HYDERABAD: My uncle often used to say, ‘It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” This made me write this book. I visited many countries and realised that India is one of the few places where accidents happen due to bad roads.
This sparked the thought of writing a book and spread the word,” said Naresh Raghavan, a mechanical engineer and the author of the book Top Driver- Car and Bike Handbook. He released the book recently in the city in the presence of Krishna Prasad, Additional General Director of Police (Railways and Road Safety), Mohammed Khaleequer Rahman, social activist and the founder of Youth against speed and Amer Beg, professional race car driver.
Naresh, who hails from Hyderabad, has completed his engineering from CBIT College and did his MBA from Memphis State University, USA. He has also got trained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, USA) in ‘Defensive car driving’ and by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) defensive Driving course in Motorcycle safety’.
He has driven in different countries like USA, Canada, Dubai, Mexico, Germany, Caribbean Islands and in India too. “Extensive research in the US librarhelped me complete the book,” he says.
Introducing his book, he said “I used to run a car garage “Carz” in the ‘90s to understand cars better and the complications involved when accidents occur. I also compete in car races and win medals.”
The book, which lays a strong foundation for driving, is divided into two sections, one with content and the other with photographs. “Pedestrians and cyclists are important users of the road and it is everyone’s duty to protect themselves along with them,” he said while adding about what else to expect in the book.
“The book also talks about driving techniques and safety rules. While most accidents occur as rules are not followed, they are also caused because of the lack of knowledge. I started writing it in 1997, but lack of resources made me to drop the idea. After doing elaborate research, I started writing this book in 2016 and launched ot now. It helps in educating individuals on safer driving practices,” Naresh said. He wants to appeal to the RTI (Road Transport of India) to make passing the written exam compulsory before issuing the license.
Professional car racer Amer Beg, one of the guests, added, “It should be a part of curriculum for youngsters because they are the most vulnerable in accidents.
The state should impose strict rules on speeding and set stringent limits. The motorists should be aware of the capacity of the vehicles they drive and have a sound knowledge of how it runs.”
Social activist Khaleequer Rahman shared his experience on what made him start “Youth Against Speed”. “It took my family years to get out of the trauma after my 16-year-old son met with a bike accident which killed the son of Mohammad Azaruddin, Former Indian Captain.”
Krishna Prasad added, “Half of the road accidents involve those between 15 to 29 years. Bad roads, unsafe vehicles and human mistakes are the three big killers, he added.