Saras India

Traffic. And everything that happens in and around the term traffic.

The first thing;

Back home in Sweden, I put on my seatbelt, it is a habit. I dont even think twice before putting on my seatbelt. Why should I? I need to wear a seatbelt, end of story. So far so good.

In India, I put on my seatbelt, it is a habit. I dont even think twice before putting on my seatbelt. It is for my safety and I love my life to much to risk it by being stupid to not wear a seatbelt in this chaotic traffic. Here comes the difference. People get offended when I put on my seatbelt. They see it like I dont think they are safe drivers. The driver always say,"Why are you putting on your seatbelt? You dont need it, I am a safe driver." If other people are in the car, they usually tend to say "You dont need to wear a seatbelt. X is a very good driver, only one/two/five/zero accidents." I am sure you are a very good driver, I dont doubt that. But you never know! And you are not alone in the traffic, not everyone is a good driver. And there are many accidents in India, and everywhere else, dont try to deny that.

The second thing,

If you have an accident in Sweden, God forbid, or if it might have been close to be an accident, reactions would have been something like, "Oh shit, are you okay?" "Thank God nothing happend, Im glad you are okay.." So far so good.

In India, the reactions is, It wasnt my fault. He came and did this and this and this. It wasnt my fault. Who cares who´s fault it is? Okay, you might, but that is not the first you should think of! I will tell you one example, that happend just a few days back, which explains what I mean.

I was in a car with a friend, he drove on a one way road, but towards traffic (its okay, it happens in India all the time, and it was very slowly). We then take a right turn, and we almost hit a bicycle. The driver says; Crazy man, he needs too look properly before he takes a turn (the bicycles left turn). I told him, he doesnt have to, because no cars are supposed to come from the side we came, it is a one way road! Then he still said, but he should have done it anyway, he should have looked, it is his fault he almost crashed into my car.

Okay in this case it actually was the drivers fault, but I just wanted to show how the thinking goes. Nothing like, Oh shit I almost hit that bicycle! No, it is; Oh shit, he should look properly, it is his fault!

If you are hit, you are hit! If you are injured, you are injured! It doesnt matter if it was the other persons fault or not. You are injured, thats what you should think about. Maybe you should have worn that seatbelt I talked about in the beginning, maybe you would have been less injured, eventhough it was the other persons fault.