The road accidents have been a major cause of anxiety for a long time now. The pathetic condition of roads, the flagrant disregard for traffic rules and the in-built arrogance of we mallus are all contributing factors to this sad state of affairs. Add to this the over speeding buses (both private and KSRTC), the tipper lorries and other commercial vehicles that speed through our roads, we have a perfect recipe for disaster. For us a road is a multipurpose utility which doubles up as road + footpath + drainage + waste bin.
Day before yesterday, I was returning home for lunch from my office at Mavoor road in Kozhikode on my Pulsar bike. My destination was my home near Civil station, and I was riding through Arayidathupalam – Eranhipalam road. When I was passing through near Kalipoika, I noticed a spanking new Hundai Accent cruising well above the speed limits in my rear view mirror. Here, I must admit I am a person very much in love with my dear life and had no intention to risk it at that point of time. I gave way and the sparkling car rushed past me. But, some distance ahead, I saw the car slowing down and pulling into a small space in between the big container lorries(which carry factory fresh cars from other states to ours) that were parked on the left side of the road. As it did so, the left front door of the car opened and I saw a big plastic cover, presumably stuffed with waste materials, being thrown into the open space on the road side. In a flash, the door closed and the car took off. It sped away in full throttle never to be seen again.
Yesterday afternoon also, during the lunch trip to my home,along the same road, I had gone past the Swapna nagari and the orphanage when a Toyota Innova sped behind me. I myself was riding at around 45Km/Hr and the Innova overtook me comfortably. Now, just afterwards the Innova took a left turn towards a connecting road without any signal whatsoever. I was so close to the Innova, I had to slam my brakes hard, the bike actually wobbled a little and I had to balance with all my expertise praying for my dear life.
Now, this kind of irresponsible conduct on the road happens daily, and it has actually become a big risk to venture out to these death traps. The drivers of the bigger vehicles just do not seem to notice the pedestrians, cyclists and two wheeler riders. It is worth noticing that the two wheeler riders also often resort to racing and adventure rides on the public road causing much anxiety to lesser mortals. One can only pray that one is able to return safely home every day.
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