Hyderabad:Last September, a 69-year-old man, Anjaneyulu, succumbed to a severe head injury, which he sustained when a furious motorist furiously pushed him to the ground for being called out for over speeding in Alwal.
It was later learnt that the assailant Deepak was fuming after having a fight with his wife. Deepak was booked under Section 110 of the BNS (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and was later sent to judicial remand.
This is no isolated case as road rage has become a major issue in the city; a killer so to say. What on the surface looks like a battle of honks and abusive remarks, has led to many fatalities.
Although road rage is a common sight across the globe, the real reason behind why it happens remains a mystery.
Speaking about the possible psychological aspects, Dr Anitha, a psychiatrist at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), said, “It is more likely that the driver was enraged because he was under the influence of a stimulant, like alcohol. Road rage culprits are usually anti-social people, who sadistically believe that breaking rules gives them stimulus. Usually younger people over speed and get agitated when a motorist with less speed passes by.”
“When it comes to intentionally hurting someone, it is mostly coming as a result of a pre-existing anger. Since one needs to channel that anger, they usually hurl abuses at a fellow-motorist while driving,” Dr Anitha said.
Speaking of a solution, she said, “For younger people, the only solution seems to be a little bit of parental control. A parent must know the ward’s behavioural patterns across situations. When the perpetrators are adults, they need to be thoroughly counselled. Ironically, we do keep a record of how many road accidents happen every year, but do not know why they happen. A lot of deep study needs to be done on this rather perplexing emotional outburst.”
She added, “We do not have a psychologist present during the counselling sessions that the police hold for a road accident accused. The police show them pictures of injuries and explain about the trauma, but never try to know what is wrong with the person who is caught for recklessness, driving negligently or beating someone to death for what is a simple tiff on the road.”
As regards the approach of witnesses of road rage incidents, Hyderabad traffic DCP Rahul Hegde said, “Our on-duty officers often witness such situations. Sometimes the driver gets so angry that he even attacks an on-duty officer. At that point, we are not supposed to act aggressively. We try to pacify the matter but if the driver is too aggressive, we report it to the law and order police, who then register a case.”
Last November, a 19-year-old had dragged a traffic cop on his car bonnet after he was stopped for a regular check-up during a special drive. No one was hurt during the incident. The teen was booked among other things for attempt to commit culpable homicide.
About the precautionary measures, Naresh Raghavan, a road safety and drivers’ counsellor, said, “Maybe what will make a little difference is to focus and make sure one is not a perpetrator of a road rage. This situation usually occurs when a fellow motorist tries to break rules, cuts lines, or sometimes, it might just happen unintentionally. The best way to make sure you never become the reason behind a road rage is to follow rules and drive safely and consciously, because you do not know the mindset of the other motorist.”
Furthermore, he said, “If at all it happens unknowingly and the person you are dealing with is being aggressive, the best way is to let go. Never make eye-contact. If the person remains aggressive, just say sorry. If it escalates further and one is likely to be attacked and there is no one around, one must drive away.”
GFX:
How to avoid road rage?
> Drive safely, consciously
> Do not escalate the matter in case an altercation breaks out, never make eye contact with the aggressive motorist
> Say sorry if you sense the situation is likely to go out of control, never slide the window down
> Drive away if there seems to be a situation endangering your life
How to curb it?
1. Do more research on why a person was over speeding or driving negligently
2. Avoid consuming stimulants like alcohol while driving
