Stop !!!

Stop !! What's the hurry ???Just take a minute to think ... where do u wanna go so fast that getting there 10 minutes late is just not an option ??? what would the damage be ??? Would you also kill if that's what it takes to get where you want to be ???

I bet all of you can identify with the questions I've asked. Or at least you know so many people who would fit into that description.. But really what's the hurry. Did you know India has the world's highest accident rate in the world. more than 11 lakh people die of road accidents and India contributes a whooping 80,000+ to that figure.

Just today two people on bikes were killed due to an accident with the blue line buses in Delhi less than 2 hours apart and less than 3 kms apart. And invariably the crowd, the media, the news channels blame the buses and other heavy vehicles for the accident. but did you even for a second consider that it could have been the biker's fault too. I'm eye witness to bike riding that can shock you out of your wits!!

Please don't mistake me for taking the bus driver's side on this but I'd ask each one to at least look at both sides of the coin. The bus drivers are in a hurry of their own but the bikers are no less guilty. If you ever happen to stumble upon the statistics of the number of bike riders riding without a license I wouldn't have to speak a word more.

And let's not even get to the process of issuing licenses !! I could get you a license without even you moving out of the comforts of your house, in fact having sat in a car or on a bike is also not a mandate !!! Rs. 600 for a 2-wheeler license and Rs. 1000 for a 4-wheeler license are not exhorbitant prices anyway ;).

And to top it all there's bad news for those few sincere citizens who still believe that the RTO is the place you go if you want to apply for a fresh LL or DL. A friend of mine happened to think so and went to apply for an LL for a two wheeler with all relevant documents. The first question he was asked at the RTO was "Which driving school ?" and to which his answer was a sincere "None". He was asked to come back a week later and when he returns in hope of getting ahead he was simply returned all his documents with his application saying a particular document was missing ( which was of course deleberately removed from the set he submitted !!! ). Moral of the story: ' Want a DL, go to driving school !!! ' so that the guy sitting at the RTO can earn a little more money, after all how much does his job pay him C'mon [:)]!!!!

And then we come to reasons why so many accidents happen ( trust me the license Scandal is the least of our issues ). We blame the people driving the vehicles but you might be shocked to hear how very guilty the so-called innocent pedastrians are... Jay walking is dangerous and people know it all very well. But when you're in a hurry do you even care what the cop tells you about walking on the pavement or the zebra crossings??? People on the famous park street in kolkata push aside the lonely cop and say step aside sir, i'm in a hurry :).. how very convenient i must say.

And what makes you think that just a monetary penalty is gonna stop people from driving rash??? You think a fine of rs. 1000 is gonna even make a rich kid with a rich dad think twice before driving rash again or do you think a fine of Rs. 100-300 is going to make youngsters apply for a fresh license. And at other times even a Rs. 100 note is enough to get away for an offence which should be penalised with at least Rs. 1000 or more as long as it goes unnoticed into the traffic polices' personal funds !!!

Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai or Calcutta - Its the same story everywhere.. Whats the hurry i ask ??? Whats the hurry to get driving without a (a legitimate one i must add ;) ) license ??? Whats the hurry to get to your workplace 10 minutes early and what stops you from leaving 10 minutes early rather than try and make up those 10 lost minutes on the road putting 10 other lives in danger including yours ??? If only you can just STOP n THINK !!!