Reckless drivers ringing in trouble for all

Vadodara: Citizens pay Rs45 lakhs in penalty every year for talking on phone while driving in the city. The casual attitude is not only costing money, but is life threatening.
Traffic department sources informed that 38,523 citizens were penalized in 2014, while last year the number of offenders rose to 56,081. Despite penalizing the citizens, the number of mobile users on road is on the rise.Traffic experts said using mobile phones while driving is one of the major causes of distractions to commuters.
"It is very dangerous to drive with mobile phones stuck between your ear and shoulder. Scientifically while talking the brain is occupied and the focus shifts from driving. The driver is not only jeopardizing his life, but also that of fellow commuters," said Ajitsinh Gaekwad, a city-based architect and traffic expert.
Gaekwad said in a recent incident, a woman met with an accident and her scooter was thrown off 20 feet from the place. "Interestingly, the woman did not bother about her scooter. Instead she crawled to her phone and picked it up to talk. It seems idiotic, but the trend is increasingly becoming dangerous," Gaekwad added.
Traffic police impose a penalty of Rs75 on an offender caught talking on mobile phone while driving. Traffic experts said huge number of mobile users make it practically impossible for traffic cops to penalize every offender. Despite Rs75 penalty, the increasing number of offenders suggests that people just don't care. Commuters are always in a hurry and so along with penalizing, keeping them waiting for some time will make them think before talking on phone again while driving, traffic experts said.
"Phone calls trigger various kinds of emotions. It could be anxiety or happiness, in both the cases a commuter is likely to get distracted from his or her driving. Recklessness comes with a cost, hence citizens should act with conscience," traffic expert Satyen Kulabkar said.