Two days ago a trip to the Aksa beach turned tragic for a
few friends. While two boys lost their lives, one was saved and undergoing
treatment at the hospital. That Aksa is a dangerous beach is a well known fact.
Over the years many have lost their lives at this piece of Mumbai coastline.
The question then is why do people choose to ignore all warnings and put their
lives at risk?
This behaviour is not just limited to the beaches. Look around and you will find examples aplenty of how we have utter disregard for our own safety. Do people feel that the government has no other job than putting up these signs everywhere? No, they’re meant to keep you safe and following what’s written on those bright red boards might just be the difference between life and death.
The most classic example is the Mumbai Suburban railway.
Number of people meeting fatal accidents on Mumbai’s tracks hovers between
3,000 to 4,000 annually! Out of these 2/3rd deaths are caused due to
people trying to cross railway tracks. Other reasons include electrocution
(usually due to travelling on roof tops), falling off the train and being hit
by poles and other objects while leaning out of train.
While it is true that the safety standard of Indian railways
is nothing to brag about, to be fair to the railways, we do know how much
efforts they take to create awareness of major hazards. The PA systems on
stations are constantly blurting out warnings, advising people not to travel on
roof tops (remember the 25,000 Volts warning) and foot boards, not to cross
railway tracks etc. But in our haste we certainly always overlook these hazards
and throw ourselves, needlessly, into harm’s way. And how do we defend our
acts, by using “Mumbai is a fast city” and “Boss time is money in Mumbai” and
other crap one-liners!
Another instance that comes to mind is warning signs on
roads. Things like speed limits, accident prone areas etc. An example close to
home is the case of JJ flyover ban for two wheelers. The JJ flyover is a
marvellous piece of engineering and it’s got curves that can make most Bollywood
actress jealous! These very curves are also the reason for a large number of
mishaps on this bridge. In the five years before the ban in 2010, 23 deaths
involving two wheelers were recorded!
I am pretty sure there were speed limit signs on that
bridge, well I have used it many times and I know that they do exist. You may
argue that the speeds mentioned are mostly absurd, how can one drive at a speed
of just 30 Km/hr? And while the authorities might be playing a lot safer when
setting speed limits, you should also understand the perils of driving at
speeds way above the limit. However as the figures suggest, not many of us take
the speed limits seriously. And it’s no surprise that between 2010 and 2012,
550 cases were lodged against two wheelers for using the banned bridge!
It’s not just two wheelers that are a cause for concern,
four wheeler drivers are even worse in breaking laws. I fail to understand why
so many people just can’t get used to the idea of using a seat belt! Haven’t we
all been educated about the virtues of seat belts? People it’s not a piece of
decoration for your car, it’s for your safety! And please don’t give us the
shit of how good a driver you are and all; cause it’s not always your own
mistake that causes an accident.
The best act of defiance, however, is driving under the
influence of alcohol. We Mumbaikars excel at it. In fact we are so good that we
even know the exact location where our smart policemen lay waiting to intercept
drunkards behind wheels. How easy it is to give them a slip! Well Mr.
Alcoholic, if you read newspapers then you would know how many people die on
roads due to alcohol. And one day you might be one of them!
We Indians just love to break laws, but the sadder part is
that we are so damn proud about it. We drink and drive and we narrate stories
to our friends, stories how we bribed the mamu
and got away so easily. We love to cut corners every now and then. But we fail
to realise how cutting corners can bring us close to death. You might break and
cheat the law and get away, but I doubt if cheating death will be that easy, my
friend.
Coming back to Aksa, a gentleman wrote to an English daily
suggesting that the government should completely stop people from using Aksa
till it can make provision for their safety. This might actually be the last
resort that we, because no matter how many warning signs you put up it is never
going to stop us Indians, isn't it?
You might as well put this up -
For other posts by The Wandering Mumbaikar click here
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