Recently, while speaking highly of his driving skills, a car driver confirmed that he could cover a distance of two hundred kilometers in just two hours. A few days later, seeing his pale face, I asked, “What happened?” He told me that he had received a message on his mobile asking him to pay a penalty of seven thousand rupees for high-speed driving, and only when he would produce or upload his driving license would a certain amount be deducted from the penalty. One of his driver friends clarified that there are overhead cameras fitted on the highway, which can detect and record the speed of a vehicle and penalize the drivers going beyond the prescribed speed limit. Most of us must have seen that on roads and highways, the prescribed speed limit, ranging from 10 kmph to 80 kmph or a little more or less, is displayed on boards at regular intervals, considering school, market, town, and curve areas, and drivers are supposed to control the speed of their vehicles accordingly. But in a vast country like India, with a huge network of roads and highways, it may not be possible to install cameras everywhere overnight, which may take some time. But considering the increasing number of defaulters who do not control their speed and accidents occurring regularly, the police administration does deploy mobile vans to keep a check on the excessive speed. Still, a proper control system is yet to be implemented. I told the driver that a time might come when there would be cameras in every chowk, curve, and crucial place, and nobody could escape the network of cameras and the imposition of penalties. The driver nodded and agreed that everyone should obey the rules. Moreover, a car mechanic had told him that petrol consumption would be less with better mileage if an average speed of 60-70 kmph is maintained. From discussions with people, it becomes clear that everyone knows the rules. It is only a matter of obeying them. But awareness among people and their compliance with the rules seems to be more effective than the strict control of the concerned authority in implementing the rules.
Speed is a great and highly admirable quality. Light has the highest speed to its credit, but it has to be controlled at some point or another. Recently, I saw a girl and a lady falling from a scooter at a turning point on the road. An autorickshaw, moving at a high speed on the main road, had not slowed down at the point where another road merges with it. The scooter had also not slowed down at the turning point while merging onto the main road. Naturally, there was a collision between the two. This is an example of people’s tendency to maintain a high speed. Most people think they will return home at the same speed with which they started, without caring for the curves and turning points along the way. This tendency can only be controlled by people themselves.
Speed is not limited to driving. Let us consider the following:
- Drivers not slowing down on highways while passing through populated areas – Most drivers do not reduce their speed while passing through populated areas on highways. The speed of their vehicles remains the same, which is quite dangerous. Luckily, people living on both sides of the highways are used to it. However, circumstances may change, and there may occasionally be people unfamiliar with the area. So drivers should control their speed as instructed.
- Drivers not slowing down at turning points and curves – It is also common for drivers to avoid slowing down and instead continuously honk at turning points and blind curves. In such places, one can never know what might come from the opposite direction. Drivers should slow down, honk, and stay in their lane.
- Tractors moving at high speed in towns and cities – Tractors, mostly used in agriculture and transporting goods and materials in rural and urban areas, are often seen moving at high speeds with trolleys and extra iron cage wheels. This can be very dangerous and has frequently led to road accidents. Tractor speed should be controlled as needed.
- Motorcycle racing and acrobatics on roads – Most towns and cities witness motorcycle racing and acrobatics on roads. Mostly young bikers are risking their lives by indulging in high-speed racing and acrobatics. They should refrain from this activity, which brings no reward, and the police administration should exercise proper control over it.
- Bicycle and motorcycle riders hanging onto the back of four-wheelers – Bicycle and motorcycle riders in semi-urban and rural areas often cling to the back of a tractor or mini-truck to match its speed. They believe this saves them some petrol or the effort of pedaling. However, they should avoid this dangerous behavior to save their lives.
- Cars with maximum speed – When we have roads and highways with a maximum speed limit of 120 kmph or so, there is no need for car speedometers to show speeds of 260 kmph or more, which is considered high performance. Governments should instruct car manufacturers within their territories to limit the speed so drivers are not encouraged to drive at such high speeds.
- Bike riders moving at high speed through crowds – Bike riders should have proper control over their speed and move carefully in crowded areas. They cannot expect to maintain the same speed everywhere.
- Moving trains and vehicles – People should avoid keeping up with moving trains and vehicles. They should get on and off only when the train or vehicle is stationary to avoid accidents.
- Sudden overtaking on the left side – Some people, mostly on bicycles and motorcycles, frequently overtake suddenly on the left side, often at high speed. If someone is on the left, thinking they are safe, they may be caught by surprise.
- Overtaking two or three vehicles – Some people are in the habit of overtaking, regardless of whether two or even three vehicles are ahead. They will attempt to overtake with speed, trying to pass without disruption.
- Vehicles moving in close rows – On roads, and mostly on highways, large trucks carrying goods often move in close rows, with little distance between them, disregarding vehicles coming from behind. This makes overtaking difficult and increases the risk of accidents. Such truck drivers, especially those covering long distances, should drive cautiously and maintain space between each other to allow other vehicles to pass smoothly.
Life would be dull without speed. But speed as per necessity is a must. Otherwise, it will make life terrible and horrible. According to a report, there were 4,61,312 road accidents in India in 2022. According to another report, 1.19 million people lost their lives in road accidents worldwide in 2023. These figures are truly alarming. It is even more shocking when we learn that children and young people are victims of such accidents. High-speed driving, reckless and careless driving, road conditions, and disobedience to traffic rules can be cited as the main reasons for this unfortunate situation. Public awareness, obedience to traffic rules, and appropriate action by the administration against defaulters will not only control accidents but also save precious human lives.
(The views expressed are the writer’s own)
Mr. Prafulla Kumar Majhi,
Retired Asst. Director, A. I. R, is an eminent Scholar and freelance writer in English & Odia. His areas of interests are sociocultural, economic, literary, historical and analytical studies and writings.
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