his passengers remaining deaf to the pleas of slow and safe driving by his terrified passengers. He is egged to drive faster and rashly by his conductor who hangs by the door, swearing and fighting with anyone who comes in their way. The lack of training is evident and so is their indifference to the dangers of road rage. Most importantly they know they can get away with anything. The fine can be paid by the owner. A special budget is set aside purely for the purpose of keeping everybody happy and ensuring they remain the kings of the road.
The Car Driver: He feels like a hero driving his brand new car and heroes don’t need seat belts. If he did get stopped by a zealous traffic policeman, a curse or two and the embarrassingly low fine for flouting the seatbelt law, can be paid without causing a dent in his wallet. Heroes also don’t need to care where they park, not that parking is easy at all in the city. Heroes can stop their cars suddenly in the middle of a crowded city road to pick up or drop a friend or family. They can speed and honk endlessly. After a fun party, it is only their right to drive back home in an inebriated state. After all being checked and punished for crossing the legal limit for alcohol levels is unheard of. Moreover the bottom line is that there is nothing that cannot be bought.
The Scooty/ Bike Walas : Oh to be sixteen! He feels immortal. He is fortunate that his parents fulfill all his whims and fancies. He is especially lucky because he did not have to give a driving test to get his license. All those due procedures are for a different class of people. Those who don’t know anyone in the bureaucracy or can’t pay their way through anything must go through all the required steps to obtain a driving license. His Father on the other hand, knows all the right people who will be more than happy to oblige. He speeds because he needs to prove that he is a man already. The moustache that has just sprouted on his upper lip must be given due respect and he will zoom through lanes that are hidden from plain sight, onto the main roads, without checking if the road is clear. He has after all skipped steps on road safety and not given the most important driving test which would tell if he deserved to be on the roads at all. He must impress the girls and his peers. Only yesterday a girl from his class, drove her scooter on the highway, the earphones in her ears playing her favourite music and blocking out all the other vehicles which drove past her. Helmet hinders his style and hinders hers too.
The Parents: The child is the new parent. He rules the house. The parent stand in service to every justified and unjustified demands made by the child. They hand over the keys of the vehicle to under age children. When their feeble attempts to make their children see reason fails, they turn away even before they really tried. Besides the blind love for their children, societal pressure to conform to certain standards befitting their social status requires their under age child to be seen with a fancy vehicle. The excess cash, many a times black must be used up and what better than to fulfil their child’s need for a vehicle even though considering the child’s age, lack of training and necessary driving skills, they have just pushed him in the face of imminent danger, also risking other people’s lives.
The Traffic Police: His is a thankless job. Not that he has a good reputation to stand up for. He has been labelled corrupt and inefficient. Somewhere at the bottom rung of a corrupt system, he shamelessly does what is has become an accepted practice. He awakens to duty and cuts Chalaans promptly when certain quotas have to be met. He slacks off when the targets are met. He is alert though, when the roads need to be cleared for the VVIPs. He is part of the same society which loves short cuts and easy money, so he too follows suit indulging in bribe taking and more. Those who bribe him are his enablers. The few officers who sincerely perform their duty do not have it easy either. They get cursed and abused by people who are used to breaking rules with impunity .
Authority : The rules of the Motor Vehicles Act are fast becoming redundant. The penalty imposed on offenders is less and has become ineffective. Besides diligent implementation, new rules are needed. The onus of decongesting the roads, effective use of state transport, enforcing designated stops, public transport running on schedule, and identifying pressure points and accident prone zones, lies on the concerned government department. Bureaucracy and politics bear the burden of the unabated deaths and injuries caused by road accidents.
The Dreamer : The Dreamer loves his city and all its people.The fact that Jammu Kashmir tops in road fatalities disturbs him. Buses falling off into gorges, killing and injuring people saddens him. The preventive measures that remain on policy papers and are not implemented effectively frustrate him. He knows strict testing of driving skills before a person is given a driving license, will make our roads safer. He is surprised by the double standards of his fellow city dwellers who flout traffic rules, easily give bribes, insist on getting off Matadors at undesignated stops, sometimes right in the middle of moving traffic and yet point fingers at others without looking at their own part in the messed up system. The nexus between concerned authorities and matador owners must be broken and severe punishment ought to be meted out to offenders, is crystal clear to him. Parents who do not insist that their wards undergo training both in driving and road safety measures, are responsible for endangering lives, is obvious to him. He believes that road safety awareness could be a project which schools take up, conducting training workshops, organising events and activities for students. Appointing Road Safety Ambassadors at school would be another fun way to engage the children. He knows revoking redundant laws, effective implementation of targeted polices, and regular monitoring could turn things around.
Lives can be saved: Things can change. All it takes, is for each one to own up to their responsibility and perform their duty. It is as simple as that. It should start with introspection and end with action.
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