First Delhi, now Surat. Two accident victims were dragged to death by car drivers for several kilometres on busy city roads. Hit-and-run accidents are turning into spine-chilling hit-and-drag incidents. There has been a rash of such acts, which has left the country horrified. Kanpur saw a similar accident where two women were dragged along with their scooter, and Bengaluru saw two such incidents in a week—a 71-year-old citizen dragged for over a kilometre, clinging to a two-wheeler, and a woman driving with a person on her bonnet.
All these ‘accidents’ are classified under road rage—aggressive behaviour targeted at other motorists—and could range from abuse to violence. Punishment for road rage is not severe: for the first offence, it is imprisonment of up to six months and/or a fine of up to Rs 10,000, and for the second offence, two years imprisonment and/or a fine of Rs 15,000. Such offences should attract tougher action and even suspension or revocation of driving licence. The perpetrators of hit-and-drag accidents, whether fatal or otherwise, should be charged with murder. Often, such inhuman acts are deliberate rather than accidental and are not prompted by road rage alone. The men were drunk in the Delhi case but knew they were dragging the girl’s body. In the Bengaluru case, the youngster dragging the senior citizen was unrepentant. Psychologists have suggested that a mental fitness certificate should be made mandatory along with a driving licence. The other strange phenomenon is filming such acts and uploading videos on social media instead of immediately calling law enforcement authorities. While such videos do help nail the offender, the intention is questionable.
These incidents also highlight that road sense and traffic etiquette on Indian roads are deplorable, and safety is at a premium. This is especially so for pedestrians, marginalised and deprived of even the right to cross a road. Impatient, rash drivers in big vehicles, honking indiscriminately, are the norm. Disciplined traffic movement and management in advanced countries should serve as a template for our cities. We need extensive lessons on road behaviour for every driver, preferably taught in school. Drivers should remember that a powerful vehicle brings the added responsibility of ensuring safety. The presence of traffic police officers and CCTV cameras is imperative and should help bring some semblance of order on the roads.