Indian Roads and Safety

by Kanishk Naithani Automobile Blogger

Indian roads and safety are the two things which rarely coincide. Rarely would you find anyone who actually enjoys driving in India. I am one them. Not because of my love for chaos, since there isn’t any, but just because of my love for driving.

You would find many bike riders without any helmets, let alone a riding gear. They might not even know what a riding gear is. Some actually believe that helmets are supposed to worn only when you see a cop, and not fastening the helmet straps in fine, because you will be taking it off anyway once the cop is gone.

Not many in India actually consider safety a priority while driving. Many refuse to wear their seat belts because it’s ‘uncomfortable’, although they would wear skinny jeans in the name of fashion any day.

Certain reports revealed that everyday around 400 people died daily on our roads, with 46.8% being in the 18 – 35 age group. Now why this age group in particular you might ask. Well, this is the group with the most rebellious streak, not conforming to the crowd, except when it comes to fashion obviously.

People carrying on with their stunts in a typical commuter bike on Indian roads is a daily spectacle for most of us. Most of them might not have a driving license and still get away with it.

Getting a driving license in India isn’t much of a problem either, since you can get one without any proper tests. Many of my acquaintances got themselves a driving license just by shelling out some extra bucks. I think the current rate must be 2000 bucks. Don’t know.

But it’s not all dark in India. This trend of not being concerned about safety is indeed changing. Many automobile firms are coming up with their products now boating safety features instead of creature comforts. Even people are now paying attention to safety when riding bikes, and not just to save themselves from the police, but to save themselves from dying.

Indian roads are improving too. Yes, you might see a lot of battered roads and try to argue with me. But when comparing with the previous years, Indian roads have definitely improved. I agree, there is a lot to improve in our roads but I feel that it will improve definitely.

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