Yapping on the mobile while driving : Nuisance on the road
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 22, 2025 -

Nuisance on the road and the tragedy is, no one seems to have realised the immense nuisance value they carry.

One wish the ‘street or road heroes and heroines’ take time off to listen to some of the sage words that have come from responsible people, the latest being the line that traffic accidents are the leading cause for head injuries, accounting for 60 percent of the total number of head injuries reported in a year.

This line came from no one less than the Managing Director of Shija Hospitals and Research Institute (SHRI) Dr Khundongbam Palin and if this does not jolt the senses of the people, one wonders what will.

In a year India reports more than 10 lakh cases of head injuries and out of this about one lakh succumb.

And amongst the more significant causes of road accidents and severe injuries, is use of the mobile phone while driving and the simple question is, why can’t people just slow down the vehicle they are driving and bring it to a complete halt at a suitable place before picking up the phone to talk ?

Or if the call is not so important, why not just ignore and call later once one has reached one’s destination ?

Not such a tall suggestion to follow and surely a little consideration for the others using the road should convince anyone that it makes much better sense to not yap on the phone while driving.

A reflection of the mindset of the people that no one is ready to look beyond one’s own interest and this must have already taken a heavy toll on the lives of the citizens.

Not sure if any study has been conducted to work out the reasons for road accidents and the figure one generally receives is the number of fatality or road accidents in a year with no figure given on why the road mishap occurred in the first place.

A common sight it is to see traffic cops out on the roads on duty and equally common is it to see them flagging down vehicles to check driving license and the other relevant papers, but no one has ever heard of anyone being pulled up for yakking away on the mobile phone while driving.

Something, somewhere is terribly wrong and while it would not be fair to expect the law enforcing agencies to crackdown on everyone violating traffic rules and regulations, the least one expects is for the people to have the sense not to endanger others on the road.

This mindset, the refusal to look beyond one’s immediate need can easily be surmised from the unnecessary honking, even at night.

A mindset that also comes out in all its ugliness when the vehicle from behind starts honking unnecessarily even though it is more than clear that the vehicles ahead have to stop since the traffic light had turned Red.

Again it is the refusal to look beyond oneself that comes out starkly when vehicles crowd the left lane at the traffic island even though it is clearly laid down that the left lane should be given the freeway to proceed.

And this is true at all the busy traffic points, especially at Keishampat where the left lane is most of the time brought to a stop by vehicles looking to move straight ahead or even turn right once the go ahead signal is given.

And the traffic chaos that follows is played out in all its glory right there in the middle of the road and the chaos is generally accompanied by loud honks, exchange of harsh looks and in some cases verbal exchange of loud, ugly words.

Driving is not only about starting a vehicle, kicking or pulling the clutch, putting the gear on and putting the vehicle into motion, but also about ensuring that no one is endangered when one starts moving.

And it stands that talking on the mobile without giving a thought to the vehicles that may be coming from the other side or are looking to overtake from behind go against the understanding of making the roads safer for everyone.

The Traffic Police should now start cracking down on all those found driving while yapping away on the mobile phone and ensure that the left lanes at all traffic points are left clear.