Pune: What began as a drive home for businessman and robotics company co-founder Manoj Pochat on Wednesday night soon turned into a frightening brush with road rage on one of city’s busy streets.As Pochat travelled towards Vimannagar, he saw an autorickshaw recklessly cut off a motorcycle before swerving into his car’s path. When his driver rolled down the window and asked the auto driver to slow down, he was met with a barrage of abuse before the auto sped away.Pochat’s account of the incident in an X post on Thursday struck a nerve with Puneites, triggering a flood of similar stories about aggression and recklessness on the city’s roads. Many social media users blamed the deteriorating situation on lax policing and weak enforcement, arguing that habitual traffic offenders operate without the fear of the law.Sandeep Bhajibhakre, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), told TOI that traffic police have been issuing challans and counselling autorickshaw and cab drivers since Ganeshotsav to promote disciplined driving and curb such incidents.“We have been counselling drivers on better behaviour, staying calm on the road and practising civic sense, as it also helps their business. We stress courteous interactions since they are often tourists’ first point of contact. We have also been issuing challans to those violating traffic rules,” he said.Pochat said, “I was trying to capture a picture of the rickshaw’s number plate, but it had gone far by then. Since I didn’t have the registration number, I didn’t call the police. But such incidents occur because there has been no fear of the law. There were no automatic cameras to challenge wrongdoers, and there was no police presence on the road. On top of it, there was no lane discipline, wrong side driving and still hardly any police action.”However, citizens say road rage is becoming a disturbing feature of Pune’s daily commute, with intimidation and verbal abuse increasingly common. A scientist recalled being forced out of an auto after asking its driver to be careful when he nearly crashed into a bus.Qaneez Sukhrani, a road safety and infrastructure activist, said near-misses and accidents have become common in and around Vimannagar. “One-way roads in residential areas have led to increased speeds. Moreover, speed breakers and rumble strips that do not conform to IRC norms force motorists to brake suddenly, often triggering accidents or arguments,” she said.Apart from impatience and human behaviour, there are multiple avoidable factors leading to road rage, according to Ranjit Gadgil, programme director of Parisar and member of the District Road Safety Committee.“Road rage is fuelled by too many vehicles, an almost complete absence of enforcement by the police and zero inculcation of the ‘defensive driving’ concept during licence issuing. Pedestrians and other vulnerable road users bear the maximum brunt of aggressive drivers, who treat the road as a battleground. Very little was being done by all responsible agencies – PMC, police and RTO. Hence, the situation will only get worse,” said Gadgil.Bhajibhakre, however, urged commuters not to react to aggressive behaviour. “Stay calm and immediately call 112 for emergency assistance. A beat marshal will be assigned to you. While recording a video can help, installing a dashcam is a better way to capture evidence. We encourage citizens to report such incidents,” he said.
