Educated violate traffic norms, engage in run-ins: IIM-I study

INDORE: If you thought that it is the traffic constables who behave rudely and are responsible for the chaos on roads, wait.
A study on the city traffic conducted by 2012-14 batch students on Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIM-I) is an eye opener --- the poor traffic cop is not at fault most of the times, instead it is the literate drivers who tend to ignore traffic rules.
The study was carried out behaviour of motorists and traffic constables during traffic police's drive against removal of tinted glass in the city early this year. The report cited that people, who fell under the category of young adults, were ready to pay the fine without much argument and that the educated lot displayed emotion of anger and impatience when booked by the traffic cops.
According to the report, females falling in the age group of 30- 40, picked up verbal duel to sort issues while the semi-literate drivers, aware about the new rule, exhibited calm and were more polite towards cops. Many showed signs of panic, helplessness and were ready to pay up the fine.
On the behaviour of traffic constables, the report mentioned that most officers were usually clam and polite while imposing penalty on traffic rule violators.
Lack of manpower and paucity of technology was a major reason for not booking each and every violator.
"Women were treated with dignity most of the times. However, at few places, cops lost their cool during argument," cited the IIM-report. Traffic constable Ranjeet Singh said that they behaved according to offender's attitude. "We could sense that if the person has deliberately violated the rule or it happened unintentionally. We tackle the people accordingly and sometimes have to behave sternly with them. Women and young girls usually apologize and make requests. First, we try that a female constable attend to a female, but in case female constable is not available, we make sure that our behaviour is polite and respectable," added Singh.
Another constable Avinash Singh said that they discharge duty standing continuously for three to four hours and most people do not pay up penalty easily. "They tend to argue and sometime we also tend to lose our control," he said. People seemingly from the low economic background are cautious about breaking rules and women were insecure in dealing with police, showed the report.
•Most of constables were usually clam during process of imposing fines
•Way of explaining rules is polite
• Women were treated with dignity
•On arguments, sometime cops tend to loss cool
•Young adults easily pay fine without much argument
•Youngsters, student, girls made requests
•Educated people displayed emotion of anger and impatience
•Many educated drivers tend to ignore traffic rules till they are enforced to follow
•Women drivers make requests, excuses
•Few drivers use power claiming to know contacts