Amritsar: Lane driving is not sane driving for traffic violators

Manmeet Singh Gill

Amritsar, July 21

It could be lack of awareness, not being mindful or the relentless urge to flout the law but not following the basic traffic rules is the biggest reason for chaos on the roads here. Seeing drivers in the extreme left lane when they wish to take a right turn at traffic intersections is not uncommon here.

The same is true for those looking for an exit on the left but wait in the middle lane or the extreme right. “It seems that drivers these days are not aware that for taking a right turn, they should stay on the extreme right and those wanting to turn left should stay on the extreme left as the middle lane is for those going straight,” said an old-timer Joginder Singh.

Joginder Singh wonders that even as drivers are given training and have to undergo a test, they do not follow simple traffic norms. “May be something is wrong with the training or it means that all these are mere formalities,” he said.

People changing lanes without any reason on a busy road rank high on the list of those who create traffic chaos in busy areas. Satwant Singh, another resident, said, “The biggest punishment for those not following the traffic norms would be to send them to a mandatory training session to freshen up their knowledge of traffic rules and etiquettes.” He said that not taking action against such violations encourages others to flout basic norms.

A section of the residents opined that the problem of traffic jams and chaos in the city would get resolved to a great extent if all the drivers follow basic traffic norms. “The responsibility of staying in their lane lies with the drivers. We can spot people with SUVs driving on the wrong side of the road when U-turn is just a few meters on the other side.”