Road accidents inevitable. Why? Because we are careless
I suffer from arithmophobia. Yes, the fear of numbers. Simple addition, deduction, multiplication, and division pose no challenges. Yet, beyond that, esoteric subjects such as trigonometry, algebra, et al., are poisons. How I scored 70% in mathematics in the school final examination remains a mystery! However, maths cannot be brushed aside. Sometimes, they have the potential to excite. Sometimes, they terrify.
Dr. Ramanand Jha, Distinguished Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, terrified me by punching my solar plexus with his observation: “While the percentage share of road deaths on ‘other roads’ is the highest, what is significant is that national highways and state highways constitute only 5.04 percent of all roads, but account for 61.11 percent of all road deaths.” (1)
One-twentieth in size, but its contribution to road fatalities is a whopping three-fifth of the total. Spine-chilling. The causes are many, lack of driver training facilities for heavy commercial vehicles, poor road designs, and lackadaisical implementation of road rules by the concerned authorities.
“When it comes to teaching our people to drive, there is no driver education in this country… We teach our new drivers told hold a wheel and how to stop and go and that’s pretty much,” writes D. R. Flanagan in his 2016 book, Inside The Truckers World. He is a veteran long-haul truck driver in the United States, not India.
He blames “this education process for all the “misinformed drivers on the road. If a better driver’s educational system were in place, our highways would have fewer fatalities.” The driving educational system teaches nothing about how other vehicles o the road operate, he surmises.
Flanagan compares professional truck drivers to professional swimmers. Imagine the entire city assembled at the municipal swimming pool on a warm Saturday afternoon to watch all and sundry in the water. “The slow-moving old to the young show-offs, the half-blind and disabled, and all other classification of people one can think of. And you, as a professional, swimming in the same pool without running into anyone.” Instead of blaming other road users, Flanagan advises the experienced truck drivers to show courtesy and understanding to those who are not.
Getting your rest at regular intervals en route is one of his key recommendations to avoid losing limbs or life. Ignore resting at your peril because non-stop work — be it driving or other chores — would result in fatigue, the big killer. One need not be a physician to proclaim this commonsensical thing. Fatigue, Fallanagan points out, “leads to aggressiveness and road rage, anxiety and high blood pressure leading to stroke and heart failure.” Here comes the punchline: “Trucking will teach you patience or turn you into a patient.”
Fallanagan’s advice rings at the back of my mind as I listen to Satyendra Kumar Singh (see above), a long-haul chemical tanker driver with 20 years of exposure. On his journey from Jabalpur to Gandhidham in an empty tanker vehicle of Bharat Benz make, he rests “after every 90–100km ride to get some fresh air and loosen up (his) limbs.” None can object to this safety drill. His 29-year-old Gandhidham-based owner, Sukatyu Gandhi, considers Singh one of his best drivers. “No accident. Clean record. What more can one ask for? Remember, he carries chemicals and safety is of paramount importance,” adds he.
Driver Counsellor Subashis Moharana of Praxair shares his company’s safety focus. Praxair, now a merged entity with Linde, provides gas to major steel plants. He recently undertook a journey risk assessment survey from Kalinganagar, where it has a plant alongside Tata Steel, to a client site, approx.600km away. As part of this survey, this expert had to identify proper resting areas for tankers ferrying Praxair. “These parking spots cannot be anywhere drivers wish. We choose those dhabas that fulfill our stringent regulations,” adds he.
The question of driver fatigue is out of the question. Why? Five cameras, three inside the driver’s cabin, monitor every single gesture of the driver. Any stoppage beyond 15-minute en route alerts the central control room and fleet supervisors. These eagle-type vigils are for the safety of cargo, vehicles, and drivers. What if someone disobeys? Blocklisted and taken off duty if they are on the payroll of Praxair. Contracted drivers and their owners lose the contract. Simple but effective. All these point to effective implementation.
From the road safety point of view, educate drivers about their duties and responsibilities while at the wheels, including the parking parameters. Not to be forgotten is the equally vital other road-users: from pedestrians to cyclists to passenger car drivers.
As far as the law enforcement agencies are concerned, implement the rules and regulations without fear or favor. Adequate wayside amenities and regular driving behavior monitoring would automatically dismantle India’s dubious distinction of occupying the top of the global road fatalities table. It is a win-win for all stakeholders. It may be the actualization of the perfect dream for India’s Roads and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, championing road safety with vigor.
