The Hindu Business Line : Does a hand that helps suddenly become `foreign'?

Story so far: On city roads, while it is increasingly common to find women riding bikes or driving cars, what is also visible is their becoming a victim to rash driving by other motorists. I know it is easy to slip into a rut and argue that men are harassing women on roads, but the question of safety haunts me.

Episode 95

A double-edged issue, it was, that I left you with last week. Ask men and they'd say women get distracted and do distract others too. Women would have a different story to tell. Well, let me check my inbox.

"Hi Swati, though I'm not very comfortable driving I always admire women who zip along in their cars and two-wheelers," writes in Priya. "It is the attitude of men that should change." I knew you'd say that. "They should try to appreciate the fact that it matters a great deal for Indian women to be on their own. Women should brave the odds and keep going ahead."

Yeah, go ahead, but stop when the signal turns red.

Roads for walks too

"Hi Swati, the incident that you described can happen with men also," says Mamata. "It has more to do with balance rather than being a man or a woman. But you are right that women drivers do attract a lot of uncalled for aggression from male drivers. Men think that just because they outnumber women, and can better manoeuvre through jams, they are entitled to do so. Since more and more women work, are mobile and have to be out of homes, there is no way they can avoid being on roads.

"Women can be the butt of humour of men for not having good driving skills and men can do well with some more patience when they encounter a woman driver! What I expect is that roads are safe for all users — irrespective of their sex — not just for driving but also for walking, jogging, running. This can probably happen when drivers have more patience."

How lively roads would be if people enjoyed their time on roads!

Road discipline first

"Our roads are not safe for anybody, leave alone women," writes M. Radhakrishnan. "The instance cited by you relates to eve-teasing through bullying that exists on our roads. Though accidents take place daily, sensational incidents consume the media attention. After the sensation of the news dies, we are back to square one. We have to take proactive measures for safety of road users.

"With thousands of vehicles being added every month, concern for road safety assumes importance. First, there should be road discipline. Undaunted by big medians, people cross them over without using subways or pedestrian crossing. Drivers of big vehicles show scant respect towards smaller vehicles, and there is rash driving by public transport, cabs and autos. In Delhi, blue-line buses used to cause terror among road users.

"Traffic controllers should communicate the importance of road safety through media and draw danger signals where fatal accidents have taken place (as done in Chennai). Stringent enforcement of laws is still weak. Effective punishment should be given for those who break laws, including pedestrians and cyclists.

"Further, RTOs should be strict in issuing driving licence, fitness certificate and so forth. The cooperation of everybody is important for smooth ride of our vehicles on roads."

The road to safety, in short.

Women lack driving skills

"Hi Swati, I don't agree that women drivers are safe," says Kamal Anil Kapadia, of PwC, Mumbai. "In fact, they are actually more risky to other drivers and pedestrians. Most women lack driving skills, and their confidence and judgment are very weak. They drive in the middle of roads and at a speed that even a cycle can overtake them; they don't give space for other vehicles to overtake them. Most woman drivers lack basic knowledge of signs and other traffic rules."

Hey, you're not saying anything positive about women!

"I am not against women, but what I say is all factual. Yet, to the extent of your issue, yes, we sometimes actually pose a risk to women drives, but believe me it could only be due to sheer frustration driving behind a woman, that one would pose them a risk. I have never harmed anyone while driving, but some people do it and never wait also! My basic request to all Indian drivers is to observe lane discipline, avoid overtaking, drive at reasonable and controllable speeds, take proper judgmental calls while overtaking, use of lights appropriately."

Sandwiched by vehicles!

"With traffic increasing, it is getting difficult for women not only to cross the roads but even to commute on the roads. Being in Bangalore, I have seen it many times," writes Suma Gopal Krishna.

"I use a two-wheeler and while riding (at my careful best) I have vehicles trying to overtake from the left and right and there is one honking at the back. Now, when I see a vehicle coming straight towards my direction from the opposite side, where do I go? And if anything goes wrong, whether it's you who is hurt or the other person who is hurt, ultimate blame comes on your head. Why is that so? If this is with a two-wheeler, I really wonder how ladies driving a four-wheeler manage?

"Of course, there are some young girls who care for nothing and zoom their way through, resulting in injuries to themselves, which again is not right. It is also natural that many men drivers, seeing that a lady is at the wheel, show all their nakhras and try to act smart, why?" Why?

"On roads being safe without ladies, I think that even if there were no ladies on the roads, you have others who compete with each other in overtaking rather than drive carefully and care for their own lives. So, would it actually make a difference?"

Lanes for ladies

"Roads and women have not been getting along well ever since traffic boomed beyond proportions. The reason is simple: MEN," according to R. Balaji. "Driving psychology of women and men differ to a great extent. The personal space that men require is a lot less then what women look for. Road rage that men display is far more aggressive then that of women; this line of argument holds good in India where roads are narrow and so is the upbringing; women are trained from a very young age not to get closer to anything and everything that looks, feels, or sounds like a male." You must be psychologist!

"In keeping with the personal space, a woman would ride a two-wheeler right in the middle of the road at a speed of 40 kmph. This would obviously irritate a car trailing behind with no option but to overtake from either side, all this in spite of repeated signals with head lights and horns.

"A true story goes like this: a car was approaching a red, the traffic ahead had stopped and the lady driving the car accidentally pressed hard on the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal. She took an unsuspecting motorist by surprise (shock would be a better word though). As we have separate ladies seats in buses and trains, so should we have separate lanes for ladies to make the roads safer for them as well as others on the road?"

A question for reservation?

*********

The `foreign' hand

Last week, I had an occasion to go to Bangalore to attend a tax conference. Don't ask me about what I learnt there, but I can tell you about my meeting with John Wright, even as he was busy coaching our cricketers for the oncoming battles. Wright has huge trust and enormous belief in our players, though most of us are too despondent to think of any wins.

During the brief spell with him, we talked about the Aussie challenge, exercise regimen and so on. While travelling back home, I was reading about how the Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore could get to be coached by Russell Mark of Australia, and rifle shooters taking lessons from Hungarian Lazlo Szucsak.

However, the day's headline that they're throwing out `foreign experts' from Planning Commission panels struck me as odd. What's your take on the `foreign experts' issue? Send in your thoughts by Friday.

Swati_CA@hotmail.com

For archived episodes of this column click on: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/nic/swati/index.htm

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