The Road is Filled with Idiots; Luck Eventually Runs Out

Shanti's eyes remained affixed on the ring. She tilted it sideways and ran her forefinger on the inside, feeling each letter engraved on it. It was a deliberate attempt to travel back in time. The ring had been a gift, a day before Diwali.  He had grasped her arm, pulling her to the room, away from his parents who were glued to the TV. Gently closing her eyes with his palm, he slowly took out a blue rectangular box hidden in his jacket. She could see the gold ring with little stones running by the side, sparkling the moment he opened it and allowed her to see it. As he gently pushed the ring onto her finger, she was overjoyed and tears welled up in her eyes.

It had been two years now. There wouldn't be another day like that, she knew as she carefully kept the ring aside and with it the memories. Rajiv, 29, was killed in a freak road accident. Shanti didn't dwell into the details. All she gathered was that a man driving a sedan had lost control of the vehicle and rammed into Rajiv, who was waiting for the signal to turn green. Hailing from a family with political leanings, the killer had ensured that the case was quickly wrapped up as just another accident. Newspapers had extensively covered the incident highlighting the injuries sustained by the killer. That lasted a day or two. Yet another death by accident was recorded in the police records.

Reports say that nearly 1.3 million people die every year on the world's roads and 20 to 50 million people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many sustaining a disability as a result of their injury. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years and cost countries 1-3% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Careful analysis of the highways in India would reveal absolutely no precautions by the authorities to curb speeding. Poor enforcement of helmet and seat belt wearing, speeding and inadequate ambulance facility for road crash victims in India has pushed up the total fatalities. With 1.43 lakh deaths in 2011, India tops the list of nations in total number of road deaths.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the death rate per 100,000 populations for road traffic accident has increased from 16.8 in 2009 to 18.9 in 2013. Statistics indicate that there is no guarantee that one will return home after a drive on Indian roads. No wonder tyre manufacturer CEAT chose to leverage the situation for its advertisement – ‘the road is filled with idiots.’ Most of us will find the ad funny but for people like Shanti, it is about reliving the horrific incident. If the government chooses to turn a blind eye, remember, it only makes matters worse. It reduces the luck factor. As they say, luck eventually runs out…

 

Can you Help?

Dear Dr.Raut,

Not sure if you'd recall my name - Rahul Anand. The association with you is accidental. On a warm Sunday evening last year, you veered into my life and changed it forever. I was travelling for my daughters birthday that day. She was to turn 4 and had like any other kids demanded lot of things. Today, I live in those sweet memories.

Well, I am not sure if emotions work on leaders and this mail isn't intended to share my grief. Be it an accident or not, you might now remember what had really happened on the Express Way. If I were to line up the people who came to help us on that day - they'd all say unequivocally that it was a result caused by you over speeding. Oh, let's not get into the past.

It has been a year and it's Arundhati's birthday today. And, I was thinking of the wonderful gifts that I could have given her. Then, the emptiness - well, you wouldn't undeerstand that. It then occurred to me that the best gift I can give her is to perhaps avoid any occurrence of such accidents on the Express way. And, it might not be possible for a common man like me to ensure that. It takes someone in power to take action. More importantly, it takes someone who has experienced the pain (of an accident) to take action - I m sure you'll agree.

The express way has no dividers in most places. Except for plants and flowers that run the length, in between both the lanes, there is no barrier that can curb vehicles from jumping over to the other side. As a leader, can you please ensure that the officials work towards building such barriers?

Yet another request is to ensure the availability of fully equipped ambulances. Availability of one such in time could potentially save lives - save Arundhatis.

I am certain this isn't much of a task for a leader like you. This will in fact only build your credibility as a leader. As the pundits say, 'true leaders are those who help the others, those who don't repeat mistakes.'

Best Wishes

Rahul