An avoidable strike

Groan! Not another strike! Truck owners have again threatened to go on an indefinite strike from Friday night over the speed governor issue. About four lakh vehicles from the southern states, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Gujarat and West Bengal will not enter the state. Supplies of essential commodities from the southern states will be hit. This is the second time truck owners are going on strike in a month. The previous strike mercifully lasted just a few days. While the truck strike itself did not cause too much inconvenience, the support strike by other vehicle owners, especially private cabs, created problems for IT employees and others.

The truck strike is in protest against the Karnataka High Court order calling for installation of speed governors in all transport vehicles. After June 30, no transport vehicle will be allowed to move in Karnataka without a speed governor. The matter first caught the attention of the court while hearing a petition on the spate of accidents on the state’s highways. When it asked the transport department to come up with ways to curb rash driving, the department suggested speed governors. Truck owners say governors limit the speed to 60 kmph, which is too slow for highway driving. Indian highways have improved considerably, and can take higher speeds. It is also discriminatory as other states are yet to implement the order, they argue. The Karnataka court has sent a notice to the Union Surface Transport Ministry asking why the rule should not be enforced throughout the country.

Having driven a car for more than 20 years in cities and on highways, I can authoritatively say that accidents are caused by “negligent and rash driving” rather than high speed. Of course, driving at high speeds makes it more difficult to bring the vehicle to a stop quickly. If the road and visibility are good, and there is no habitation on the way, it is possible to drive safely at higher speeds. Rash driving, however, involves driving at high speeds through crowded areas. Negligent driving is just bad driving and not following road rules. Both will lead to accidents at some point.

The argument of Karnataka truck owners that the authorities create a level-playing field merits consideration. At the same time, rash and negligent driving by transport vehicles must be strictly checked. Most of the drivers are illiterate and probably have little knowledge of traffic rules and road etiquette (just try overtaking a truck on the highway).

What I am worried about is the support strike by taxis in Bangalore and elsewhere. The speed governor rule does not apply to them, so why are they joining the strike for two days? This will create problems for thousands of IT staff who depend on cabs and maxi-cabs to go to work. People also use taxis to go to the airport and railway station. Everyone will be needlessly harassed.