Yeah, yeah! I know one hears this all the time from everyone but, honestly, haven't you done it? You bet you have! It is almost impossible for us Indians to resist an empty junction with the red light on you! You simply cannot see the meaning of it. Well, there you see the good old circle with no vehicle in sight and you reckon it will take you hardly a second, if that, to cross it. What's the harm, you wonder! Why wait unnecessarily when I could be home and dry a full 2 minutes early, you ask yourself. Besides, you never know, that signal might not be working! It doesn't work most of the times! You’ve spent ages already, pondering, isn't it? Oh, to hell with it...throttle down...you roar away...gloating with satisfaction at the enormous time you've saved.
We Indians derive immense pleasure out of breaking rules. Making a mockery of the system is an act of bravado. The feeling of self importance reigns supreme and you cant handle the idea that you, YOU will have to wait a full 60 secs for the lights to change green!
Jumping Red lights is just the beginning. The most visible of them all. Parking under the ‘No Parking’ signboard, driving on the wrong side to get to the divider break, driving on the wrong side on a one way, all these are part and parcel for most of us and we do not bat an eyelid before embarking on one of these acts!
The irony of the whole thing is, if one night you finally decide, since there is a girl with you, to stop at a red light, the odds are that a vehicle will come up behind you and honk, cursing you for being such a moron to stop at lights at night!!! What utter crap we are!!! Of course, it can be worse. The signal is green for you but you can’t drive across because vehicles from other sides refuse to see the red light!!!
There is of course, no point blaming the cops. Pitched against millions of determined and single minded rule breakers, they are helpless. While strict swift fines may bring about a change, it is usually the truckers and autorickshaw drivers who are penalised.
Weighing pros and cons of such an act, from all angles, it is not a good idea to break signals. When people do not see their own reds, wonder what they’d be doing when it is green!!! How much time do you propose to save? In an hour’s drive, even if you encounter 10 signals, with an average stopping time of 60 secs, you are only losing 10 minutes. Can’t you afford 10 freaking minutes for your safety? What if you are carrying passengers? Are you not accountable for their safe transit? How can your folly decide their fates? Come on, think rationally. Think, rather. Carrying kids? What will they learn? This is what you teach them? Wake up, morons! Safe thing is to wait for lights to turn green, then have a look around to ensure there are no morons zooming in from other sides and make a swift dash to safety!