A man, driving his children back home from school on his motorcycle, was engrossed in talking on his cellphone at Ram Nagar junction on Saturday. The children were carrying schoolbags on their shoulders. And, as if that was not enough, the man balanced a rice bag vertically on the petrol tank.
Car and two-wheeler drivers should understand that roads are not the right place for them to demonstrate their driving talents. They are not only putting their own lives at risk but also those of others in danger.
Incidentally, Police Commissioner J. Purnachandra Rao drove home this point among students, who participated in a programme organised at GITAM University on Saturday.
“There is no need for the police to impose fine on you. Answer a call while driving and the chances of the call getting diverted to ‘Lord Yama’ are very high,” he told the huge gathering of students.
He said special drives were being conducted to check cellphone driving, drunken driving, and other traffic violations.
Giving the statistics, he said a total of 5,217 cellphone driving cases, 4,626 drunken driving cases, 327 cases of driving while smoking, 1,749 triple riding, 14,062 auto piloting (sitting on either side of the driver), and 17,097 over-speeding cases were booked as part of the special drives conducted during 2011. He said that 19 accident-prone junctions were identified and precautions were being taken.
When his attention was drawn to car drivers negotiating turns at junctions with a single hand on the wheel while continuing their ‘chatter’ on their mobiles, Mr. Purnachandra Rao expressed dismay and called for a change in their attitude.
Tech edge
“More than enforcement, self-discipline is the key to minimise accidents on the road,” feels Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Suresh Babu.
“There is a way out for doctors and others who have to continuously attend to calls on the drive. They can get the latest Bluetooth-enabled gadgets installed in their car for prices ranging from Rs.50,000 to Rs.1 lakh. The driver need not pick up the phone and the call gets connected to the speakers in the car to alert the driver,” says a man who has seen the device installed in his colleague’s car.
Motorists should, however, check with the traffic police about the legality before going ahead with installation of these devices.
–Courtesy:The Hindu