Why are motorists in a murderous rage?
Of late, Bengaluru has witnessed a surge in road rage incidents, the latest resulting in the death of a young biker when a car deliberately rammed into his vehicle after a high speed chase. Apparently, an argument had ensued a few minutes earlier, when the rider had brushed past the car, leaving its driver livid. Recently, a bouncer was caught on video smashing the windscreen of a car that had allegedly knocked down his two-wheeler. Just the other day, an agitated crowd seized two scooters and flung them down from the Nelamangala flyover, enraged over the riders performing dangerous stunts on the busy road. In fact, virtually no day passes without at least one such incident being reported.
Experts define road rage as a sudden expression of anger triggered in a motorist in reaction to the behaviour of other motorists or pedestrians. This can take the form of verbal abuse, rude gestures and physical assaults. The trigger could come in many ways. In a city like Bengaluru, notorious for its traffic jams, driving in itself is often a stressful activity. Studies across the world have shown that most road rage incidents occur in highly congested areas, particularly during peak hours. The common causes include poor road or weather conditions, failure to follow traffic rules, jumping signals, tailgating, rash and negligent driving, or impaired driving caused by mobile phone usage or drinking. Poor implementation of road safety rules by the police as also the ease of obtaining driving licences, often with the help of touts, are also to blame. In addition, stress triggered by financial, work or relationship problems can also lead to aggression.
The government should take a comprehensive view on road rage and initiate multiple steps. First, the process of issuing licences should be tightened, and the police should come down heavily on violators as there is hardly any fear of the law-enforcing agencies among motorists who break the rules with impunity. Potholes should be filled and congestion on the roads should be reduced by drastically improving all modes of public transport. There is very little research on road rage in India and the authorities should conduct a psychological assessment of those involved in such incidents to identify what exactly triggers their aggression. However, no amount of official intervention will help unless the motorists themselves first develop some patience, extend basic courtesies to fellow road users, and report untoward incidents to the police instead of taking the law into their own hands.