Honking all the way: Indians must learn to behave on road
The nuisance of blowing horns is rising phenomenally and is directly related to rising number of vehicles in our cities. It appears to be the result of not acquiring adequate social skills and soft etiquettes from family and school.
EVERY NATION has some peculiar traits. So we Indians should surely have one too, even if it amounts to pursuing an obnoxious attribute. What is it that we revel in? Typically blaring horn without any rhyme or reason appears to be the most favourite past-time of us Indians. This problem would not be so acute if we were sparsely populated cities or the number of vehicles was small. But with every first-generation car owner (Tom, Dick and Harry) cruising around the towns and cities in flashy cars, with two to three cars per family, and unrestricted bludgeoning number, peace around the neighbourhood is a mirage. It is becoming impossible to bear the pain of listening to the horns. One shudders to think of the plight of those, who live close to main roads and thoroughfares; neither colonies are excepted from the onslaught of this perilous nuisance. Market places, colonies, schools, hospitals, office complexes every damn nook and corner of our habitat is now affected by vehicular noise, most of which is contributed by blaring horns.
What surprises is the general apathy to this threat to our privacy. No body dare raise his voice. Why stick your neck out? I am reminded of that famous quote: “They came first for the Communists, and I did not speak up because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jew, and I did not speak up because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and by that time no one was left to speak up.” (Martin Niemoller,1892-1984). On the other hand, we were told by Gandhiji- “Be the change you want to see in the world”. What to talk of action there is not a word from any where. There is almost a conspiracy of silence. Fortunately we have some spirited men and women here and there who try to make a difference. Recently this columnist came across one such person through a newspaper report – he is no less than a Good Samaritan – who is devoting his time and energy to espouse the cause of stopping horns in our cities. He is Ravi Kalra, who lives in Delhi and is carrying on a crusade against honking. We must complement this gentleman for what he is doing or trying to undo what many senseless humans have brought about by their thoughtless actions. Taking a cue from him, this columnist has put a sticker on the back screen of his car which says, ‘I love my dog but don’t bark like him’.
Sometimes one wonders whether this habit of honking is related to some form of mental confusion like ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ or some pathological disorientation – clinical psychologist may better tell the diagnosis. Does it give the horn-blowers some sense of empowerment over others? In any case such people are definitely in the need of help and earlier the better for all of us. But could there be other reasons like lack of community-mindedness, or a failure to understand what constitutes civility or concern for the society in which one lives? Or has it come around owing to lack of exposure at an early age to developing appropriate social skills within the family, a fault line in the school curriculum, which doesn’t give such aspects more than a flitting ritualistic touch, lack of involvement in community affairs, an apathy to the world around us – an attitude that is the product of an ‘elbow society’ – enforcing and reinforcing the aggressive disposition of some individuals? Thus is it an ‘acquired social deficiency syndrome’ (ASDS)? We have no answers but the affliction needs to be treated in the larger interest of the society.
That brings our discussion to the issue of lack of respect for the law and the role of law-enforcement agencies. We know that those who zip around in high speed, show road-rage, jump the red lights causing danger to the lives of others, blow horns in total disregard to the law and to the detriment of the public health are those, who have scant respect for the law and they do it with immunity because they rightly carry the impression in their head that there is no cost to such juvenile behaviour. The law enforcement therefore becomes vital to correct this impression. Unfortunately, this is reinforced by the custodians of traffic regulation. They have miserably failed in devising mechanism that prescribes and implements a cost to such behaviour. Man by nature would calculate his risk and that being low would like to take a chance. Only a certainty that the risk is high by way of cost that he may try to avoid it. Apart from a generally higher level of awareness, most developed cities in the world have this in-built cost to risky behaviour. But our democratic institutions take every thing into its stride and to a ridiculous level. Laws are only to be broken. We have reduced our democratic life into a sham. But what does the traffic police do? That is the saddest part of the problem. They are enriching themselves at the cost of the public as speed money is the panacea for all speed and related traffic violations. It is common knowledge that crores of rupees are collected from traffic violators and it is a huge racket. So long as we have tolerance to such antisocial activities on the part of law-enforcement agencies, it will nearly be impossible to build a society that has respect for law and a concern for the fellow-beings.
The civil society has to take a call and build a movement to stop this nefarious practice afflicting our roads. In the long term appropriate education in road etiquettes from early school days may help. As of the present, regular campaigns in communities and clubs are required to be undertaken. But most important it will be to clip the unbridled powers of the traffic regulators by appropriate means including measures such as appointing conscientious and willing citizens who would work as traffic magistrates and report malpractices, which would be acted upon in a fast-track mode.
What surprises is the general apathy to this threat to our privacy. No body dare raise his voice. Why stick your neck out? I am reminded of that famous quote: “They came first for the Communists, and I did not speak up because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jew, and I did not speak up because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and by that time no one was left to speak up.” (Martin Niemoller,1892-1984). On the other hand, we were told by Gandhiji- “Be the change you want to see in the world”. What to talk of action there is not a word from any where. There is almost a conspiracy of silence. Fortunately we have some spirited men and women here and there who try to make a difference. Recently this columnist came across one such person through a newspaper report – he is no less than a Good Samaritan – who is devoting his time and energy to espouse the cause of stopping horns in our cities. He is Ravi Kalra, who lives in Delhi and is carrying on a crusade against honking. We must complement this gentleman for what he is doing or trying to undo what many senseless humans have brought about by their thoughtless actions. Taking a cue from him, this columnist has put a sticker on the back screen of his car which says, ‘I love my dog but don’t bark like him’.
Sometimes one wonders whether this habit of honking is related to some form of mental confusion like ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ or some pathological disorientation – clinical psychologist may better tell the diagnosis. Does it give the horn-blowers some sense of empowerment over others? In any case such people are definitely in the need of help and earlier the better for all of us. But could there be other reasons like lack of community-mindedness, or a failure to understand what constitutes civility or concern for the society in which one lives? Or has it come around owing to lack of exposure at an early age to developing appropriate social skills within the family, a fault line in the school curriculum, which doesn’t give such aspects more than a flitting ritualistic touch, lack of involvement in community affairs, an apathy to the world around us – an attitude that is the product of an ‘elbow society’ – enforcing and reinforcing the aggressive disposition of some individuals? Thus is it an ‘acquired social deficiency syndrome’ (ASDS)? We have no answers but the affliction needs to be treated in the larger interest of the society.
That brings our discussion to the issue of lack of respect for the law and the role of law-enforcement agencies. We know that those who zip around in high speed, show road-rage, jump the red lights causing danger to the lives of others, blow horns in total disregard to the law and to the detriment of the public health are those, who have scant respect for the law and they do it with immunity because they rightly carry the impression in their head that there is no cost to such juvenile behaviour. The law enforcement therefore becomes vital to correct this impression. Unfortunately, this is reinforced by the custodians of traffic regulation. They have miserably failed in devising mechanism that prescribes and implements a cost to such behaviour. Man by nature would calculate his risk and that being low would like to take a chance. Only a certainty that the risk is high by way of cost that he may try to avoid it. Apart from a generally higher level of awareness, most developed cities in the world have this in-built cost to risky behaviour. But our democratic institutions take every thing into its stride and to a ridiculous level. Laws are only to be broken. We have reduced our democratic life into a sham. But what does the traffic police do? That is the saddest part of the problem. They are enriching themselves at the cost of the public as speed money is the panacea for all speed and related traffic violations. It is common knowledge that crores of rupees are collected from traffic violators and it is a huge racket. So long as we have tolerance to such antisocial activities on the part of law-enforcement agencies, it will nearly be impossible to build a society that has respect for law and a concern for the fellow-beings.
The civil society has to take a call and build a movement to stop this nefarious practice afflicting our roads. In the long term appropriate education in road etiquettes from early school days may help. As of the present, regular campaigns in communities and clubs are required to be undertaken. But most important it will be to clip the unbridled powers of the traffic regulators by appropriate means including measures such as appointing conscientious and willing citizens who would work as traffic magistrates and report malpractices, which would be acted upon in a fast-track mode.
 | Previous Post |
Login
 Login through Social ID
|
