By - Imkong Walling
Remember that agonising sense of irritation, frustration, and helplessness that overcomes when vehicles with retrofitted exhaust noise zip past? While there are cars with brain-jarring noise, motorcycles with high decibel silencers are at another level.
There is also that thoughtless driver, who forgets to use the dipper, and of course, the one who thinks it is cool and hip to use decorative add-on lights; in addition to replacing factory-fitted headlamps with blinding high wattage bulbs.
Then there are the dangerously irresponsible wrong lane drivers, particularly in the Purana Bazaar to Chümoukedima 4-lane, NH 29, who continue to repeat the treacherous habit with impunity. They do it just to avoid taking a roundabout or a turn a few extra metres ahead. It could be that these same people go on to champion road rules on social media.
And then the well entrenched culture of obstructive parking, high-speed overtaking, and disregard for traffic police constables — let alone road rules — driving under the influence, and so on. There is also the culture of traffic police going blind when fellow cops sneak into ‘No Entry’ zones, besides allowing unofficial special passes to NL 10s and NL 11s emblazoned with ‘Police,’ including off-duty ones.
There are vehicles of myriad kinds, out on the roads, failing all road safety regulations. Missing tail and signal lights, missing side/rear view mirrors get ignored, but have been the cause of many mishaps.
The police come up with traffic advisories intermittently, like the one issued by the Kohima police some three weeks ago, on June 5. It advised against loud exhaust noise, notably two-wheelers, after market headlamps of high luminosity exceeding the set limit, using blinkers and tinted windows.
The advisory was followed up by action— catching motor-cycles with retrofitted silencers, and cars with tinted films. “These actions reinforce our commitment to road safety and compliance with manufacturer standards,” thus went the announcement by the Kohima police.
The advisories bring a semblance of order, which but disappears not long after. Per history, these are predictable and short-lived trend.
Commitments get easily declared, what also matters is consistency and persistence. Road safety encompasses a whole lot of measures than only checking helmets, registration, harassing helpless transporters, and making paper declarations every once in a while.
Wonder if the Dimapur police commissionerate would emulate its Kohima counterpart, and, hopefully, sustain it.
The writer is a Principal Correspondent at The Morung Express. Comments can be sent to imkongwalls@gmail.com
