Road rules.... to follow.... haha.....
Dr. Joe Pearson, the head of Pathology department in an old hospital finally has to resign, due to his failure in a medical diagnosis. Being an obstinate old man, he stands under the sign 'NO SMOKING', lights his cigar, puffs on it, and goes out of the hospital. (Arthur Hailey's "Final Diagnosis")
I see a sign board, NO ENTRY - No, I must have the freedom to drive anyway I want. After all, the road belongs to all of us. The passengers on foot have to look both ways before crossing a road, though it is a 'one-way' road. The (deliberate) common excuse is that, 'I did not see the 'no entry' sign board.
Two wheeler riders are supposed to wear helmets and even the pillion-riders (as per the latest ruling). But you can usually see the helmets on the petrol tanks, as though they need protection! But when we see the police, we hurriedly put the helmet on. Are we trying to cheat the police or cheat ourselves? It is for our safety, the rule is framed. We do not have the luxury of replacing our head in case of damage (to our head)!
Our two wheel vehicles are the sturdiest in the world - because they have to carry 4 or 5 people (and some luggage too). Are they meant (or licensed) for carrying only 2 people...., what a joke! You would seldom see any two wheeler carrying only two. Minimum will be 3 and the maximum... no limit! Are we not endangering our own lives and also that of other users of the road? Most of us are fit to be in circus!
Over speeding is another menace which we normally witness on our roads. We treat our roads as 'race tracks'. Why then are the bikes made with capacity to reach 160 kmph? Am I not supposed to (or allowed to) fully utilize my vehicle? The young blood imagines that he is riding a 'Harley Davidson'.
You can regularly see sand-ladden lorries (condemned vehicles, well-past their life-span) speeding at a race pace (especially in suburban areas). Probably to escape the watchful eyes of concerned authorities! Most of such lorries are in a dilapidated stage and such lorries will ask 'what is a brake?' Long articles like steel rods and angles will be protruding well out of the length of the lorry without any 'red flag' being tied at the end of the goods (as a warning). This again is a common sight on our roads...
Another major problem we come across is 'drunken driving'. Over speeding combined with drunken driving kills many people on the road. A survey states that deaths due to road accidents is very much higher than that of illness. We don't bother about the safety of others (they should insure their lives, damn it!). It is for them to protect themselves (by not using the road!). What a deplorable attitude!
The auto-rickshaws (popularly known as 'tuk-tuk' in Thailand & Sri Lanka) carry more passengers than a normal bus. With the heavy school-bags of those children; it is a horrendous sight! No one might even know how many passengers are allowed to be carried in autos. It is a common sight in India....
'School zone - no horn' - who bothers? some drivers have the habit of sounding (or blowing) the horn without any reason. They have a natural flair for using the horn constantly. Some youngsters weave through tight traffic with musical horns (which they are not supposed to use on two - wheelers) at a menacing speed. They get a thrill! 'Speed thrills, but kills' - I have seen these sign boards on the road!
We habitually break rules...., especially road rules. Like 'records are meant to be broken', we think road rules are also meant to be broken, at will. As long as we are not caught by authorities, we will continue to break them...., why not? This is the general attitude of most of the users of road.
I see a sign board, NO ENTRY - No, I must have the freedom to drive anyway I want. After all, the road belongs to all of us. The passengers on foot have to look both ways before crossing a road, though it is a 'one-way' road. The (deliberate) common excuse is that, 'I did not see the 'no entry' sign board.
Two wheeler riders are supposed to wear helmets and even the pillion-riders (as per the latest ruling). But you can usually see the helmets on the petrol tanks, as though they need protection! But when we see the police, we hurriedly put the helmet on. Are we trying to cheat the police or cheat ourselves? It is for our safety, the rule is framed. We do not have the luxury of replacing our head in case of damage (to our head)!
Our two wheel vehicles are the sturdiest in the world - because they have to carry 4 or 5 people (and some luggage too). Are they meant (or licensed) for carrying only 2 people...., what a joke! You would seldom see any two wheeler carrying only two. Minimum will be 3 and the maximum... no limit! Are we not endangering our own lives and also that of other users of the road? Most of us are fit to be in circus!
Over speeding is another menace which we normally witness on our roads. We treat our roads as 'race tracks'. Why then are the bikes made with capacity to reach 160 kmph? Am I not supposed to (or allowed to) fully utilize my vehicle? The young blood imagines that he is riding a 'Harley Davidson'.
You can regularly see sand-ladden lorries (condemned vehicles, well-past their life-span) speeding at a race pace (especially in suburban areas). Probably to escape the watchful eyes of concerned authorities! Most of such lorries are in a dilapidated stage and such lorries will ask 'what is a brake?' Long articles like steel rods and angles will be protruding well out of the length of the lorry without any 'red flag' being tied at the end of the goods (as a warning). This again is a common sight on our roads...
Another major problem we come across is 'drunken driving'. Over speeding combined with drunken driving kills many people on the road. A survey states that deaths due to road accidents is very much higher than that of illness. We don't bother about the safety of others (they should insure their lives, damn it!). It is for them to protect themselves (by not using the road!). What a deplorable attitude!
The auto-rickshaws (popularly known as 'tuk-tuk' in Thailand & Sri Lanka) carry more passengers than a normal bus. With the heavy school-bags of those children; it is a horrendous sight! No one might even know how many passengers are allowed to be carried in autos. It is a common sight in India....
'School zone - no horn' - who bothers? some drivers have the habit of sounding (or blowing) the horn without any reason. They have a natural flair for using the horn constantly. Some youngsters weave through tight traffic with musical horns (which they are not supposed to use on two - wheelers) at a menacing speed. They get a thrill! 'Speed thrills, but kills' - I have seen these sign boards on the road!
We habitually break rules...., especially road rules. Like 'records are meant to be broken', we think road rules are also meant to be broken, at will. As long as we are not caught by authorities, we will continue to break them...., why not? This is the general attitude of most of the users of road.
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