============== ALL 'n' SUNDRY By Valmiki Faleiro ============== Goa's appalling road sense - 2
Overtaking is not bad. Bad overtaking is. A common cause of road crashes, and much avoidable carnage. If only a few commonsensical rules were observed, that fateful decision to overtake -- and the loss of life or limb -- would be averted. Permit me to share my few cardinal commandments on overtaking. Decide to overtake only when doubly sure that a safe road space, and a clear line of sight, is available to complete the maneuver and to revert to one's side of the road before an oncoming vehicle can reach the spot. This entirely rules out overtaking at turns, bends or at the ridge of a hill. Even on a straight stretch, if you aren't sure of the speed/distance of the oncoming vehicle (as happens at night but can happen by day), it'll be Russian roulette to attempt. Rule 2, as every prudent driver knows, is it's not enough to have just a safe and clear road length to start an overtake. A safe habit is to ascertain that the vehicle you plan to overtake also has clear passage ahead of itself. Since this lies on your blind side, move towards left and check. If the vehicle has an obstruction ahead of it, chances are it will swerve rightwards to bypass the obstruction ... just while you are overtaking. One needs to be extra cautious while overtaking buses that halt, to alight or take in passengers. Alighting passengers (or those in a hurry to get in, but are on the other side of the road) often spring *daring* surprises, with a *T* in the middle ... just as you are overtaking. And it's never a swell idea to overtake from the left, whatever the temptation. Another cardinal rule: however apparently safe the conditions to overtake, always shift to third or lower gear before attempting. One can never be certain of what or who may choose to zoom across from the roadside bushes -- a pack of dogs chasing a neighbourhood bitch, or an early morning shantyman, *lotha* in hand, scrambling for the yonder bushes ... like at Zuarinagar, on the four-lane NH-17A. Sudden braking and vehicle control is far easier and effective in lower gears. You need to be cautious not just while overtaking but also when being overtaken. Not all drivers will sensibly yield enough room before resuming the lane. Be particularly wary of the rich man's spoilt brat, whose annoying hooting for way you disregarded: he's sure to try to impart a hands-on lesson, by cutting in as he overtakes. Then you have these kamikazes, who appear to have just received an urgent telegram from above ... it's best to slow down or even get off the carriageway and allow the guy his shortcut to heaven, to avoid getting involved unwittingly. One may be cautious but that's no insurance from getting killed, especially on highways, where daylight overtaking at its reckless best, is commonplace. This is where defensive driving is life and limb saving. To this day, I vividly remember a scene straight out of a comedy flick. (This one's not on defensive driving, but on how an elderly moped rider went into offensive, to instill some road sense into a highway trucker.) We were doing Mumbai-Goa by car. The coastal NH-17 then being bad, we took the Pune-Bangalore NH-4, to return via Belgaum. It was a rather quiet mid- afternoon on the Karad-Satara lap. Ahead was a straight one-kilometre stretch, curving rightwards thereafter. The only other road user was this dhoti-clad, mustachioed, old farmer with a trademark white topi of the region, purring his ancient moped, in the same direction, some 300 metres ahead of me. A farmhand was in pillion. A truck emerged from the opposite end. And another, overtaking the first, around the bend. The overtaking driver saw the moped, yet persisted. The elderly rider did something incredible. Now about a 100 metres from the overtaking truck, he swerved to the middle of its path, stopped and began to vigorously gesticulate, beckoning the overtaking driver, as if saying, "come, come, I'm here for being run over." I quickly lowered gear and moved rightwards to cover the moped, in solidarity. The old farmer's unexpected act jolted the offending trucker. He gave up and moved to his side. Everyone, including both truck drivers, was in splits. I tipped the old man in salute as I overtook him. He had made our day. (I will not advocate such bravado but in the traffic circumstances, the weathered farmer was safe, fair -- and funny!) Tailpiece: Mario Goveia, a GoaNetter, observes, "I grew up in India and drove motorcycles and cars before emigrating. Last month I rented a car in Goa and drove from north to south. I'm not sure why Valmiki is so perturbed or surprised by the lack of road sense in India. It is what it is. Non-existent. Zero. Zip. Nada. Nyet. There is only one *golden rule*: DON'T HIT ANYTHING. Good drivers deal with it. The trick is to mentally accept the conditions and focus on what you need to do. The conditions are not going to change anytime soon." Philip Thomas, another GoaNetter, suggests we ask Maruti Udyog to start their - *Maruti Driving School* in Goa. Not a bad idea, if the world-class MDS begins with our driving school instructors, RTOs who take tests and issue driving licences, and the Traffic Police! (Maruti's Japanese partner, Suzuki, cited accident ratios in India and Japan. India with 10 million vehicles has 87,000 accidents a year. Japan with 74 million vehicles has 8,400. Goa, with a fraction of a single million vehicles, has 3,000+ reported accidents per annum! That's where we stand, sadly.) ============================================================================== The above article appeared in the April 2, 2006 edition of The Herald, Goa _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: %(user_optionsurl)s This email sent to %(user_address)s