We don’t deserve freeways

As many as 27 people died in an accident on the Mumbai/Pune expressway on Monday morning. With many more injured. Ever since the expressway became operational in the year 2000, hundreds of people have perished on it. (And there have been many accidents on the fancy Sea Link as well.)

Strange, don’t you think? With large 3-laned one-way roads, one would have thought chances of collisions would be minimal, if not totally eliminated. So then what the hell is going on?

Here’s the problem: People in India are not ready for freeways. We are far better off with cramped roads and bumper to bumper traffic. I have driven on the Mumbai/Pune expressway on numerous occasions, and here’s what I have noticed:

Very heavy, over-laden trucks don’t just operate freely, the drivers often stick to the right lane of the expressway, in complete disregard to rules of highway driving. The drivers are often pissed drunk and badly over-worked. Impatience, restlessness and sleep are bound to take their toll. And they never get reprimanded by the highway patrol. Should there not be a regular clampdown on these guys at the toll nakas?

Untrained or semi-trained young car drivers go ballistic on the expressway. This is like their huge break from city conditions, and they use the opportunity to test their ‘skills’. Quite naturally, many lose control of their vehicles. They over-speed, abruptly cut lanes, don’t maintain a safe distance and panic in a dangerous situation. How is it possible to control this in a corrupt nation where driving licenses are doled out like chana watana? And where some bikers ‘mysteriously’ slip onto the expressway?

Next. Most people don’t follow basic vehicle maintenance procedures. They will hit the expressway even if the car tyres are balding badly, and checking air pressure before driving out is considered a total waste of time. This ducking of simple safety measures proves even more costly at nights and during the monsoons. Speaking personally, while driving on the expressway, I don’t just keep my eyes on the road and hands on the wheel (as Jim Morrison advised), I keep a sharp look out for moronic drivers and suspicious vehicles. Is this the way to enjoy a freeway drive?

Basically, the complete disregard that Indians show to fellow citizens in all walks of life (spitting on the streets, screaming at restaurants, jumping queues, etc), gets spilled over to the highways. With lethal results.

And since we aren’t going to change our ways anytime soon, I think we should forget about constructing more freeways. We don’t deserve them.