Editorial:
A speeding passenger jeep moving downhill slammed into a truck groaning on its way up. It is not difficult to figure out who was at fault. A loaded truck moving uphill on Gangtok roads can only move slow, not run rash. Passenger jeeps and taxis, along with VIP vehicles, almost invariably dash reckless. The speed at which the vehicle in question was scurrying can be gauged from the fact that it arched too wide on the curve, struck the truck headlong and then turned turtle. Everyone inside was injured, the nature of injuries worsened by the fact that the passenger vehicle was a soft top. Nine people are in hospital. Anyone who has negotiated Sikkim roads would have definitely had a close shave with the impetuous hands which sit on most wheels.
An accident like the one below Gangtok on Monday was always on the cards and one hopes that it ends with only minor injuries. But why should one wish for people to get away with injuries? One should be demanding that there be no accidents to begin with. People who cannot drive safe should not be allowed anywhere near the wheels, and definitely not allowed to take paid passengers. Unfortunately, that does not seem a priority for the traffic police which, ironically, works more on parked vehicles which pose no threat to anyone. Patrolling traffic personnel are quick to slap clamps on vehicles parked in unauthorised areas, and while one can appreciate their diligence, one if forced to wonder why more vehicles are not pulled up for reckless driving in Sikkim. Speed limit indicators are pointless because their are neither speed guns to verify speeds, nor cops on watch against it. The only traffic violations one sees being booked are either related to wrong parking or obstructing VIP movement. Neither of these make the roads safer.
One understands that traffic snarls, which have become routine on Gangtok roads, stretch the limited resources of the traffic wing, but one needs to appreciate that if responsible driving was enforced more strictly, even these traffic jams, worsened by drivers in haste jumping their lanes, will be easier to manage. What Sikkim urgently requires is a highway patrol dedicated to keep an eye against dangerous driving. A system also needs to be worked in where drivers booked for rash driving more than, say three times, automatically get their licence to drive taxis revoked. As per standing rules, a person receives an “NT” [non-taxi] driving licence first and can apply for a “T” [taxi] driving licence only after a year. The obvious logic behind this is that a new driver should steady his hand at his own risk for a year and only then qualify to take passengers. There is an obvious concern for passengers in this regime. This concern needs to be strengthened because there are too many taxis on the roads now and also too much rash driving.
A speeding passenger jeep moving downhill slammed into a truck groaning on its way up. It is not difficult to figure out who was at fault. A loaded truck moving uphill on Gangtok roads can only move slow, not run rash. Passenger jeeps and taxis, along with VIP vehicles, almost invariably dash reckless. The speed at which the vehicle in question was scurrying can be gauged from the fact that it arched too wide on the curve, struck the truck headlong and then turned turtle. Everyone inside was injured, the nature of injuries worsened by the fact that the passenger vehicle was a soft top. Nine people are in hospital. Anyone who has negotiated Sikkim roads would have definitely had a close shave with the impetuous hands which sit on most wheels.
An accident like the one below Gangtok on Monday was always on the cards and one hopes that it ends with only minor injuries. But why should one wish for people to get away with injuries? One should be demanding that there be no accidents to begin with. People who cannot drive safe should not be allowed anywhere near the wheels, and definitely not allowed to take paid passengers. Unfortunately, that does not seem a priority for the traffic police which, ironically, works more on parked vehicles which pose no threat to anyone. Patrolling traffic personnel are quick to slap clamps on vehicles parked in unauthorised areas, and while one can appreciate their diligence, one if forced to wonder why more vehicles are not pulled up for reckless driving in Sikkim. Speed limit indicators are pointless because their are neither speed guns to verify speeds, nor cops on watch against it. The only traffic violations one sees being booked are either related to wrong parking or obstructing VIP movement. Neither of these make the roads safer.
One understands that traffic snarls, which have become routine on Gangtok roads, stretch the limited resources of the traffic wing, but one needs to appreciate that if responsible driving was enforced more strictly, even these traffic jams, worsened by drivers in haste jumping their lanes, will be easier to manage. What Sikkim urgently requires is a highway patrol dedicated to keep an eye against dangerous driving. A system also needs to be worked in where drivers booked for rash driving more than, say three times, automatically get their licence to drive taxis revoked. As per standing rules, a person receives an “NT” [non-taxi] driving licence first and can apply for a “T” [taxi] driving licence only after a year. The obvious logic behind this is that a new driver should steady his hand at his own risk for a year and only then qualify to take passengers. There is an obvious concern for passengers in this regime. This concern needs to be strengthened because there are too many taxis on the roads now and also too much rash driving.
I on the other hand feel that there are many drivers who drive carelessly, recklessly thereby creating a high risk to the passengers, other traffic vehicles and of course also the road pedestrians. It is high time that the public too should take some active role to prevent such mishaps. They should be able to dissuade the driver against such driving, which is a great danger for every one.
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