It has become habitual for the average Indian road-user, whether he rides a two-wheeler or drives a four-wheeler, whether it’s Sunday or Monday, to honk away!
As citizens of this country, we are used to standing in queues in ration shops, banks, cinema halls, and so on. How come an average citizen could think of flying past his fellow citizens when there is so much happening on the roads — traffic lights, potholes, goods vehicles, haphazard parking, breakdowns, ambulances, not to mention cavalcades of local and national-level VIPs! The same queues should apply on the road too.
You have been living with all this for years now, and why should you think of reaching your destination before anybody else? We have learned about ‘survival of the fittest’ but that doesn’t mean you can just make your way by honking.
Do they follow any ethics? What kind of discipline will they inculcate in their kids? What have they achieved by honking and getting past?
I was actually pushed to write this after a visit to Bangalore. As I was discussing this issue with a technology entrepreneur, he came up with a novel idea of designing vehicles that will honk as you start the engine. This will mean the rider or driver should keep pressing it in order to avoid continuous honking and do it only when necessary.
Turning on to the medical aspects of such noises, many are already suffering from hearing-related problems. At least 10 to 15 per cent of the population suffers from Tinnitus, a “ringing” sound, the perception of sound within the ear when there is no actual sound. And now, coming back to honking on the roads and streets, you very well know it’s not going to help you or others. Even if it does, that will only be temporary, at the cost of unknown curses.
muzammilshafimd@gmail.com
