Sad But True: NRIs Drop Truth Bombs About The State Of India’s Roads

“It’s just a pothole, don’t be so dramatic!”

I still remember my friend’s words, nearly 6 years ago, as clearly as if it happened yesterday. It was during my undergraduate studies in Bengaluru, when after it had rained incessantly, I was trying to make my way home without getting knee-deep in muck, slush and quite possibly rat urine (*shudders*).

As someone who’d been living outside the country (in the “Gelf”, as a lot of my friends put it) for nearly a decade before returning, I must admit, my complaints about the less-than-adequate infrastructure in India were rather OTT. And yet, here, I feel I was completely justified.

The potholes weren’t the only problem. The road that led from my college to my PG was so narrow, cars would barely squeeze through in opposite direction. But that really didn’t stop people from parking on either side. The impunity of it! Then, there was the fact that every evening there would be a huge traffic jam on that very road, because lane discipline was just too mainstream for folks here, and everyone just had to get where they had to be with the utmost urgency.

Helmets were just not fashionable enough for speeding motorists (still on that very narrow street, bang in the middle of a residential area) and in all this chaos, the pedestrian was forced to cross the roads, holding up their hand to and throwing their best hopes to the heavens that the driver coming at them at speed would slow down. Inconvenience aside, was no one really thinking about the danger they were blatantly putting themselves – and others – in?

Of course, I quite realise that the road users weren’t entirely to blame – there was also the fact that the roads in the city lacked the means to support so many vehicles, there was no proper law enforcement and the complete loss of faith in the municipality and government forced people to just make do with whatever they had, using whatever means necessary.

Six years down the line, and now living in Gurugram, I wonder if I’ve become desensitised too? Have the roads actually improved, or am I just another desi who’s forgotten the values of road safety? Just to get some perspective, I reached out to my (still NRI) friends around the world about what they think about roads in India. Here’s what they had to say:

1. Normal Rules Just Don’t Apply!

2. Fear Of Driving In India Is Very Real

3. Left-Right-Left Doesn’t Quite Cut It

4. Terrifying Test Of The Two-Wheeler’s Capacity

5. One-Way, Or Two-Way? What’s The Deal?

6. Life-Threatening Potholes Everywhere!

7. No Country For The Pedestrian

Now, here’s the deal. This isn’t about pitting India up against other countries. We all realise the challenges of a large population, the space crunch and the shortage of resources, which are unique to a country like India. But for a country that’s aiming to achieve Swacchta and one whose human resource is its biggest strength, shouldn’t addressing all of this be a little more of a priority? Road accidents kill about 150,000 people in India every year. Every year. And let’s not forget that we’re also banking on tourism to give our economy a much-needed boost.

The change can’t be immediate, but the move towards it must. Here are some ways we need to act:

1. Let’s familiarise ourselves with the laws and rules pertaining to road safety – if anything, after today, we need to stop being a part of the problem.
2. Let’s start holding the Municipal Corporations accountable for the state of our roads. Flood their mail with complaints and demand redressal. Go all out.
3. Let’s learn all that we can about First Responder Training, so we’re always prepared.
4. Training for better enforcement of the laws is a must. And we need a system of checks and balances to avoid traffic cops getting bought off with ₹500 notes.
5. If it comes down to it, let’s start calling people out when they’re putting others in danger right before our eyes!
6. Drinking under influence stops among us, and our friends. Today.
7. And let’s use the biggest tool we, as millennials have, to convert others like us: social media!

The conversation needs to begin now. Road safety is an urgent issue, and needs to be recognised as such. Because honestly, there’s a lot we can lose if we don’t bring on the change today.

Help me add to my list of suggestions. Write in with your set of solutions to improve road safety in India, today, and let’s campaign for #SaferRoadsForYou!