Image : PAHO

Off late, the swine flu virus aka H1N1 has been everywhere.  The one place you can always always find it is your TV set. Some channel, or its cousin, is sure to be saying one thing about it, or another. No one, however, tells you that if you look at the facts, you will find that the swine-flu has a lesser mortality/death rate than diarrhoea, pneumonia or TB. Yes, H1N1 has caused mass-hysteria, but can you blame the poor virus for that? Our friendly, neighbourhood reporter has done his very best to ensure that you are scared of catching the virus if you so much as step out of your house without wearing a mask.

While we raise such a hue and cry over H1N1, there is another, far deadlier, virus that has quietly spread beyond control. It’s the D.O.R (Death on Roads) virus. It has two variants: death due to driving, or death due to being a pedestrian on road. If you think talking about D.O.R. is another case of raising a storm in a tea cup, just take a look at some figures specific to India:

Swine-flu
Deaths reported(till date): 26
Number of infected cases : more than 1000
Estimated loss to GDP(if it becomes an epidemic) :1 – 1.5% of GDP (as given by World Bank)

D.O.R
Deaths reported: more than 300 PER DAY
Number of infected cases : the whole illiterate driving population
Estimated loss to GDP(it has become an epidemic) : 3% of GDP

WHO has released is first ever Global Status Report on Road Safety (which can be downloaded here) in which India has been accorded the dubious distinction of being the world leader in the figures for number of deaths due to road accidents. The report also goes on to say that by 2030, road accidents will become the fifth largest killer in the world.

Now, just take a moment to think, and decide for yourself,  which is deadlier and should get more media coverage!

Lets take a look at what the government can do about this. Regular road review programs, improving the quality and quantity of roads, strict enforcement of rules and regulations are some of the things the government could start with.

Another huge problem in India is that there are many drivers on the road who have no business being there. You guessed it, I am talking about the driver’s licence. It’s a joke, a mockery, a sham. This test is a very serious affair in developed countries. Dubai’s driver’s test is supposed to be the toughest and the most rigorous. People have been known to fail the test as many as 20 times. Their test is so trusted that the same license is valid in many other countries. Compare that with what happens in our ‘Shining’ India? – You don’t even need to know how to drive to get a license. You can simply get one and can use the license to practice ‘Live’ on the roads, along side ‘Live’ people. That just goes on to show the value we accord to our lives and to those of our fellow Indians.

I got my licence through a broker. At the time, I barely managed to drive a 4-wheeler, but the broker made a good deal and got me a combo license – which gave me the right to drive 2 as well as four wheelers – a license to kill. But, I have decided not to unleash my madness on the roads, and avoid being  a danger to myself and the society at large.

One thing, however, that the government can’t do is to change our mindset. They give us the road, but it’s upto us to use it. If we, as the drivers, choose to be illiterate, ignorant of the road rules, and don’t value our own lives, even the good Lord Ganesha can’t help us. We all see the advertisements about not mixing drinking and driving, but who doesn’t have a friend who says, “Oh forget that, I drive better when I am drunk.”

Develop a road-sense if you don’t already have one. Follow the rule whenever, wherever possible. Rules are meant to keep us from succumbing to D.O.R. and, if not for your own sake, think about the countless other fellow drivers and pedestrians that are likely to end up injured – even dead – because of your callous driving. Unless you develop this superior-sense, India, I’m afraid, will never shine.

Lastly, before you go buy yourself an N95 mask for the flu, buy yourself a helmet, get your vehicle insured and get it serviced. The media may still not take notice, but do your bit by educating your peers about D.O.R. – you will be saving many a lives.