By Maxwell Pereira
June 2001
“Drinks and driving don’t mix” – is a matter of fact statement. It is also an advice often given to drivers by the authorities and others concerned and knowledgeable. With due reason. Though the level of awareness on this crucial issue among road users in most countries of the world – especially in those developed – is quite high, it is unfortunate that this matter has not been viewed with the seriousness it deserves, in our country.
The spectacular increase in the number of motor vehicles on our roads has indeed created a major social problem – of loss of valuable lives through road accidents. And drunkenness is among the major causes for road accidents in India. Also, a large number of persons are killed in road accidents due to excessive intake of alcohol – mostly by drivers before and while driving, and at times even by pedestrians or cyclists who venture on the road in an inebriated state.
In a number of research studies conducted throughout the world which have examined its effects on driving capabilities, alcohol has indeed been found to have dangerous effects on persons who cross limits. The judgement and skill of a driver can only be exercised so long as his sensory organs remain functioning unimpaired; which of course, do get affected with drinks.
Alcohol gives a feeling of well-being and outward calm – but actually it is, in medical parlance, a depressant. It slows down the processes in the central nervous system, especially the brain. The effects can be seen in the lessening of muscular control and coordination, and thereby increase in reaction time. Alcohol intake results in blurring of vision and decrease in awareness, especially in the dark. It also impairs ability to judge speed and distance, essentially needed to deal with unexpected situations…. and judgement with regard to how fit and fine one is to drive, so that under its influence one generally believes oneself to be driving better than one really does. All these factors greatly affect driving performance. Obvious consequences are, a higher risk of road accidents.
Effects of various amounts of alcohol on driver behaviour have been examined in a study conducted by Goldberg L. and J.D.S. Haward, D.E.C.D., Paris. Alcohol in the blood is measured in milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitre (ml) of blood. The Study states that when alcohol concentration in blood is 0-20 mg/100 ml, in some subjects there is deterioration in special skills that resemble driving skills; in which case, the accident risk while being there, is marginal. When blood alcohol concentration is 20-40mg/ 100 ml, there is further progressive deterioration in special skills and hence greater risk of accidents. In 40-50mg/100 ml, significant increase in accident involvement is noticed. As the blood alcohol level approaches and passes 50mg/100 ml, the overall accident risk increases rapidly; and at a concentration of 80mg/100 ml, alcohol emerges as a dominant factor in accidents. When blood alcohol concentration is greater than 80mg/100 ml, the accident probability of drivers is very high – it being 6 to 7 times (when the concentration is 100mg/100 ml) that of drivers with less than 10mg/100 ml.
Authorities around the world have laid down their own standards for permissible maximum blood alcohol content. In the USA many states consider it a legal offence for a person to drive a motor vehicle, if the blood alcohol content is 100 mg/100 ml or more; in Norway and Sweden the limit is 50 mg/100 ml. In the UK the Road Safety Act, 1972 makes it a legal offence for a person to drive if the blood alcohol content is 80 mg/ 100 ml or more. The legal limit in India is 30mg/100 ml, as per provisions of Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988.
When a person drinks alcohol, the drink passes quickly from mouth to the stomach and then into the small intestines – through which it gets absorbed into the blood stream. Absorption of alcohol is very fast if a drink is taken on an empty stomach. It would be slow, if the route through the small intestines is impeded by food. From the small intestine the blood first passes through the liver where a small quantity gets constantly removed – and then onto the system, for general circulation; so on to the heart; the lungs, where a small amount passes into the breath; and finally it reaches the brain. The elimination process is slow, but eventually the liver removes most of the alcohol, while some of it finally passes out through urine.
Harder the drink, it is reported, more rapidly does it get absorbed into the body. The process of absorption is slower for drinks with less concentration of alcohol. Greater the quantum and time over which alcohol is consumed, more the effect on faculties that affect driving. Presence of food in the stomach influences and slows down the absorption process of alcohol into the blood stream. Among other effects of regular and excessive intake of alcohol, deterioration of health is not uncommon… at times leading to loss of livelihood. The probability of a road accident is high, apart from the consequential effects on the immediate family and likely inconvenience/loss to the community.
Ideally, one should not drink and drive. Even a small quantity of alcohol can impair the performance of a person while driving. So it is always advisable to wait until all alcohol has been eliminated from the body, before taking to the wheel. If one has to drive after drinking, the guidelines are – not to drink on an empty stomach; to drink slowly and limit the amount of intake; to eat while drinking; and to stop drinking at a stage much before taking to the wheel.
The legal penalty under section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act prescribes imprisonment of ‘6’ months with or without fine upto Rs. 2000/- for the First offence. For the second and subsequent offence – if committed within 3 years of the commission of a previous similar offence, the imprisonment is upto 2 years or fine up to Rs. 3000/- or more. There can be arrest without warrant u/s 202 of the M.V. Act, which also prescribes a breath test (u/s 203) and a laboratory test (u/s 204). Though not related to alcohol, the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 also envisage some drugs as rendering a person incapable of exercising proper control over the motor vehicle under the same Section 185 of the MV Act. These include Cannabis and Cocaine – which affect the central nervous system as depressants; hypnotic sedatives such as – Allobarbitone, Phenobarbital, Secobarbital, Cyclobarbitone, Barbitone, Methapolene, Chloral Hydrate; narcotic analgesics like – Morphine and Pethidine; psycho-tropic drugs like Lysergic acid di-ethyleawridge (LSD); stimulants like – Amphetamin, Methyl Phanidate Hydrochloride; and transquilizers like – Diazepam, Chloridiarepoxide and Nitrazepam;
To conclude, a balanced individual will remember always to stick to the advise of elders on drinks – “one is just fine; two is one too many; three is just not enough….” And beware of that friend who pressurises a departing guest with a – ‘one for the road’. Just be that wise guy then, not to let that one be, the ‘…one for the ditch’. Surely then, you’ll be the one that saves not only yours, but other’s lives too.
Tuesday 12 June 2001
Sunday 10 June 2001
Rage over Road Rage!
By Maxwell Pereira
It is often said - "The character of a city's people is reflected in the manner its Traffic moves!" When people lack the cardinal three 'C's - Care, Courtesy and Consideration while driving on the road, they become potential victims of Road Rage. Be it as aggressor, or just 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 behaviour... result, at times most unexpectedly, in situations where just about anyone on the road - more often the affluent, the elite, even the plebeian, or the likes of you and me, are hit with road rage.
Diminutively statured Lola Mathai couldn't control her tears as she narrated to me the other day an intimidatingly horrifying experience of a "burly black woman in her huge embassy car" - her expressions not mine - chasing her little Maruti down the road for over a kilometre, gesturing all the way most threateningly, stopping her at a road junction, and then thumping on her bonnet with her steely hard hands, even as her daughter desperately tried alerting the police on the cell phone.
But Lola Mathai’s encounter was insipid when compared to that of Deepak Singh and Kamalkant Jain on May 4 when mere rolling up of sleeves and letting go volleys of abuses at the other did not diffuse risen tempers - but followed into an eatery in South Delhi's posh GK-II, ending up with one person shot in the leg and another beaten black and blue. Zigzagging near Savitri led to this fracas, reported the press, the next day.
Policemen too were not spared, when a week ago within a span of 12 hours three traffic officials were at the butt end - assaulted in two separate incidents in the city's New Delhi and the trans-Yamuna areas, merely for doing their duty by intervening in situations. In one case, for mediating in an argument between a Blueline driver and the drunk occupants of a Zen. In the other, for restraining a cyclist for irresponsibly invading into the path of a VIP motorcade. And then on May 29 was this incident in which farm owners in Mehrauli who accosted him for crashing into their car, damaging it accidentally, allegedly shot at Sanjay Kumar of Gadaipur - consequently, landing themselves in Tihar jail with an 'attempt to murder' charge slapped on them.
Less than a year ago, Shammi Narang was shot in the abdomen following a minor road accident in West Delhi. And Jaswant Singh in South Delhi's Badarpur was shot dead from point blank range for 'not driving his vehicle safely'.
Road rage overcomes a driver without warning and tends to destabilise the human so completely enough to make him/her irrationally impulsive... to do things one normally wouldn't. Like chasing, abusing, ramming, hurting, bashing, and at times even killing. And the incidence of this demon road rage - often termed the "mad driver's disease", is no more a rarity, visibly rearing its head in ever increasing frequency in our cities in India, and more particularly in Delhi with its burgeoning traffic of over 35 lakh vehicles - whose mobility the administration and the Traffic Police are diligently (...or is it naively?) endeavouring to ensure in convenient, ostensibly safe, and greater speeds.
In an evolving life style where more and more people are finding themselves always in a hurry to reach their destinations and back, indulgence in mindless driving with wanton disregard to traffic rules today tends to be the general practice than the exception - despite the efforts of the authorities. There are far too many vehicles - and a variety of them too, jostling for priority on limited road space; and drivers are taking liberties with the rules, much to the annoyance of other road users. Resulting in the number and type of traffic offenders increasing steadily. The resultant tensions tend to convert into abnormal driver behaviour, getting violent by the day.
Stress levels are often aggravated also by weather and environmental conditions, especially with the onset of summer and its increasing temperatures. Making drivers lose their cool with tolerance levels touching the brim. "Heat brings out the worst in us" psychologists say, "and add fuel to fire, shooting up stress". When climate is uncomfortable, as it is in summers when most are not privileged to enjoy air-conditioners, irritation is round the corner; providing that spark to ignite mental instability and irrationality in impulsive persons... to commit aberrations and at times even crimes - not necessarily by such who normally exhibit a criminal bent of mind. That is why perhaps one experiences a plethora of accidents during the 'heaty' months and more particularly during the height of noon as compared to the rest of day.
Also, one doesn't need to be a doctor to know that the extra heat generated through consumption of alcohol further tends to make a person less in control of his faculties, more impulsive in his reaction and extremely irritable in the face of provocation. Correspondingly, the general aggression on the roads giving rise to violent situations and accidents is a common fall-out in instances of drunken driving.
And then there are people who are already hassled on account of various matters - matters, maybe totally not connected 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; could be pangs of hunger, or the child's Report Card, or a financial crisis caused by a crash in the Stock Market - could be anything. All these, anyone or more, could make the pressure valve burst.. or snap the tensed up string of sanity. Triggering off that chord of depression or anger ever lurking and inherent in all. Distracting and disturbing the concentration levels required for safe and sane driving on the road.
Going by behavioural factors, road rage is found to usually strike those with ego problems. Also, a decade ago Delhi-ites talked not-too-kindly of the emerging behaviour patterns among 'yuppies' and the 'puppies' and condemned their nouveau-riche arrogance and irresponsible crudity while zipping across the city in their brand new Marutis and their inflated egos. The conflicting egos of different individuals get correspondingly reflected in road-user behaviour... more often transformed into anger. Anger levels rise and keep rising over each irrational act of the other road user (not necessarily just that of the vehicle driver.... but even of a pedestrian, cyclist, bullock-cart, camel or elephant) - justifiably viewed as such or not, by the one with ego hassles. More particularly when he feels that the other road user is getting the better of him. Which tends to make him break the barrier of sanity, lose his cool... and instead of concentrating on the road and the task of driving his own car with personal faculties fully under control, he succumbs to his rising temper... to reach a level when pressure valves burst, letting out the accumulated steam uncontrollably and unpredictably. Often with disastrous consequences.
Non-stop driving over prolonged lengths of time also impairs the cognitive functions of a driver and modifies his appraisal of hazards and stress. Resultant fatigue is another factor which affects the performance ability under varied driving conditions/situations; thereby resulting in accumulation of more stress influencing driver behaviour. Such heavy strain which the driver on the road is exposed to results in unreliable, invalid and un-quantifiable road behaviour which contributes to the irrational and unaccountable performance ability and other psychological error situations.
The complex interweaving of all these factors ‘midst the at times not-too-palatable and pressure–building traffic conditions is home ground for road rage. This and the resultant disregard to rules, I should not fail to say, the enforcers of traffic laws are tasked to try and control by restrictive and regulatory treatment, with appropriate fines and other enforcement measures for reasons of traffic safety and socio-political considerations. The potential of this exercise, one needs also to concede, is no less a contributory factor too, at times, as witnessed by many a prosecuting traffic official on the beat.
The consequent effects of a conglomeration of all these factors are not necessarily uniform - depending on individual metabolism, mind frame and particular circumstance in time. Loss of cool and equanimity to start with, and most certainly irritation for the majority; leading to impulsive and excessive honking, verbal abuse at times accompanied by gesticulating threateningly - even obscene gestures; unnecessary and aggressive lane changing or driving obstructively or too slowly; cutting across the path of the other's right of way, angry flashing of headlights, and aggressive tailgating... the likes of which experienced by Lola Mathai.
So what's the remedy? Always keep your cool, say most. Easier said than done. But a good driver needs to be organized. Ensure your rest, and make time for relaxation. Start well in time, with sufficient sponge for stoppages and contingencies of traffic abnormalities en route... not forgetting to take whatever that needs to be carried along. Be in control of the wheel and yourself. And do not get provoked or overly excited - especially when driving. Be patient at intersections, and take heed of our suggestion for you to 'RELAX' painted for your benefit on every red light signal-head. And remember, with all the tension packed hurried attempt to reach the destination, you'd not really have gained more than a minute or two. May be it will help to develop that attitude of 'pehle aap' while on the road... and when provoked, never to react before mentally counting 1 to 10..... That will help!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
May 31, 2001: Copyright © Maxwell Pereira; email: maxpk@vsnl.com
(Published as main feature in the centre-spread editorial page of the Hindustan Times of Sunday June 10, 2001 under ‘Reflections’ – as “Drive carefully, road rage ahead”).
It is often said - "The character of a city's people is reflected in the manner its Traffic moves!" When people lack the cardinal three 'C's - Care, Courtesy and Consideration while driving on the road, they become potential victims of Road Rage. Be it as aggressor, or just 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 behaviour... result, at times most unexpectedly, in situations where just about anyone on the road - more often the affluent, the elite, even the plebeian, or the likes of you and me, are hit with road rage.
Diminutively statured Lola Mathai couldn't control her tears as she narrated to me the other day an intimidatingly horrifying experience of a "burly black woman in her huge embassy car" - her expressions not mine - chasing her little Maruti down the road for over a kilometre, gesturing all the way most threateningly, stopping her at a road junction, and then thumping on her bonnet with her steely hard hands, even as her daughter desperately tried alerting the police on the cell phone.
But Lola Mathai’s encounter was insipid when compared to that of Deepak Singh and Kamalkant Jain on May 4 when mere rolling up of sleeves and letting go volleys of abuses at the other did not diffuse risen tempers - but followed into an eatery in South Delhi's posh GK-II, ending up with one person shot in the leg and another beaten black and blue. Zigzagging near Savitri led to this fracas, reported the press, the next day.
Policemen too were not spared, when a week ago within a span of 12 hours three traffic officials were at the butt end - assaulted in two separate incidents in the city's New Delhi and the trans-Yamuna areas, merely for doing their duty by intervening in situations. In one case, for mediating in an argument between a Blueline driver and the drunk occupants of a Zen. In the other, for restraining a cyclist for irresponsibly invading into the path of a VIP motorcade. And then on May 29 was this incident in which farm owners in Mehrauli who accosted him for crashing into their car, damaging it accidentally, allegedly shot at Sanjay Kumar of Gadaipur - consequently, landing themselves in Tihar jail with an 'attempt to murder' charge slapped on them.
Less than a year ago, Shammi Narang was shot in the abdomen following a minor road accident in West Delhi. And Jaswant Singh in South Delhi's Badarpur was shot dead from point blank range for 'not driving his vehicle safely'.
Road rage overcomes a driver without warning and tends to destabilise the human so completely enough to make him/her irrationally impulsive... to do things one normally wouldn't. Like chasing, abusing, ramming, hurting, bashing, and at times even killing. And the incidence of this demon road rage - often termed the "mad driver's disease", is no more a rarity, visibly rearing its head in ever increasing frequency in our cities in India, and more particularly in Delhi with its burgeoning traffic of over 35 lakh vehicles - whose mobility the administration and the Traffic Police are diligently (...or is it naively?) endeavouring to ensure in convenient, ostensibly safe, and greater speeds.
In an evolving life style where more and more people are finding themselves always in a hurry to reach their destinations and back, indulgence in mindless driving with wanton disregard to traffic rules today tends to be the general practice than the exception - despite the efforts of the authorities. There are far too many vehicles - and a variety of them too, jostling for priority on limited road space; and drivers are taking liberties with the rules, much to the annoyance of other road users. Resulting in the number and type of traffic offenders increasing steadily. The resultant tensions tend to convert into abnormal driver behaviour, getting violent by the day.
Stress levels are often aggravated also by weather and environmental conditions, especially with the onset of summer and its increasing temperatures. Making drivers lose their cool with tolerance levels touching the brim. "Heat brings out the worst in us" psychologists say, "and add fuel to fire, shooting up stress". When climate is uncomfortable, as it is in summers when most are not privileged to enjoy air-conditioners, irritation is round the corner; providing that spark to ignite mental instability and irrationality in impulsive persons... to commit aberrations and at times even crimes - not necessarily by such who normally exhibit a criminal bent of mind. That is why perhaps one experiences a plethora of accidents during the 'heaty' months and more particularly during the height of noon as compared to the rest of day.
Also, one doesn't need to be a doctor to know that the extra heat generated through consumption of alcohol further tends to make a person less in control of his faculties, more impulsive in his reaction and extremely irritable in the face of provocation. Correspondingly, the general aggression on the roads giving rise to violent situations and accidents is a common fall-out in instances of drunken driving.
And then there are people who are already hassled on account of various matters - matters, maybe totally not connected 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; could be pangs of hunger, or the child's Report Card, or a financial crisis caused by a crash in the Stock Market - could be anything. All these, anyone or more, could make the pressure valve burst.. or snap the tensed up string of sanity. Triggering off that chord of depression or anger ever lurking and inherent in all. Distracting and disturbing the concentration levels required for safe and sane driving on the road.
Going by behavioural factors, road rage is found to usually strike those with ego problems. Also, a decade ago Delhi-ites talked not-too-kindly of the emerging behaviour patterns among 'yuppies' and the 'puppies' and condemned their nouveau-riche arrogance and irresponsible crudity while zipping across the city in their brand new Marutis and their inflated egos. The conflicting egos of different individuals get correspondingly reflected in road-user behaviour... more often transformed into anger. Anger levels rise and keep rising over each irrational act of the other road user (not necessarily just that of the vehicle driver.... but even of a pedestrian, cyclist, bullock-cart, camel or elephant) - justifiably viewed as such or not, by the one with ego hassles. More particularly when he feels that the other road user is getting the better of him. Which tends to make him break the barrier of sanity, lose his cool... and instead of concentrating on the road and the task of driving his own car with personal faculties fully under control, he succumbs to his rising temper... to reach a level when pressure valves burst, letting out the accumulated steam uncontrollably and unpredictably. Often with disastrous consequences.
Non-stop driving over prolonged lengths of time also impairs the cognitive functions of a driver and modifies his appraisal of hazards and stress. Resultant fatigue is another factor which affects the performance ability under varied driving conditions/situations; thereby resulting in accumulation of more stress influencing driver behaviour. Such heavy strain which the driver on the road is exposed to results in unreliable, invalid and un-quantifiable road behaviour which contributes to the irrational and unaccountable performance ability and other psychological error situations.
The complex interweaving of all these factors ‘midst the at times not-too-palatable and pressure–building traffic conditions is home ground for road rage. This and the resultant disregard to rules, I should not fail to say, the enforcers of traffic laws are tasked to try and control by restrictive and regulatory treatment, with appropriate fines and other enforcement measures for reasons of traffic safety and socio-political considerations. The potential of this exercise, one needs also to concede, is no less a contributory factor too, at times, as witnessed by many a prosecuting traffic official on the beat.
The consequent effects of a conglomeration of all these factors are not necessarily uniform - depending on individual metabolism, mind frame and particular circumstance in time. Loss of cool and equanimity to start with, and most certainly irritation for the majority; leading to impulsive and excessive honking, verbal abuse at times accompanied by gesticulating threateningly - even obscene gestures; unnecessary and aggressive lane changing or driving obstructively or too slowly; cutting across the path of the other's right of way, angry flashing of headlights, and aggressive tailgating... the likes of which experienced by Lola Mathai.
So what's the remedy? Always keep your cool, say most. Easier said than done. But a good driver needs to be organized. Ensure your rest, and make time for relaxation. Start well in time, with sufficient sponge for stoppages and contingencies of traffic abnormalities en route... not forgetting to take whatever that needs to be carried along. Be in control of the wheel and yourself. And do not get provoked or overly excited - especially when driving. Be patient at intersections, and take heed of our suggestion for you to 'RELAX' painted for your benefit on every red light signal-head. And remember, with all the tension packed hurried attempt to reach the destination, you'd not really have gained more than a minute or two. May be it will help to develop that attitude of 'pehle aap' while on the road... and when provoked, never to react before mentally counting 1 to 10..... That will help!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
May 31, 2001: Copyright © Maxwell Pereira; email: maxpk@vsnl.com
(Published as main feature in the centre-spread editorial page of the Hindustan Times of Sunday June 10, 2001 under ‘Reflections’ – as “Drive carefully, road rage ahead”).
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