IEarlier this week, I went on a road trip that was fascinating in more ways than one. It gave a great insight into the progress of road development in India by highlighting the respective behavior of the average road user in the country. It is clear that he has a complete and utter disregard for his own life and the lives of others. Unless drastic steps are taken to curb this menace, road deaths in India will continue to rise.
There has been a remarkable development in the country’s expressways, but as I once wrote in my column Regarding the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, we need to start teaching people how to use these roads. large number of deaths On the recently opened Bengaluru-Mysore Expressway and its open stretches Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway This has led ordinary busy people to demand lower speed limits and what not. I honestly wish these guys would drive more across India because speed is really just the tip of the iceberg.
Drunk driving, triple-riding and more
It has long been my belief that the advent of the 100 cc four-stroke motorcycle has served to bind India even more than the Indian Railways. But in districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh – helmet use on expressways, state highways and rural roads is surprisingly uncommon. combine it with triple-riding, which is almost day, And you ask for trouble. In that case, it is not an issue about affordability or enforcement; It depends on the users who neglect their security.
Recently, renowned cinematographer, biker and road safety advocate Navroz Contractor dead on Hosur Road outside Bangalore because three drunk motorcyclist Driving in the wrong direction, he collided with his Kawasaki Z650. The accident devastated two families as one of the three youths also died. Yes, even if you build the most utopian society, you can never completely eliminate crime, bad driving or road accidents. However, something must be done to make things better now.
Make no mistake; It is a matter of pride that we are building roads at a speed never seen before in independent India. Passing a newly built road in the middle of the ravines of the Chambal, where it was once considered dangerous to get lost, I noticed a significant change. Now, in addition to roads, new bridges are also being built over the river, replacing the colonial-era pontoon bridges that used to close every monsoon. Only when you pass through an unknown place, you can appreciate the success of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). In cities, we can say that the greatest infrastructural legacy of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Golden Quadrilateral. But the PMGSY, started by Vajpayee and continued by Manmohan Singh and Modi, has been a game changer for most of rural India.
While driving a big, heavy-duty Mahindra Scorpio-N on one of these roads, a vehicle that could chew potholes as well, I saw only a few potholes along the way.
Read also: Have cars become expensive in India? 1987 Maruti Omni vs 2023 Wagon R Do The Maths To Find Out
teach them to the young
PMGSY roads are far better than those built in many municipalities across India. Sure, I know the point about road loading and usage, PMGSY roads are less used than municipal roads, but still built with more care than roads in cities. These roads have opened up economic opportunity and some amazing historical sites.
But these roads or fancy expressways mean nothing if we do not change our reckless ways of using them. The do-it-yourself attitude towards road use has to change and enforcement has to be doubled across the country. But most importantly, now is the time to include lessons on road usage in the school curriculum. If people are taught from a young age to be better road users, they will not pick up bad habits from their parents and relatives.
I am very proud that India is building all these roads, but they will be useless unless we know how to use them. Because if we don’t, we will fondly remember the era when we were ‘only’ 1,50,000 road deaths per year.
@kushanmitra is an automotive journalist based in New Delhi. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)