Introduction:

It is said that the character of city's people is reflected in the manner its traffic moves. When people lack the cardinal three Cs' - care courtesy and consideration - while driving on the road, they are potential victims of the road rage, as aggressor or at the receiving end. This coupled with lack of basic knowledge of road rules and /or the tendency to violate the accepted and expected norms of road behavior, result in situations where just about any one of the road is hit by road rage. Road rage overcomes a driver without warning, and tends to destabilize the person so completely that it makes him/her irrationally impulsive, to do things they normally wouldn't Like chasing, abusing, running down, hurting, bashing, at times even killing. And the incidence of this demon road rage, often termed the "mad driver's disease", is no more a rarity, occurring with increasing frequency in Indian cities, particularly Delhi. The traffic police are diligently endeavoring to ensure convenient, ostensibly safe, and greater speeds for the Capital's burgeoning traffic of over 35 lakh vehicles, but it is virtually a nave ask, to expect any degree of success in this assignment.

Some Recent Examples:

y Lola Mathai was chased by a "burly black woman in her huge embassy car" stopped and abused. y Deepak Singh and Kamalkant Jain, who chastised an errant driver in south Delhi, were followed to an eatery, where one was beaten up and the other suffered a gunshot wound. y Two cops mediating an argument between a Blue line driver and the drunk occupations of a car, were beaten up by the drunkards. y Another policeman was beaten up by a cyclist for restraining him when he cut into the path of a VIP motorcade. y y A journalist was beaten up by an embassy official at Khan Market over parking space. A skating instructor at Talkatora stadium ran down a man after their cars had a minor accident.

In Sainik Farms resident and relatives beat up and later shot at Sanjay Kumar,a chauffeur for 'scraping' their car with his.

y y y

Shammi Narang was shot in the abdomen after a minor road accident in Western Delhi. Jaswant Singh was shot dead from point blank range for not driving his vehicle safety. A Sikh scooterist stabbed and killed another scooterist with his kirpan, when the two vehicles brushed, near Red- Fort.

Reasons of Road Rage:

y In times when more and more people find themselves in a hurry to reach their destinations, indulgence in mindless driving with wanton disregard to traffic rules has become the norm rather than the exception - despite the efforts of the authorities. There are far too many vehicles jostling for limited space. Drivers take liberties with traffic rules, to the annoyance of other road users. Net result: the number and type of traffic offences and offenders is increasing steadily. And, at the end of the day abnormal driver behavior is becoming more violent by the day. y Apart from all this, stress levels are also often aggravated by weather and environmental conditions, especially so Delhi's muggy and unmerciful summers. This has the effect of shortening the fuse, in a manner of speaking, and the drivers' tolerance levels plummet y "Heat brings out the worst in us", psychologists say. "And add fuel to fire, shooting up stress". When weather conditions are uncomfortable, irritation is round the corner, providing that spark to ignite mental instability and irrationality in impulsive persons and causing them to even commit crime - even though they are not of a criminal bent of mind. This is even more aggravated when one protagonist in an argument is traveling in an airconditioned vehicle, for the other resent this 'inequitable distribution' of discomfort! That is why perhaps one finds a surfeit of accidents during the hot months, and more particularly during the height of noon as compared to the rest of the summer day. y There is, needless to add, the influence of alcohol on them mental stability of road users, by they motorists, cyclists or pedestrians. The general aggression becomes more focused on the road, giving rise to violent situations.

And then there are people who are already hassled on account of various matters, matters unconnected with driving. Be it a disturbed night without adequate sleep, or a disagreement with the spouse, may be a delayed start or a ticking off from the boss - your crisis could be anything.

Going by behavioral patterns, it is found that road rage usually strikes people with ego problems. Also, a decade ago Delhiites talked not too kindly of the emerging behaviour patterns among 'yuppies' and 'puppies' universally condemning their noveau riche arrogance and irresponsible crudeness while zipping across the city in their Marutis and their inflated egos.

Anger levels rise and keep rising over each irrational act of the other road user - not necessarily a vehicle driver, even a pedestrian cyclist, bullock - cart camel, or elephant becomes competition'. Every time such a person sits at the wheel of his car It is as though it is a race, the against the rest of the world. And when he feels that the other road user is getting the better of him he blows his top in trying to over take and bingo; you have an accident, and all the ingredients for an 'untoward incident'.

Non - stop driving over prolonged lengths of time also impairs the cognitive functions of a driver and impedes his appraisal of hazards and stress. Such drivers then overestimate their driving abilities - resulting in psychological error situations.

The complex interweaving of all these factor set amidst pressure -cooker traffic conditions is the breeding ground for road rage. This and the resultant disregard to rules. One should not fail to mention. Traffic police have to exert an amount of pressure and force while trying to control vehicle movement. One fallout of this is an increment in the already fermenting road user's rage. The effects of all these factors are not necessarily uniform - individual metabolism, mind, frame and circumstances all play an important role in causing individuals to react differently in similar circumstances. But on the whole, the use of the country's roads is not a pleasant experience.

Remedy?
Always keep your cool, say most. Easier said than done. But a good driver needs to be organized. Ensure yours rest, and make time for relaxation. Start well in time, with sufficient sponge for stoppages and contingencies of traffic abnormalities en route. Be in control of the wheel and yourself. And do not get provoked or overly excited - especially when you are driving. Be patient at intersections, and take heed of the traffic police's suggestion that you 'RELEX', painted for your benefit on every red light signal- head. May be it would help to develop an attitude of pehle aap while on the road. Last but not the least, if provoked, one should never react before mentally counting 1 to 10 - slowly. Educational Programmes 1. Regular programmes for the entire target groups including school children. 2. Road Safety March 3. Street play 4. Painting/Quiz/Essay Competitions 5. Distribution of Road Safety Literature

Mode of Education Various tools have been adopted to impart road safety education to various categories of road users 1. Lectures 2. Film Shows 3. Exhibitions through Mobile Exhibition Vans 4. Distribution of Road Safety Literature 5. On the spot help to the road users like OPD Patients, pedestrians, cyclist etc.

6. Fixing of Reflective tapes on cycles 7. Organising Road Safety Awareness programmes in Association with NGO's 8. Road Safety Awareness involving RWAs Transport unions and Trade unions 9. Education through PA System

Other Activities 1. Health Check -up Camps for Delhi Police Drivers 2. Designing of Road Safety Literature. 3. Display of Annual Road Safety Exhibition at Pragati Maidan during I.I.T.F 4. Organizing exhibitions on special occasions like Diwali Mela, Perfect Health Mela.

Delhi Traffic Police:

Motto: To achieve the highest standards of smooth and safe flow of traffic Various slogans Speed thrills but kills Dont be rash, it lets you crash Two wheelers for two only Day or night, obey traffic light Drive to care not to dare Dont be a hell mate, wear helmet Considering the volume of vehicle on Delhi roads, Delhi Traffic Police is doing a commendable job in ensuring that the message gets through to the public. Delhi Traffic Police has extensively used Print Ads and occasionally used radio ads and TV ads to educate the public. DTP also has extensively used PA systems. The current trend sees them making good use of Social Media like Facebook and Twitter to connect with the masses, invite suggestions from them, educate them if an when required, receive feedback and complaints and most importantly have a real time dialog

with the public Occasionally they have a celebrity to endorse one of their drives and this yeilds rich PR dividends. Some of the examples of their IMC can be seen in the pics below:

Conclusion:
Delhi has the most cars for any one city in the country which means that there are many first time drivers on the road and the number keeps growing .There should be some mechanism to ensure that the people sitting behind the wheel are suitably trained for the job and if they are a risk to others, they shouldn't be allowed to drive. The government should ensure that the Road Saftey Education is given to each and every individual and a mandatory course be introduced in schools and colleges. Everyone in Delhi tries to get somewhere first. The rules need to be implemented more properly. Also, it has something to do with the nature of the people here. People generally tend to be more brash and more aggressive in Delhi and at a slight provocation will get out and try to beat you up , if you try to overtake them for instance. And everyone seems to have some kind of clout in Delhi. Invariably the first thing that someone says , the moment after he gets off his car for a brawl is mention his high and powerful contacts. Everyone seems to know someone in Delhi, even if it is a Minister's driver. There is a need to sensitize the public about the perils of such an attitude on the road and how it makes them a threat against everyone else on the road, including their own near and dear ones. The Delhi Traffic Police should take a more proactive role than a reactive role in ensuring that road rage incidents are swiftly dealt with and punitive action acts as a deterrent against further road rage incidents.