With the State Government announcing a 21 day lock down in light of the recently declared pandemic,
road users have found themselves in a precarious situation while on the road.
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It may be today’s reality that all the roads in the state are relatively empty and unoccupied by regularly
moving vehicular traffic but that does not make our Goan roads any more safer.
Unused roads present own set of dangers On the contrary the seemingly unused roads
present their own set of dangers and pose greater risk to the unassuming road user who innocently goes
about riding his two-wheeler on the road while in search of an open grocery or even a pharmacy.
The road users presently plying on the road involve two wheelers especially scooters, large SUVs
and pedestrians. This milieu of road users may seem unsuspecting because they pose little risk to other road users of their own kind. However, there is a hierarchy of danger among these road users which make them dangerous between each of the categories.
Two wheeler riders are not focused on open shops, not on the road Amidst the lockdown, a recent observation is that the two wheeler riders, especially those who find ease in using an auto-geared scooter go about riding their two wheelers in a manner that is not in consonance with the Rules of the Road Regulations, 1989.
Unfortunately, this category of road users ride their two wheeler in the form of a long caterpillar on the
road as the focus of their eyes is usually shifted either to the left or right side of the road in search of an open grocery shop or a well stocked vegetable vendor in the midst of the government mandated lockdown.
Thus, as per Rule 23 the errant two wheeler riders who do not keep at a sufficient distance from the
vehicle in front of them would not be able to prevent a collision or crash if the vehicle in front of them would suddenly slow down or stop. At times, even witnessing the novel scene of social distancing by the customers standing outside a shop is sufficient to disrupt the attention of the two wheeler
rider away from the road and perhaps invite peril upon him and his fellow road user, all because of a
momentary lapse of attention from minding the road. Sudden breaking may do to you what even the
Corona may not Another alarming observation is the practice of motorised users including large SUVs engaging in abrupt braking when they see an open store or establishment selling essential supplies. As per Rule 24 it has been mandatorily enacted that no driver of a vehicle shall apply brake abruptly unless it is necessary to do so for safety reasons. Hence, a lack of tea powder or sugar would not qualify as a safety reason justifying the road user from abruptly bringing his vehicle to a halt only so that he could rush to the grocery store. Can two wheelers signal when they move from shop fronts to the main road ?
As a matter of civic courtesy it could also be reasonable to expect a turn signal from the stationary
two wheelers or four wheelers before they begin to enter the road surface and continue their journey onward. However, such an idealistic scenario can rarely be observed as most of the motorised road
users are engaged in making a quick beeline for the open road without much concern for the reaction time of the vulnerable road users like pedestrians.
As per Rule 11, it has been statutorily specified that the pedestrians have the right of way at ncontrolled pedestrian crossings.
Should the fight against Corona make you forget your helmet?
The use of helmets should not be ignored. Road users ought not to throw caution to the wind and ditch their helmets while riding a two wheeler because the threat of a crash on the road is statistically more probable than contracting the COVID-19 infection and hence the primary safety of the road user needs to be ensured through the proper use of safety equipment like helmets for two wheeler riders and also Seat Belts for Car Drivers and passengers.
A closer introspection of one’s own safety while on the road would reveal that the empty open roads offer temptation to neglect the rules which are put in place for our own safety. However, the temptation must be overcome and road safety must be made to stand its ground. After all the already overburdened emergency services are not going to be able to efficiently save the lives of road crash victims in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak.
