“Every man
is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not
exceeding the limit.”... Elbert Hubbard.
Elbert Green Hubbard was an American writer, publisher, artist,
and philosopher & indeed full of American wittiness which reflects in his
above quote. But
when it’s wearing a helmet Punekar seems to be very much together on exceeding
limits of foolishness, is all I can say! I recalled Elbert’s quote as my
journalist friend Prachi Bari asked for my opinion about helmet wearing
compulsion while driving a two wheeler by Pune Police & as usual
controversy it has caused! And any ways last many days I have been reading
about hot discussion on making helmet wearing compulsory by the authorities
(read police) & then there are news about people (NGO’s, Political figures
& many such) united standing against this rule! Well,
when it’s following public discipline, Punekars' certainly are not best ranked
in our country, leave apart the world! Joke is, the very same Punekars’ when
travelling outside of our country, are considered as most civilized & well
behaved creatures, even I go to forests like Kanha or Corbet, there also the
guides praise Punekars’ for their disciplined behavior; really two faced specie
we are! And when it’s about following traffic rules, less we speak is
better & for that with all due respect blame equally goes to Police force
as fear (I am deliberately using the term fear & not just respect) for law
has to be there in the mind of common man & that’s job of Police a front
which they are not at the mark! And that’s why every new police chief has to
take call of masses even for implementing rule (read as law) as simple as
helmet wearing when in every other city like Delhi or Mumbai has been
successfully implementing it, even tourist's delight Goa also has helmet
wearing rule & it’s being followed! On the top of it trying to implement
something as making only govt employees use helmet, keeping every respect for
the intentions of the concerned authorities, I think we are losing seriousness
of the subject like helmet use, with such policies!
Now let’s keep away law thing about helmet wearing, as a two
wheeler rider also when nearly 90% road accidents in the city are of two
wheelers & nearly equal percent of deaths occurred in these accidents are
by head injury is known, yet if the citizens' in Pune thinks they don’t want to
use helmets then I think they don’t really care for their own head (or they
have a hollow head)! And the reasons which are given for not using helmets are,
one can’t see the traffic on both sides while driving a two wheeler, the speed
of the traffic is slow already so where is the question of collision, the road
conditions are poor, helmet carrying is a problem, some even went to the
extreme that this is in the benefit of helmet manufacturers! Wow, I loved the
last logic as for saving your own head why you have to think if somebody else’s
benefit as by this logic in flights & cars, one should be saying seat belts
are compulsory because of seat belt manufacturers! And speaking about law abiding
thing then again who can bit us as we throw garbage in our rivers right
standing under the board saying keep rivers clean. Speaking about our traffic
sense, we park vehicles exactly where “No Parking” signage is displayed &
why blame citizens, as go to PMC main building & you will find our Hon.
Elected Members (read Mananiya) take most pride in parking their white SUV’s
right under the board of No Parking sending message to their Mai Baap Voters,
don’t bother about such foolish laws we make the laws to break them! Then
another joke in this city is “No Entry” as this signage has got no meaning
because most citizens of Pune gives damn to any “No Entry” board. At any given
time of the day two wheelers & four wheelers enters in No Entry from
opposite side at their will is scene we all have witnessed! And on top of it, a
rider coming from wrong way in No Entry gives such a nasty look to the person
riding from right end that the few law abiding citizen’s whatever respect
has left for law, melts away & next time he also enters in No Entry from
wrong side with pride! Then
comes aspect of jumping red signals; super, splendid, awesome, I think whatever
way you praise Punekars’ for this quality will not be enough to describe it
because when it comes to identifying (read obeying) Red, Green & Yellow on
road, I think most Punekars’ (PMT drivers & Auto Rickshaw drivers
especially) are color blind by birth; or else there is no reason that nobody
follows traffic signal in this city, only except unless its guarded with a
traffic police! Yes one more thing is there & that is rampant drunk
driving, need I say more about this aspect as at any night you can find nearly
thirty percent riders drunk, courtesy city’s blooming night life! And then
minor things like using dark window glasses for four wheelers or using fancy
number plates like Bhai & Dada for numeric figures, well nothing more to
speak I think!
Now tell me which of the reason given by the so called activists
is going to save them from getting a head injury with such behavior pattern
while we ride a two wheeler in this city! As however slow you might be riding a
two wheeler of yours but if someone comes from wrong way from opposite side
& collides with you or you are standing at a red signal & some rickshaw
or PMT bus (color blind) comes from behind & hits you or a drunk driver
just loses his control on vehicle he is driving & rams on you, in all these
cases who will be falling down from the two wheeler & end up crashing your
head on pavement or footpath along; unfortunately “you only”, is the answer! And
at that time even if you remember all the reasons of traffic was at slow speed,
you were following all rules, road was free of pot holes, nothing is going to
save you from leaving this very world not just city as the only realization
will remain in those last moments will be you weren’t wearing a helmet! As just
last year a message in the form of letter written by some elderly father has
gone viral on social media about awareness regarding helmet wearing after
his daughter died by falling down from a scooter she was riding. And she was
not even driving or in motion, she was standing at signal, somehow lost her
balance & she fall down & her head got bumped on the edge of footpath
& she died eventually, leaving behind two kids, husband & an elderly
father who is busy in writing letters to other fools, urging them to wear
helmets! Indeed as I said earlier with due respect police has to play their role
right & tight as if citizens are not respecting law (read traffic rules)
then something is very wrong in policing on road is a bitter truth. And for
that we need to strengthen traffic branch as with forty million vehicles on
road with ignorant foolish riders on them, we need a lot many traffic police
than the present figure of some twelve hundred plus, at least till they make
these riders fear the traffic rules!
I think Punekars just love to oppose everything as that has
become their identity in a way or else why this simple thing of wearing helmet
would have become a question of city's survival like issue! What’s unfortunate
is the citizens who joins hands against helmet use ignore conveniently (read
foolishly) the root cause of need of helmet in first place & that is nearly
thirty millions two wheelers on road because of mess of public transport system
govt (read PMC, PCMC, PMPML & Police) has made! As there is no space left
on road now to accumulate more vehicles resulting immense increase in
vehicles collisions (well our traffic sense too is a reason) but instead
accommodating our own safety by use of helmet & joining hands for demanding
better public transport we always choose easy way i.e. oppose helmet! On any day open any news paper & you will only
read some brother has lost his sister on the eve of Rakhipornima or some parents
has lost their only son on his very birth day & all because of two wheeler
accident & needless to say due to head injury! Now go & ask
that brother who has lost his only sister or the parents who has lost their
college going son about helmet using law, all they will tell with tearful eyes
only if their loved one would have used the helmet!
Though one more side to this resistance to helmet use is common
man is so frustrated with law & order which he thinks only exists to harass
him. As all the time he (read common man) can see so called celebrities (read
moneyed or people in power) getting away with bigger offences, while he has to
face things like helmet use compulsion & that’s why the retaliation comes
in him! Somewhere a message must go to the masses that every law is for every
citizen & that is possible only by action by the law enforcement
authorities & not by mere words from whomsoever mouth they come!
I think apart from applying police force what we need is long
term solutions for road safety & just the way the Diwali now is much fire
crackers free, which has been possible only by combine awareness effort of
schools, media & govt, it’s high time a ongoing campaign about awareness
regarding not just helmet use but traffic rules & its importance in schools
& colleges. As indeed it’s a long term solution but no future can be
secured by short term solutions is a fact. Take help of associations like
CREDAI to make their flat holders aware by whatap message, letters whatever way
you can reach out to every individual making him or her realize life is precious
& one small thing like wearing helmet of following signals can save some
life! Display helmet as well
road safety posters in every office, clinic, bank, malls & let every
citizen of this city know that road safety starts from him or her only! Simultaneously
we need to think about age old traffic related laws & punishments for breaking
them; as if I shoot someone at point blank range just for fun & as I have a
gun, I get hanged for that as its crime under section 302 i.e. murder, same way
if I drive a two or four wheeler in a wrong direction in no entry or jump red signal
& becomes a cause for death of someone, then I must not get away with mere
three years jail that too is bail able! The society which
doesn’t respects law becomes a history is a history in itself & hard time
Punekar learn the history! At the same time all those who are today demanding
not to implement helmet use rule please come on road & urge govt for better
public transport so as less use of two wheelers which will directly result in
less number of accidents! Well, I myself have ride a two wheeler without helmet
(& survived till now) & I don’t
deny the problems of carrying helmet & driving a two wheeler with helmet on,
but by now I have understood one thing, "problems exists only if I myself
exists in first place”! Do I need to explain importance of your own safety or
use of helmet in more words to the so called enlighten citizens of this city,
which takes pride in consider itself as Smart City!
Sanjay Deshpande
Sanjeevani Dev.
Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..
Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..
Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)
http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/
Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/
For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below
www.punecorporation.org
Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/
For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below
www.punecorporation.org
Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..
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