When we begin to talk about the topic Road Safety, our first instinct is to list out the following points…
– wear seat belts
– drive on the correct side of the road
– do not over speed
– overtake from the correct side
– no distractions while driving
– helmets for two wheeler users
– traffic signal rules. Enough said!
Perfect! It is good (and compulsory) to follow these rules for a safe drive – safe drive for us, how about others? How much do we really care about our fellow drivers on the road? How many of us have really bothered about the safety of our fellow riders, and the harm (unintentionally) we might be the cause of, to them? How can we make the ride safe, for us and others too?
People who use the road, driving along with us, have family, have responsibilities, in short they are human beings – like us. So the matter of concern of road safety extends to them also. The thought that if we follow good road safety practices it’ll make the journey safe not only for us, but the others too holds good, but to what extent?
Many people lose their lives in road accidents in India, with a great bunch of them due to accidents of others, though the victim had followed all safety measures! Isn’t it pathetic?
Few thoughts (apart from those mentioned earlier) from me, which I think would make travel safe for us, and others too..
– Travel at an optimum speed – too fast can frighten, and too slow can irritate others. There are no justifications to prove that slow moving vehicles do not/have not created accidents!
– Use horns and indicators judiciously. Right means right and left means left, please.
– While getting out of a parked car, check in the mirror for any passerby, before opening the door. I myself have witnessed unaware pedestrians, cyclists, motorists getting hit by this action.
– Yeah, rear view mirrors are present for a reason which can’t be ignored!
– This is mainly for two-wheeler users – Please DO NOT ride in between a stationary bus and the bus stop. It is very risky for the alighting/boarding passengers. And buses do not stop at the bus-stops for eternity. So you can overtake or wait.
– Pedestrians, please use footovers, subways as much as possible. Else cross at zebra crossings or signals. Do not jump over the medians. Not necessarily the motorists have to be the cause for accidents, always!
– Those traveling in buses, please do not throw anything out of the window. I might sound silly here, but such small distractions have/will lead to major accidents.
These are some issues that I’ve observed in my day-to-day life, which I think if taken care of will surely reduce accidents to a large extent. Road safety is collective responsibility of which every person should be a part of. Only then it would be safe for anyone using it.
This post is written as a part of Nissan Safety Driving Forum – organized by Nissan and Indiblogger
Cheers
God Bless
