Indian Traffic Sense - Unity in Diversity

Haha, why blame that poor old man for the lousy way in which we jump traffic lights...

But so true....we just navigate on roads these days...

Haha, why blame that poor old man for the lousy way in which we jump traffic lights...

But so true....we just navigate on roads these days...

A girl (or a woman), was blocking the free left in a traffic signal and when the chauffeur of my borrowed car honked the horn for the second time, she turned back and mouthed a real bad word in Tamil,

Nazifeminist! (No, I didnt comment on a wrong thread in case you are wondering;))

dee.. HAHAHHAH!

I do have to say that the driving in India in general is hellacious, and in bangalore it is utterly deplorable. there is this stretch on New BEL Road that I had to travel every day on my way to work. People would routinely drive at very high speeds on the wrong side of the road and flash their lights at oncoming traffic to make way. Make way where, asshole? It's MY side of the road!

I really got angry a lot at the insanely unsafe driving practices of many people in Bangalore. No respect for the safety of others. We narrowly avoided accidents on a daily basis. It was a serious cause for concern. One of my workmates was involved in a very serious crash. A lorry hit them head on (it was the lorry's fault) and in the car, everyone was injured... my officemate, her son, her husband, her mom and her father... all were hospitalized, and the mom still has issues to this day, 2 years later.

Cussing someone out in traffic is universal. Hell in italy we talk about defiling someone's dead family members at the slightest traffic offense. And we drive fast. I have been in the car when my cousin drove on the sidewalk for a bit in Rome. But never, ever have I witnessed such reckless disregard for others' safety as I have on the roads of Bangalore.

Traffic laws are meant for safety. Some drivers feel that as long as safety factor is observed or safety is not at risk, it is OK to take few liberty with traffic laws. So when it is safe to do so, laws will be skipped - for most drivers, that boils down to not being caught by a cop.

Than there are those who feel why anybody else should worry about their safety - you know, my-safety-is-my-business types. They know best. So all the safety rules be damned.

Traffic laws are meant for smooth flow of traffic. And some drivers feel they know it better how to navigate traffic and create their own smooth travel. For some drivers, smooth flow means being able to speed smoothly, being able to get to their destinations faster.

Some drivers tend to be always in urgent missions to get to their destinations even if speeding and skipping laws can get them there only few minutes early, as if those few minutes of saved commute time were so crucial for them. Most of the time, one would find such drivers to be aimless bums, with no priorities.

Than there are those drivers, for whom driving is such a chore they want to get it over with as fast as they can. Not a minute more on commute is acceptable to them. Travel is like an obstacle course for them. Every obstacle has to be skipped.

Than there are the young ones, full of life and adrenaline - they feel like they are on some race every time they hop on their vehicle, that they feel they are on display and have to impress others with their driving prowess and what they are driving, so anything usual will not do for them. They have to win the owe and attention, nothing less with do.

Than there are those who who feel laws are for the other guys who don't know better. Since they know how to take care and be safe, none of it applies to them.

Than there are those cows and goats and dogs and pigs who are never in a hurry to go anywhere - they feel they are exempt from all laws because their forefathers owned the roads. Being ignorant of laws also helps. They must feel they are doing public service by acting as speed breakers.

And they all congregate in a one big festive Mela, where traffic laws are only side shows and never a dull moment. I recall spending life-time at circular intersections - where they have circles for intersections that connect half a dozen roads - old relic of British. So there is no traffic light or cop there but people merge into the circle and get off it to take their road. I have seen several hundred bikes, bicycles, cars, scooters stuck there, each meshed and intertwined with each other, none of them being able to move an inch as each vehicle would be obstructing the movement of several other vehicles - I have seen people spend 30-45 min waiting to get off that circle, often requiring several cops to untangle the mess, and yet traffic get added to the circle at much faster rate than vehicles being able to get off the circle - so high drama lasts for hours without relenting, days after days, never occurring to people that little bit of traffic discipline would let them clear the circle in matters of seconds and make their life easier. But people would have none of that. Typical traffic scene is a mirror of typical Indian mind - it has disdain for rules and authority, it has distrust of others, it wants to drive ahead without worrying about how many it wants to trample or pull down but in the process nobody getting anywhere - everybody thinks they are the king of their own kingdom and their wishes their own laws, which nobody is allowed to invade or intrude. Perhaps, being ruled by hostile forces for so long, people have developed their own self-defense mechanisms to retreat into their own kingdoms. Unruly and unrulable bunch we are on the road, and off the road.

I only have fond memories of me and my scooter. I must have fallen off half a dozen times, rammed into quite a few people, but never seriously injuring anybody. I remember ramming my bicycle right between the legs of a sari-clad lady in a market place and she rode on my front wheel like that till my bicycle came to a complete halt. I was only 12 than and the lady was so embarrassed she did not even curse me. Another time, a dog bumped into my scooter and skidded me, and I was so embarrassed in front of the college ladies I quickly left the scene forgetting to give a ride to my friend who was hitching a ride with me - he kept yelling to wait and take him but I didn't hear a thing in a hurry to run away from the scene of embarrassment - only after few minutes I realized why my back seat was empty. My dad did the same to my mom once - so I know it runs in my genes. Oh what bewildering personalities we bring to the road.