Don’t let road rage get to you

Road rage has become a serious problem in Chandigarh. The police should increase patrolling at important locations and install hidden CCTV cameras with audio on every road. In order to prevent road rage, heavy fine should be imposed on people indulging in road rage and strict action should be taken against them.

Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh

Be courteous, polite

Though people are educated and aware about traffic rules, most accidents occur due to the violation of traffic rules such as jumping of red lights, driving on wrong side, overtaking from left side, etc. To err is human. People should be courteous and polite and say sorry to end the matter. Every vehicle is insured against accident and the company has to pay for damage to the vehicle. 

Harish Kapur, Chandigarh

Check drunken driving

The road rage cases have gone up with the increasing number of vehicles on road, impatience and hectic life. The police must check drunken driving, which is a major factor in such cases. The police have to be firm and active during night. We must not only teach traffic discipline in schools theoretically, but also ensure that children learn to obey it. Also, teenagers should not be given vehicles by their parents.

Col RD Singh (retd), Ambala Cantt

Deal stringently with  cases of road rage

There has been a sudden spurt in violent road rage incidents. Bad driving habits of a few drivers distort the smooth flow of the traffic, which sometimes results in serious road rage incidents. A sensible driver always respects lane driving, avoid preempt attitude, avoid unnecessary honking at signals or elsewhere. Such diligent principles may prove boon to scale down or totally eliminate the shameful road rage incidents .Had there been any accident owing to apathy of any driver, then provide contact number to the aggrieved party for settlement through insurance company or otherwise than to handle the situation on the road in scuffle. Assistance of police may be called for to amicably settle the issue. There is a need to evoke/amend provisions of the relevant laws to deal stringently with the growing road rage incidents.

Bhupinder S Sealopal, Mohali

watertight cases against attackers

Road rage is the order of the day. Even the city where traffic rules are said to be sacrosanct and policemen all pervasive, public brawls over parking or overtaking are only increasing. The incident of a woman attacking a man with rod caught the media attention. Impatience, resentment, anger, ego and short temper are leading to such situation. The solution lies in addressing the causes. Existing law is fine, but enforcement is bad. There is a need to make watertight cases against attackers. People should also cooperate.

Vidya Sagar Garg, Panchkula

take stern action against violators

Chandigarh has progressed in civic amenities and infrastructural development, but the need to augment public transport system has not been addressed adequately, as a result commuters are left with no choice, but to use personal conveyance. This has led to high vehicular density on city roads, causing traffic jams, accidents, traffic violations and worst the road rage incidents. In most of the road rage cases, the brats of affluent families or with political back ground are involved. The police without any exception must take stern action against the violators. They must lodge an FIR and seize the vehicle, if required. 

SS Arora, Mohali

Need to assess emotional health of driver

The road rage menace has taken root in our society. It is time all stakeholders come together and try to find a viable solution for the uncalled behaviour of road users. Stringent laws are needed to curb road rage. Suspend the licence of the offender. Repeat offender should lose his licence to drive any vehicle. Penalty followed by prosecution should be the norm. Psychological test/emotional quotient tests should also be a part of driving licence application. At present, the thrust is on the physical fitness of the rider/driver, but now emotional and psychological health of the rider/driver needs to be assessed to locate potential threat to fellow riders. Undertake small training modules to make road users aware that the road belongs to all and no one can have absolute control on the road. 

Dr Rajeev Kumar, Chandigarh

Hand over cases to fast track courts

The reason for increase in road rage cases is that the persons on wheels, especially youngsters who are mostly drunk, drive rashly, honk unnecessarily and pass obscene gestures, want to show their worth to surpass the vehicles in front of them by violating traffic rules. The existing laws are enough to take action against the accused and provide justice to the victims, provided the police, which are well-equipped with latest technology gadgets, strictly enforce them, ignoring all political and high ups pressure. Moreover, such cases should be handed over to fast track courts to provide quick justice to the victims.

AS Ahuja, Chandigarh

Make special laws to deal with cases

The road rage incidents are rising with each passing day in the tricity. The younger generation is more prone to road rage which may be the result of misplaced anger, resentment, stress in professional/ personal life and ego, besides other reasons. The road rage incidents sometimes result in loss of life and property. Stringent punishment is the need of the hour to curb such incidents. Awakening of public, especially parents, to eliminate the blot of road rage from the City Beautiful is of paramount importance. Special laws must be made to deal with the increasing incidents of road rage and implemented rigorously. Let us all keep our cool and follow traffic rules which are for our safety and will definitely help in curbing road rage incidents.

Rajender Kumar Garg, Zirakpur

Orientation classes for vehicle owners

We should try to imbibe discipline while driving. The police should hold orientation classes for vehicle owners. NGOs may be involved to spread messages in the shape of punch sheel — Avoid eye contact with other driver, obey all traffic rules, limits of that area, avoid arguments, know about area you are in and don’t mix driving with alcohol and mobile.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma

Adopt pool system formula

It is true that near is my shirt, but nearer is my skin. Everyone faces problem of stress due to hurry and heavy traffic. The government and society should solve the problem with cooperation. The authorities should start more local buses which connect East-West and North-South direction. This way the number of auto-rickshaws and private vehicles will be decreased. People should start their journey a few minutes in advance. They should also adopt the formula of sharing/pool system. The stress will come down if the traffic in control. Drivers should avoid any type of dispute if they meet with accidents. 

Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Mohali

Use public transport, shared taxis

Alcohol and drugs have taken a front seat and compassion and kindness have gone on the rear. Morals and ethics are gone for a toss. This has affected our driving habits and road rage turned into a rampage. Citizens should be encouraged to use public transport and shared taxis. Car pooling should be encouraged. Parking charges need to be enhanced to keep check on vehicles coming to the road. Public transport needs to be synchronised between CTU, Punjab Roadways and Haryana Roadways. Work on creating an underground Metro rail network should be started on priority. Increase road tax on new vehicles. These measures will not only help ease road congestion, but will also have a positive impact on the air quality index and pollution in the tricity. Less cars, safer roads, fewer accidents and healthier citizens, are the byproducts of the above exercise.

Rajiv Boolchand Jain, Zirakpur 

Forbid iron rods, weapons 

Special laws cannot curb road rage incidents. Qualities of patience, calmness, love for one another, are needed to be put in people’s minds. In religious, educational, political and all other social gatherings, people should be told to avoid anger not only on roads but in every sphere of life also. TV, print media and social media can play a great role in improving our road rage habits. Iron rods, weapons, etc, should be forbidden in vehicles.

Sohan Lal Gupta, Patiala

Impose higher penalty on guilty

The government must increase the level of punishment and impose multiple amount of fine. This may improve the aggressive nature of commuters. They will think twice before engaging into such episodes. Hefty penalties imposed under the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill will surely see a reduction in traffic violation by motorists.

Sumit Malhotra, Dhakoli

Inculcate moral values in drivers

Change and clarity in traffic rules violation may reduce the road rage incidents. Moral and ethical values need to be inculcated in drivers before they are issued licence. There has been hardly any conviction and cancellation of defaulters’ licence due to accidents. This leads to another accident and another road rage. Strict rules with teachings on moral values can help reduce such incidents.

Wg Cdr Jasbir Singh Minhas (retd), Mohali

Policy for public transport system

Lack of traffic sense, congestion on roads, delay and lengthy procedure in insurance claim recovery are some of the main causes behind the rising road rage incidents. A serious policy to improve public transport system is need of the hour.

Surbhi Sharma, Chandigarh

Adhere to existing laws in letter & spirit 

We have no dearth of laws and judicial precedents to deal with any eventuality, yet we lack ‘will’ to implement it in right earnest. Our corruptive intent to interpret existing laws to our ulterior advantage is actually depriving the nation of good governance. Alternatively, we need to be stringent towards adhering to the existing laws in letter and spirit.

MPS Chadha, Mohali 

Strict punishment, hefty fine need of hour

Today’s is the fast pace world. People drive at a break-neck speed without keeping in mind the signals, fellow travelers and their own precious life. And if one doesn’t get a way to overtake, one is frustrated, which ultimately leads to road rage. Patience is nowhere. We do have laws for rash driving, breaking traffic rules, but we don’t seem to have strict laws against road rage. Strict punishment along with a hefty fine should be there so that people are discouraged to engage themselves in such activities. 

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi

Train people to be patient

People are so impatient that they start honking even at red lights. There is a need to train people to have some patience and to change the attitude from me to you. If anyone is in a hurry, let him pass way and smile, it works. A special law with stringent punishment should definitely be enacted to curb the menace. 

Balwinder Kaur, Chandigarh

Strict punishment for law breakers

To instil fear in the minds of rowdy road users, the existing laws should be amended. A minimum of six months imprisonment without bail on any ground should be given to the guilty. At present, people, who engage in road rage, get bail from the court the same day and with the passage of time, the case gets weakened through manipulations/unfair means and the accused is set free. There must be a rule to provide stringent punishments to law breakers. 

KC Rana, Chandigarh

Teach children to be patient

Parents must teach their children to have patience especially while driving. The traffic police should check rash driving. If caught, action should be taken against the driver. We should learn a lesson from other countries by knowing what they are doing to challenge the issue.

Tarlok Singh, Mani Majra

Political leaders to be blamed

There had been serious road rage incidents in the past where many people lost their lives. One of the recent incidents was that of Indore MLA Akash Vijayvargiya, son of BJP leader Kailash, who had hit a Municipal Corporation official with a cricket bat. The society is learning this intolerant attitude from our politicians who exhibit this every day in the Parliament and outside in rallies. They bully and criticise their opponents and end in beating each other with shoes in public meetings. These incidents are the reflection of the behaviour of our political leaders. There is a need to frame strict laws to deal with such cases. The golden principle is not getting provoked while driving a vehicle. Whosoever tries to bully you on road, just smile and salute. The is a sociology-psychological problem which has to be addressed holistically .

Capt Amar Jeet Kumar, Mohali

Fair police action to stem the rot

The consequences of road rage, which essentially is the result of a bruised ego, lead one to repent at leisure when the conscience pricks. Many a time damage to the vehicle is minor in an accident and one’s losing temper must not make it a penny-wise, pound-foolish affair. Growing vulgar display of affluence by brats due to their upbringing and erosion of fear of law (due to manipulation with money or pressure of powers that be), ought to be contained. Seeds of road rage are per se sown at home as home is the nursery of human behaviour. Family values, fair police action and hassle-free justice delivery are needed to stem the rot. A specific provision in law ought to hit the spot to curb growing rage to pay the score on the spot. 

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

Wisdom lies in admitting the fault

In a road accident as a result of erratic driving, where everyone seems to be in a hurry, blame game gets on, generating heated arguments from both drivers. One of the two knows in his heart of hearts that it was somewhere his error of judgement that led to the accident. If still he allows the pitch of his temper to take the better of his senses, legal wrangles are bound to follow. Wisdom, therefore, lies in admitting the fault by, one of the two, which, in turn, will earn the public sympathy and support on the scene of the accident. It is advisable that if you are caught in such a situation and feel somewhere your own mistake, just take a deep breath and keep your composure intact. Just say sorry and try to strike a reasonable deal to compensate for the damage so caused and get out of the mess.

SC Luthra, Chandigarh

Install CCTVs at key locations

Road rage cases have become very common these days in the tricity. This is a matter of worry for the parents, police and society in general. Parents should counsel their wards. The police also have to play a vital role in controlling such crimes by keeping a watch across the tricity, particularly during nights. Also, the source of illegal weapons belonging to such persons needs to be investigated and those particular sources have to be plugged. Provision of adequate CCTV cameras at sensitive locations across the city and ensuing intensive joint patrolling by the police will certainty help in curtailing such unlawful activities. Society, too, has to play its role in controlling such acts of youth of the present era. Intolerance and impatience should be gradually removed from society. Awareness programmes related to controlling violence among the youth should be organised at different platforms in the society.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

There should be heavy penalty if anybody violates road rules, jumps traffic lights or rides without a helmet as these also result in road rage. There should be panels to monitor traffic laws. This will help in checking such incidents. — Poonam Thakur, advocate

The driving licence of those indulging in road rage should be cancelled. A mock drill test should be conducted and if the person concerned is not able to handle the situation, he/she should be recommended for anger management classes.    — Terminder Singh, advocate

A law with stringent punishment won’t help reduce the anxiety trigger. Your safety is in your hands; start well in time, don’t honk, if someone tailgates, let him go, avoid eye contact and stay calm and be patient. — Dr Gaurav Gaur, assistant professor, Centre for Social Work, PU

It is better to start 10 minutes early from your place to be on time. Laws in our country exist, but how well they are implemented, is the real question. We have to learn from countries like Japan, where people don't even honk — Harman Sindhu, president, Arrive Safe, NGO

There is a need to come up with a law to deal with aggressive driving. Hold workshops and seminars to train the youth to control stress and anger. This will enable them in handling such mishaps and situations with patience. — Dr Rajesh Dhir, chief, IMA, Chandigarh