Road Rage of 3 City Buses Lead to Collision- 2 Buses Severely Damaged, 1 Driver Hurt
Mangaluru: Yes, we get road rage. We’re only human! We are, however, probably better at dealing with it and we are used to seeing the same bad driving behaviours from motorists all the time. Imagine people keep cutting you over and over and over and over and over. Pretty soon you realize that they’re doing it because you’re a bus. And people will do it again, and again, and again, and again. Naturally, you’ll start to tire of this annoying (not to mention unsafe) pattern of driving. That’s what it’s like to be a bus driver. Sounds annoying? On the other hand, expecting it will likely dampen the frustration!
So at the end of the day, we’re all human and deal with stress differently. But I’m sure pretty much all of us bus drivers have experienced it at some point, just like everyone else. Here in Mangaluru City, it is a very common sight that the drivers, and conductors of private buses swear against each other and also involve fights due to certain timekeeping issues or other silly matters. And here is the story of road rage that took place between drivers of three City buses- MaroliTravels-Bus Route No 42 bearing Reg No KAv 19 C 2344, plying from City to Talapady; Roshni Travels-Bus Route No 21 bearing Reg No KA 19 AA 5541 plying from City to Neermarga; and Shiva Kripa-KA 19 C 3367, the drivers of the three buses trying to overtake each other near Hampankatta Junction, adjacent to Wenlock Hospital.
Around 7 am or so on a busy Monday 15 May morning, these three buses were speeding, and all of a sudden Bus route No 21 made a quick stop to pick up passengers near Hampankatta Junction/near Wenlock Hospital (actually picking up passengers banned at this location), the bus route no 42 which was speeding bumped into the rear side of bus no 21, resulting in severe damage to the front portion of it. Yet another, the reckless driver of Bus no 13, who was also speeding bumped into the rear side of Bus No 42- and the impact was so hard, the front portion of Bus No 13 was severely damaged, and the driver who had injuries was rushed to the nearby Wenlock hospital.
Due to this accident, traffic was jammed on the stretch of this road for a long time, until the traffic police arrived and made these three buses move forward and park in a non-congested area. The bus drivers and conductors of the three buses argued, also swearing at each other until the police brought the situation under control. Luckily no passengers nor pedestrians were injured due to this freak accident. Morning time we see a large number of commuters waiting for their buses at this location, even though they are not supposed to, but in the absence of police during the early morning hours they do, breaking the law. A portion of the road stretch was scattered with broken windshield glass pieces, etc etc.
Road Rage expressing concern over reckless driving. The number of vehicles on the road is growing and the number of cases of road rage is also increasing. No doubt that rash driving causes fatal accidents. But the offenders go scot-free. They leave the victims bleeding and disappear from the scene. Practically, there is no penalty for reckless driving. And no stern action has been taken to stop these rash and reckless city bus drivers who are putting passengers’ and pedestrians’ lives at risk, just like the incident that happened this morning.
Citizens should bring such incidents of rash and reckless driving to the attention of the concerned authorities. Accidents due to reckless driving are the order of the day. The speed maniacs responsible for most of the accidents disappear from the scene leaving the victims bleeding and crying. After knocking down a person, they flee before anybody can note down the number of their vehicles. They have no humanity left in them; they think that the road is their private property. Reckless drivers overtake from the left disregarding all traffic rules. Traffic lights have no meaning to them. The penalties imposed for reckless driving are too lenient to be effective. The time is ripe to impose heavy penalties on offenders. A reckless driver who speeds away after knocking down a person should be forced to spend at least one year in a prison cell, after being caught by the police.
The rash driving by the bus drivers causes a sense of panic in the pedestrian and the commuter alike. It leads to accidents. The attitude of not following any traffic rules or driving in their lane, and stopping wherever they like, is what causes accidents. It is high time the authorities woke up and acted against these bus drivers. They should strictly enforce traffic laws. Erring drivers should be penalized heavily. It is earnestly hoped that remedial action is taken soon.
The reason for the collision may be road rages. However rash and negligent driving is a common scene in DK and Udupi districts. All these operators have political and police backing and patronage. Our MLA, in the year 2019 proclaimed that he would make DK free from noise pollution, especially honking. People have a short memory. It was not an election issue. Bus lobby is a larger issue. It can even influence the Railways to cancel trains, change their plying schedule and many more. Bharaaaaaaath Mathaaaaa Ki Kai.