There is nothing ‘cool’ about taking road safety lightly. It’s vital that parents and teachers lead by example and come together to educate younger individuals about the ills of underage driving and jaywalking, writes Radio City’s RJ Ginnie
Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world,” which emphasises how initiating personal change is the first step towards driving change in the society. It suggests that your responsibilities begin and end with your own behaviour. In a country like India, it is an acceptable practice to criticise the Government for not implementing citizen-centric policies that enhance the quality of living. Road safety is one such area where accidents are often blamed on bad roads, poor safety infrastructure and ignorance of Government officials. However, despite the many traffic rules and agencies responsible for setting and maintaining standards and enforcement, infringements are being committed every day by commuters and pedestrians themselves. The share of fatal road accidents has increased phenomenally as Indian commuters give more importance to high speed and aggressive driving than ensuring safe access for all.
Delhi, along with the National Capital Region, accounts for majority of the unsafe road practices in the country. Issues related to the safety of road users in Delhi, which already suffer from engineering faults, are compounded by speed and the behaviour of “unruly drivers.” The biggest example of rules being flouted is the menace of underage driving. In Delhi, it’s almost become a matter of pride to handover keys to your underage children. According to Section 180 of the Motor Vehicles Act, owners of the vehicles driven by minors — parents in most cases — are punishable by law with up to a three-month jail term, or a heavy fine, or both. Many lives are destroyed by underage drivers going for a joyride in the vehicles of their parents or older relatives. Commoners are aware of many unlicensed drivers going for the short drive — but often overlook the nature of the risks and the consequences to these youngsters. While parents should familiarise themselves with the risks associated with underage driving, ignorance and pride often take centre stage, leading to tragic accidents which can destroy families in a matter of minutes.
Delhi’s other favourite pastime is drunk driving or ‘car-o-bar’. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, can lead to a fine or a prison term of up to six months. Despite these rules and regulations, as of October 2018 (Delhi Police records), a staggering number of 35,598 people were caught drunk driving, as compared to 27,672 last year. Despite a variety of methods, from educating people to legislative changes, the problem of drunk driving persists. There seems to be a general attitude of apathy when it comes to driving after drinking in India and the problem seems to be worse when it comes to young, urban professionals, especially men. Jaywalking, another ‘trend’, has resulted in tragic consequences for both the pedestrians as well as the drivers. It’s a condition engrained in the ethos of the capital city of India, maybe even an urban cultural disorder that lurks within us all. While we can complain about lack of amenities such as subways, footpaths and footbridges, the sad reality is that we believe it’s safer to jaywalk than to march on to a zebra crossing at a traffic signal. This is despite Section 28 of the Delhi Police Act, empowering the police to formulate new rules to curb jaywalking.
lack of education and awareness
Most of these problems can be attributed to a general lack of awareness on the harmful effects of unsafe road practices. For example, parents/guardians often fail to comprehend the grave consequences of allowing their underage kids to drive; and when caught in the act, a few phone calls easily resolve conflicts. Instead of educating children about following traffic rules and holding human life in highest regard, they set the wrong example by flouting the law themselves. There is an urgent need to highlight how road accidents cause severe collateral damage — lives and livelihoods are lost in an instant causing a lifetime of guilt, pain and trauma. The aim should be to develop a culture of road safety by understanding how each one of us is a driver of change rather than passing on the baton. A ‘safety culture’ covers values, actions and behaviours that show a commitment to safety over other interests or demands. While there is general recognition of road traffic injuries and fatalities, little is known about the link between road traffic injuries and economic growth. Looking at the bigger picture, one must also consider the economic advantages of preventing road accidents.
A World Bank study, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, found that reducing road traffic deaths and injuries could result in substantial long-term income gains for low — and middle —income countries. In addition to the GDP gains from preventing death and injury, road safety interventions improve welfare benefits to the society. Hence, reducing road traffic injuries would not only mean a victory to the transport sector, but a significant milestone for development with benefits for public health, wellbeing and economic growth.
Safer roads for a better future
Concerted actions and collaboration between public, private entities can go a long way in changing mentalities and in diagnosing road safety challenges that deliver measurable outcomes. Using combined expertise and resources, partnerships are essential for educating drivers and road users by engaging communities, the Government, businesses and the civil society. A recent campaign by Radio City in Delhi called #MeraGhaata addressed each of these issues at length and strives to spread awareness about the importance of following road safety measures. The campaign included several activities such as educating commuters, disseminating information on the various dos and don’ts for road safety to bring about a behavioural change among the masses towards adopting road safety practices in daily life. This is a different yet novel way to create awareness among the public about the need to drive safely and responsibly. India is a rapidly developing into one of the largest economies in the world; if we just take charge of resolving social issues like these at an individual level, economic and societal progress won’t be far behind.