Monsoon safety is everyone’s responsibility

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There have been several forecasts of heavy rain this week, with signs that the monsoon is advancing. Several reports cite a ‘yellow alert' for the city. To be candid, yellow, green, orange or red alerts mean little for the common man, who is simply interested in knowing whether rain has been forecast, and whether we will have light, medium or heavy showers.

The citizens need to now gear up to practise what we may call, rain discipline or monsoon-appropriate behaviour.

That simply means if they are not already checked, give your cars a once over, or send them to a garage for service. The brakes need to be double-checked, absolutely necessary in slip season. While vehicle maintenance is always vital, it takes on urgency as the monsoon comes.

That is about the machine. We must focus on the human factor, too. The men and women behind the wheel need oodles of patience, something becoming increasingly skeletal, as seen on our roads. Traffic discipline, which means obeying all signs, including driving within speed limit is absolutely essential. Overtaking, breaking signals, this especially goes for two-wheelers who think the lights are only for cars and riding, once again two-wheelers on the wrong side are highly dangerous, with the perils compounded in the monsoon. We must add low visibility due to overcast skies and pouring rain, road challenges including potholes, slippery stretches all make the drive with caution rule one that should be emblazoned all across.

Pedestrians literally shoved off our roads thanks to work, encroachments and indifferent footpaths, need to be extra careful while crossing. On train platforms it is double caution season, at bus stops it is orderly queues that will help you board the bus in safety. There was a downpour in some parts of the city on Friday. It is raining warning signs, too.