#whatsyourissue: Rash driving by transport vehicles

September 29, 2016 02:46 pm | Updated November 01, 2016 09:46 pm IST - Bengaluru:

Over 95,000 cases have been booked against buses and 4.67 lakh against autorickshaws since the beginning of this year till August

Experts say fitting speed governors can help. Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P

Experts say fitting speed governors can help. Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P

In a city with over 60 lakh vehicles, a scratched fender or two is not uncommon. In the mad rush to get to office every day, minor accidents that can easily be avoided are par for the course.

The increase in the number of transport vehicles, such as cabs that ferry company employees, led to the trend of pasting the number of the transport manager on the cabs. This was to enable other motorists to call and complain against drivers who do not follow road rules. However, in practice, most times these numbers do not work or even result in the caller being told to mind his/her own business.

“A cab driver followed me for more than five kilometres after I refused to budge at a red light. He wanted me to make way for him to break the signal. Angered, he trailed my car, kept honking and flashing his lights for the next 15 minutes. I noted down the number listed behind the cab and called. I was told that action would be taken. However, I seriously doubt it,” says Nachiketa Das, a management professional.

The number of taxis in the city is 1.16 lakh. These vehicles are most visible on the roads as they ply throughout the day. With strict time schedules to follow, rules are broken with impunity, motorists allege.

“We are tired of telling our cab driver not to break rules. He drives the wrong way on one-way roads at night, breaks signals and honks incessantly. Complaining internally has had no effect on him,” says Poornima, who works for an MNC.

Buses,autosalso a problem

It is not just taxis that break rules. Buses operated by private companies as well as the State-owned Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) are guilty.

Over 95,000 cases have been booked against buses and 4.67 lakh against autorickshaws since the beginning of this year till August. “They are under tremendous time pressure and resort to breaking rules,” says R. Hithendra, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

“I have called the BMTC helpline several times to inform them about buses being driven rashly. The issue needs to be addressed on a larger scale, as it doesn't seem to be going away. At least they have a helpline. What about private buses?” says Arpitha Vijayakumar, an event planner.

Possible solutions: ‘Counsel violators’

With the problem of rash driving on the rise, Transport Department officials say that counselling of violators is a possible step to mitigate the issue. “The police books cases and sends us recommendations for suspension of licence. In Jayanagar RTO, we used to hold refresher or counselling classes when drivers appeared for the hearing before the licence was suspended. In other RTOs, since the volume of such cases is low, they can look at distributing pamphlets on road safety, or other methods. This is, of course, parallel to the punitive measure of booking cases,” says Gnanendra Kumar, Joint Commissioner — Transport (Bangalore Urban).

There is also the option of fitting speed governors. “As and when they come in for renewal of their certificate or for new vehicle registration, we have made speed governors mandatory. This will reduce the problem of rash driving at high speeds,” he said.

Reader’s email

“BMTC buses occupy a major portion of the road. Most do not have side indicators. The rear lights don’t work. They turn left or right and change lanes randomly. BMTC drivers must be a little careful,” says Mahadev.

“BMTC drivers are most prone to rash driving and accidents. BMTC officials and even traffic cops do not take serious action against them,” says Syed, Thanisandra.

“Additional police should be deployed on ORR in the late hours to keep a check on rash driving by buses, autos and taxis. RTO should be playing the role of an educator and not just issue licences,” says Srikanth S.

People Speak

“I have called the BMTC helpline several times to inform them about rash driving. However, the issue doesn't seem to be going away. But at least they have a helpline. What do we do with private buses?” says Arpitha Vijayakumar, an event planner.

“The only option to control rash driving is to make penalties stricter. Transport vehicles have an added responsibility as they ferry passengers and must be the first one to follow rules,” says Shreya Salian, a financial analyst.

Cases booked till August 2016 against all classes of vehicles

Jumping signals: 3,15,882

Lane discipline: 2,73,649

Reckless driving: 97,849

Speeding: 63,530

Zig zag driving: 5,870

Total cases booked against (all violations):

Autorickshaws: 4,67,117

Buses: 95,674

Cabs: 18,856

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