Six out of 42 of the safest drivers across India are from Maharashtra

Six drivers attached to various transport services in Maharashtra were felicitated for not getting into a single accident for more than two decades In total 42 such drivers across the country were feted for their spotless record by the Association of State Road Transport Undertakings ASRTU in New Delhi last weekOf the six drivers one is employed by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport BEST undertaking while two are attached to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation MSRTC The rest work for the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport NMMT Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal PMPML and Solapur Municipal Transport Corporation SMTCBrihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport buses at the Wadala depot on October 11 2021 File picASRTU felicitates drivers who have executed their duties without encountering a single accident or receiving complaints from citizens or officials during their service Out of 42 selected individuals this year 17 drivers had recorded 30 years of service without an accident midday spoke with the six drivers from the state to gain insights into road safety and learn how they achieved the next to impossibleAlso Read Dadar doctor loses Rs 15 lakh to conmenKisan Rambhau GhodkeKisan Rambhau Ghodke joined the MSRTC in February 1986 and was deployed to the Raigad division ldquoI had worked as a truck cleaner and even ferried tanks containing acid for a Thanebased company This experience came in handy while ferrying passengers for 36 yearsrdquo said Ghodke chuckling Ghodke served in the Raigad Mumbai and Beed divisions and retired last month The secret of his success is following the rules strictly and taking every precaution ldquoI have driven on the narrow roads of Raigad and the Konkan and even on the expressway I made sure never to get overconfident and I never ignored signs I drove at night for nearly 20 years I never had dinner during those two decades as food can make you drowsy I survived only on tea and biscuits for yearsrdquo he said ldquoWhenever I felt sleepy without hesitating I would stop the bus sprinkle water even soda on my face and restart the journeyrdquo he saidldquoItrsquos not difficult to drive safely All you need to do is keep an eye on the road and signsrdquo Ghodke saidMohammed Rafique Abdul Sattar MullaMohammed Rafique Abdul Sattar Mulla has served in the MSRTC for 29 years and has six months of service left He was never the subject of a single complaint by passengers ldquoI considered passengers God and my bus a place of worship In my entire service I never overtook any vehiclerdquo said Mulla Hailing from Jaysingpur Mulla completed most of his service in the Sangli division He said ldquoThe key to remaining safe on the road is not to hurry Even if I see an empty road I never crossed the speed limit or rushed to complete my journey before time In fact I make sure my bus reaches on time and leaves the stop on timerdquoMulla recalled an incident from 1992 when he was a few months into the job ldquoI was assigned to a bus that was supposed to be driven to a village in Shirala for a night halt But the conductor told me that as the village is on a hill and drivers donrsquot manoeuvre the vehicle up the slope The villagers instead make a descent to collectively push the bus up the incline But I was enthusiastic I told the conductor that I was just walking up to the village to examine the road and would come back After inspecting the road I thought I could handle it if the conductor guided me well With his help we drove the bus to the village The villagers were so elated that all of them came out and felicitated the conductor and merdquo said Mulla He added ldquoWhenever you are behind the wheel you should keep your mind on the road and ignore all mental distractions If you drive without a clear head chances are something untoward might happenrdquoNandkumar LawandNandkumar Lawand joined the NMMT in 1996 ldquoWhen I joined there were only 25 buses which plied on few routes However there used to be terrible traffic jams The traffic in the direction of Thane from Kalwa was so bad that at times it would get congested till Digha But since the roads were wide there was always scope to drive safelyrdquo said Lawand He added ldquoDriving city buses is tricky When we started driving there were no doors and passengers would hop in or jump out whenever they saw a chance The NMMT was new and there were few fixed stops I never got angry with these passengers and would ensure the bus was brought to a halt if someone even wanted to catch it ahead of a stop As Navi Mumbai grows traffic has become the biggest challenge for bus drivers It is crucial to take cognisance of bikers and pedestrians There are certain spots where we canrsquot see persons or vehicles Lane cutting and rash driving impact our focus because we have to keep an eye on both mirrors and passengers who are alighting or boardingrdquo The veteran said ldquoStaying focused never losing onersquos cool and sticking to onersquos lane are importantrdquoRajendra AlwateRajendra Alwate who has driven for the SMTC for 25 years said bus drivers must keep track of vehicles to their front and rear because the sudden application of brakes could cause a massive accident ldquoA driver should not get distracted on the road Mobile phones are the biggest distractorrdquo he said Alwate added ldquoEver since I bought a mobile phone I never glance at it while driving I keep it on silent mode on the road and unlock it only after I turn off the engine and vacate my seat Many drivers feel the need to multitask at the wheel and answer phone calls or even check or send WhatsApp messages but they should always remember that even a split second can change onersquos life It doesnrsquot make a difference if you donrsquot check your phone for an hour or sordquo The old hand has two months of service left ldquoI am content that not a single person has been hurt or inconvenienced by my drivingrdquo he saidArun KuchekarArun Kuchekar the PMPM driver has completed 24 years of service He said ldquoIt is difficult for heavy vehicles to ply the narrow roads of Pune People would think that itrsquos next to impossible to drive a city bus without even brushing against a passing vehicle but itrsquos always possible if you drive responsiblyrdquo Pune city which has narrow roads and hardly any lanes poses a challenge to drivers Once dominated by bicycles its streets are now ruled by thousands of twowheelers ldquoWhenever I start the engine I think of the 50 to 60 passengers behind me who have placed their faith in me If you have that feeling then you automatically donrsquot drive rashly In my career I never drove blindly Sitting in the cabin sometimes we canrsquot see pedestrians in front of the bonnet but I always wait and ensure there is nothing in front and then proceedrdquo he said With nearly a decade of service left Kuchekar said ldquoWhichever vehicle you drive you must know its corners and always be double conscious if you are driving on a new road and lack knowledge about curves or signal time As a city driver I can now anticipate which part of the city or road will have traffic or pedestrians Keeping your speed under control is always beneficialrdquoGirijashankar PandeyGirijashankar Pandey has been working for the BEST since 1991 ldquoThere were no twowheelers hawkers or traffic back in the day But Irsquove always believed in the Horn OK Please methodrdquo he said Pandey spent most of his career at the Santacruz depot ldquoThe biggest question on the mind of a BEST driver is lsquoI am going to reach my destination in timersquo Such thoughts cause drivers to speed I always keep them at bay and drive with patience I believe this has served me wellrdquo said Pandey He credits his habits to his family and spirituality ldquoMy family never gave me any kind of headache which would bother me while driving and I have a unique perspective on various things When driving I always feel that even If I damage my bus it doesnrsquot matter but not a single person should be hurtrdquo He added ldquoIn Mumbai most accidents happen early in the morning or after 11 pm as the signal turns yellow Many heavy vehicles feel like rushing during this period and thatrsquos when mishaps occur I have never jumped a signal or crossed one without looking and honking my hornrdquoWhat is ASRTUThe ASRTU was created on August 13 1965 to bring together all state road transport undertakings in order to facilitate the pooling of resources and knowhow to deal with problems and help improve their performance The apex coordination body works under the aegis of the ministry of road transport and highways1991Year Pandey joined BEST