PUNE: The sheer ferocity of the act stunned Depalee Deshmukh, a resident of Bavdhan. She was returning home from Kothrud with her family when a car driver, coming from Pirangut, entered a wrong lane of the under-construction Chandni Chowk flyover and ended up right in front of their vehicle. Inside the car were a man and a woman. “They immediately started to hurl abuses at us, telling us to give way. But we couldn’t reverse, there were cars behind us,” Deshmukh recalled.
The confrontation then got worse. “We were trying to tell them they were on the wrong side of the road when the driver just accelerated and rammed our car. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Our vehicle was damaged, but we let the driver go. We didn’t want an escalation,” she said.
Aundh resident Ramesh Pradhan was hit on the head with a helmet. “I think he was a delivery guy,” Pradhan said. “We were in this traffic jam at Baner, near Metro works, when my bike brushed his. It happened within seconds. He took off his helmet and hit me hard on the side of the head and rode off. I was taken aback. It was a tiny scrape. ”
Last year, there were 10 cases of such brazen assaults in Pune city. This year, there have already been three major incidents, including a murder. On February 6, an autorickshaw driver was kicked to death by two men after his vehicle grazed their bike, near the Bhapkar petrol pump on Pune-Satara Road. Kiran Dandekar was 30 years old. Both the accused were later arrested, based on a complaint filed by Dandekar’s brother Madhukar who saw the two men kick Kiran’s ribcage in.
The volume and intensity of these crimes have increased as both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad enter a perpetual state of construction — Metro routes are being set up, pipelines are being laid, entire roads are being revamped, with no indication of when all this work will finish. “Commutes have never been this miserable in Pune,” said Amit Sehgal, a resident of Hinjewadi. “This is what happens when everyone’s literally fighting for space on the road. ”
The police can only react within procedure and law. Complaints filed by victims of‘road rage’ are registered under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
However, experts suggested parts of these sections could be modified to hand tougher penalties.
“In most road rage incidents, police register cases under section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC. This section is bailable and people easily get bail. In my opinion, section 324 should be made non-bailable,” said senior advocate Balasaheb Khopade.
His reasoning is based on an example. “Earlier, section 353 (assault or criminal forceto deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the IPC was bailable. When it started being treated as nonbailable, attacks on government officials reduced. Also, there is section 160 (punishment for committing affray) in the IPC for fighting on a public road. Currently, the punishment under this section is lenient. But the government can upgrade this section and make it more stringent to avoid road rage crimes,” Khopade said.
DASHCAMS AND SOME EMPATHY
Until laws are reviewed, motorists may have to rely on some off-the-shelf technologies to stay safe. One immediate solution, found across forums that discuss the state of transport and roads in the country today, is the dashcam — an onboard camera that records commutes. In many cities, people are increasingly starting to rely on the device for evidence when skirmishes escalate. The police too accept the evidence from on-board cameras. Commuters who installed dashcams said they immediately felt a sense of safety.
“Many don’t drive right. With a dashcam, I’ll know I can have proof of no wrongdoing,” one motorist said.
Some new cars come with factory fitted dashcams, but a growing market for the device (expected to hit $16. 8 billion globally by 2030, from $4 billion in 2022) means installation methods have improved. “Ideally, camerasshould be fitted in the front and rear of a vehicle. The devices can help prove whose mistake it really was,” said Akshay Baijal, a used-car dealer from Wakad.
Technology, however, is not active intervention; it cannot stop a crime from happening. What is undeniably helpful is better behaviour, experts said.
“Drive calmly and don’t speed,” said Samaiirah India, director of the Pune-based Safe Road Foundation.
“There is a real need now to introduce traffic education in school and college syllabi. Students should know how to use the road and respect other motorists,” she said, adding that the RTO should hand over licences to only those“who respect lives”. The police urged commuters to keep the peace.
“Instead of taking the law into their own hands, motorists should approach police and let them handle the case,” said deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Vijay Magar.
Commuters agreed that education should start early. “I see parents with children in their cars jumping signals. If rule-breaking begins early in their life, so should good instruction,” said Nitin Sagar, from Kharadi.
Gauri Janvekar, a psychologist, said small tweaks in behaviour can lead to huge improvements. One example of a trigger to road rage, she said, was loud honking. “Manage your time better, leave early and stop incessant honking. Loud noise increases aggression levels. And if someone’s angry, stay calm. Chances are they’ll calm down too,” Janvekar said, adding that tempers are already high due to extreme congestion. “People are often stuck in jams. This helplessness leads to aggression,” she said.
Other experts said it’s time authorities provided better infrastructure.
Traffic planner Pratap Bhosale said: “We’re all under pressure. Bad infrastructure and frustrations cause friction between people. It’s no wonder incidents of road rage mostly occur during peak rush hour. ”
The confrontation then got worse. “We were trying to tell them they were on the wrong side of the road when the driver just accelerated and rammed our car. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Our vehicle was damaged, but we let the driver go. We didn’t want an escalation,” she said.
Aundh resident Ramesh Pradhan was hit on the head with a helmet. “I think he was a delivery guy,” Pradhan said. “We were in this traffic jam at Baner, near Metro works, when my bike brushed his. It happened within seconds. He took off his helmet and hit me hard on the side of the head and rode off. I was taken aback. It was a tiny scrape. ”
Last year, there were 10 cases of such brazen assaults in Pune city. This year, there have already been three major incidents, including a murder. On February 6, an autorickshaw driver was kicked to death by two men after his vehicle grazed their bike, near the Bhapkar petrol pump on Pune-Satara Road. Kiran Dandekar was 30 years old. Both the accused were later arrested, based on a complaint filed by Dandekar’s brother Madhukar who saw the two men kick Kiran’s ribcage in.
The volume and intensity of these crimes have increased as both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad enter a perpetual state of construction — Metro routes are being set up, pipelines are being laid, entire roads are being revamped, with no indication of when all this work will finish. “Commutes have never been this miserable in Pune,” said Amit Sehgal, a resident of Hinjewadi. “This is what happens when everyone’s literally fighting for space on the road. ”
The police can only react within procedure and law. Complaints filed by victims of‘road rage’ are registered under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
However, experts suggested parts of these sections could be modified to hand tougher penalties.
“In most road rage incidents, police register cases under section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the IPC. This section is bailable and people easily get bail. In my opinion, section 324 should be made non-bailable,” said senior advocate Balasaheb Khopade.
His reasoning is based on an example. “Earlier, section 353 (assault or criminal forceto deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the IPC was bailable. When it started being treated as nonbailable, attacks on government officials reduced. Also, there is section 160 (punishment for committing affray) in the IPC for fighting on a public road. Currently, the punishment under this section is lenient. But the government can upgrade this section and make it more stringent to avoid road rage crimes,” Khopade said.
DASHCAMS AND SOME EMPATHY
Until laws are reviewed, motorists may have to rely on some off-the-shelf technologies to stay safe. One immediate solution, found across forums that discuss the state of transport and roads in the country today, is the dashcam — an onboard camera that records commutes. In many cities, people are increasingly starting to rely on the device for evidence when skirmishes escalate. The police too accept the evidence from on-board cameras. Commuters who installed dashcams said they immediately felt a sense of safety.
“Many don’t drive right. With a dashcam, I’ll know I can have proof of no wrongdoing,” one motorist said.
Some new cars come with factory fitted dashcams, but a growing market for the device (expected to hit $16. 8 billion globally by 2030, from $4 billion in 2022) means installation methods have improved. “Ideally, camerasshould be fitted in the front and rear of a vehicle. The devices can help prove whose mistake it really was,” said Akshay Baijal, a used-car dealer from Wakad.
Technology, however, is not active intervention; it cannot stop a crime from happening. What is undeniably helpful is better behaviour, experts said.
“Drive calmly and don’t speed,” said Samaiirah India, director of the Pune-based Safe Road Foundation.
“There is a real need now to introduce traffic education in school and college syllabi. Students should know how to use the road and respect other motorists,” she said, adding that the RTO should hand over licences to only those“who respect lives”. The police urged commuters to keep the peace.
“Instead of taking the law into their own hands, motorists should approach police and let them handle the case,” said deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Vijay Magar.
Commuters agreed that education should start early. “I see parents with children in their cars jumping signals. If rule-breaking begins early in their life, so should good instruction,” said Nitin Sagar, from Kharadi.
Gauri Janvekar, a psychologist, said small tweaks in behaviour can lead to huge improvements. One example of a trigger to road rage, she said, was loud honking. “Manage your time better, leave early and stop incessant honking. Loud noise increases aggression levels. And if someone’s angry, stay calm. Chances are they’ll calm down too,” Janvekar said, adding that tempers are already high due to extreme congestion. “People are often stuck in jams. This helplessness leads to aggression,” she said.
Other experts said it’s time authorities provided better infrastructure.
Traffic planner Pratap Bhosale said: “We’re all under pressure. Bad infrastructure and frustrations cause friction between people. It’s no wonder incidents of road rage mostly occur during peak rush hour. ”
