There is no denying that change needs to come in the way Indians behave on the roads - it seems as if everyone drives recklessly, speeding is rampant, safety measures are largely ignored even when legislated (see earlier post on traffic - in addition I constantly glance in vehicles and see few people wearing seatbelts) and roads are often in poor repair with hazards unmarked.
The urgency with which this issue needs to be addressed was brought to the whole city's attention on Thursday in a horrible way when a school bus being driven rashly by a young (19), inexperienced driver went off the road into a polluted waterway. Four children on board and their female carer drowned on the spot, one child died later and two more tots remain in hospital on ventilators and in critical condition. Even more tragically it is a story that has been heard many times in the state and the country - children of all ages travel to school in busses/rickshaws which are more often than not dangerously overloaded and driven by people with little experience or sense of responsibility.
I question whether signs like those shown below actually have any effect (especially with text in English!) and whether anything can be done to lower the carnage on India's roads that will likely only increase as the number of vehicles rises without a commensurate upward pressure on the citizenry to obey the rules of the road and be properly trained to operate motor vehicles (this includes both those who drive for a living and those owning private vehicles). Drunk driving is also a huge problem.
The urgency with which this issue needs to be addressed was brought to the whole city's attention on Thursday in a horrible way when a school bus being driven rashly by a young (19), inexperienced driver went off the road into a polluted waterway. Four children on board and their female carer drowned on the spot, one child died later and two more tots remain in hospital on ventilators and in critical condition. Even more tragically it is a story that has been heard many times in the state and the country - children of all ages travel to school in busses/rickshaws which are more often than not dangerously overloaded and driven by people with little experience or sense of responsibility.
I question whether signs like those shown below actually have any effect (especially with text in English!) and whether anything can be done to lower the carnage on India's roads that will likely only increase as the number of vehicles rises without a commensurate upward pressure on the citizenry to obey the rules of the road and be properly trained to operate motor vehicles (this includes both those who drive for a living and those owning private vehicles). Drunk driving is also a huge problem.
