Either some distractions or nodding off behind the wheels could make one lose control and crash into structures on the roadside
Ignorance of road safety and basics of driving are like teasers that repeatedly ridicule our uncaring attitude towards the lessons taught by earlier incidents due to this unawareness which should have prompted us to take a more serious view and prevent a repeat of the disastrous consequences brought about by them.
But no! No matter how macabre the incident, our mind is attuned to a fixed-pattern of reactions which stimulates it to forget the unpleasantness of the whole matter and move on as if nothing happened.
Learning lessons from the past has never been our forte. Rather, we seem to relish quoting them as precedents, but refuse to see them as ominous signs of a far worse consequence were they to occur again. Let us for instance take the regular dose of reports on road fatalities that chill us to the bones every time we read about them!
Despite the understanding that knowledge, attitude and practice towards road safety regulations plays a big role in commuting safely on our roads and highways, public attitude towards road safety and risk perceptions has only worsened the situation.
Major accidents involving casualties which used to be a distressing factor not long back are now a viewing ‘pleasure’ for people who help videos of the horrible incidents go viral in no time.
The ‘forwarding’ tendency which brings the Ground Zero reality to thousands of viewers should have cautioned the public against committing similar mistakes while driving. But the proclivity shown for treating them as nothing but incidents on the screen remains a perpetual mystery.
We have come to believe that an accident is an unpredictable, and therefore almost unavoidable, incident. But going by the stats, most of the road ‘mishaps’ are results of careless and irresponsible driving.
The increased volume of traffic on the roads during festive seasons and extended weekend holidays are known to bring about a high level of road accidents as some people push the limits of the law and try to be brave and adventurous on the roads. But people don’t want to be reminded that their brash attitude while behind the wheels contributes to such calamitous situations.
Confidence sometimes exceeds ability. People with the mindset that accidents happen to those around them, but not to themselves, are more likely to increase their risk by taking chances.
But while on the subject it needs to be said that making ‘excavation sites’ of our roads and thoroughfares have not helped matters either!
We are however not here to discuss the ‘How and Whys” of road accidents as it is a subject which has been treated umpteen times by authorities on the subject more effectively.
But having said that, I choose to elaborate on the typical attitude of the public towards the more mundane and highly visible anomalies that are sure-shot accident triggers but are overlooked by pedestrians and motorists alike.
The surge in accidents has also led to a rise in injuries, with fatalities reported in various localities across the state in the first two weeks of April. But how does one describe the spate of self-accidents which have garnered headlines in the state in recent times!
People driving their vehicles onto streetlight poles, road-side dividers or tree trunks; two-wheelers on a ‘crash course’ targeting roadside compound walls; it is a long list of ‘obstacles’ which come in the drivers’ way; but almost always the obstacle becomes obstinate enough to snuff out lives.
Nothing could be further from the truth though!
Why blame the lifeless objects! Either some distractions or nodding off behind the wheels could make one lose control of the vehicle and crash into structures on the roadside.
Anything that takes one’s attention away from driving can be a distraction.
When one speaks of things that prevent one from concentrating on driving, we are apparently oblivious to any other kind but the usual ones that are so obvious.
The mobile mania that has gripped the population can best be described as that fad where people are yet to get over their fascination for an instrument that has become an inseparable part of their existence.
Just as outrageous it may seem to have a person walking across the road and talking with his mobile glued to his ears unmindful of the teeming traffic around him, the habit of texting or talking while driving demands a level of skill which does not come so easily to a novice in the art.
But, despite understanding the perils associated with such habits, these are what people indulge in with sheer impudence.
The flippant attitude shown by two-wheeler riders towards wearing helmets is equally complemented by the aversion shown by many motorists for the use of seat-belts while driving.
But it is seemingly the more trivial ones, which as potential threats, are being blatantly ignored.
The senseless existence of roadside markets dotting our highways comes to one’s mind instantly. The temptation of home-grown produce is so compelling for the locals that it is not unusual to have motorists or two-wheeler riders suddenly veering off the road whenever hawkers vending fresh varieties are spotted on the roadside.
Besides, if the travelling public were to be a bit more circumspect about not patronizing these wayside vendors, wouldn’t it do a load of good for all those commuting on the roads and highways!
The mushrooming of plant nurseries at vantage points along the highways has proved to be another ‘impediment’ for the smooth flow of traffic with parked cars and bikes outside these ‘outlets’ upsetting the rhythm of the traffic.
One cannot be blind to the fact that there are umpteen factors which contribute to an insecure setting on our roads and highways. The irony however is that, we consciously choose to ignore these pitfalls.
