DISCIPLINED LOT?

Ranchi, May 17: They may not be pleasing to look at, but buffaloes have better road sense than humans. They are a disciplined lot, too. That is what most sensitive commuters and road users from different walks of life say many of us can learn a lot from buffaloes.

“Have you ever seen buffaloes walking on the city roads? They look so calm and unruffled. They do not display any nerves either. Even if a vehicle keeps on honking, these bovines stick to their lane, be it the middle of the road,” says Prashant D. Sinha before adding: “Those indeed are the ethics of lane driving.”

If lane driving impresses Sinha, another office-goer S.N. Prasad comments: “When you come across a herd of buffaloes on the road, you know exactly from which side you can pass them since they move in such a disciplined and orderly manner.”

“But when it comes to humans driving vehicles, there is no way u can guess when the car ahead of yours is going to halt, take a turn or even start reversing. All of a sudden a vehicle may take you unawares, changing lane from left to right, inches away from the car’s fender,” says Rajesh Sinha.

Road users in the city have become acquainted with rash drivers driving vehicles at break-neck speed. The errant drivers do not stop at violating traffic rules, they even hurl a volley of abuses if you happen to get hit. Not to be left behind are teenagers on their power-packed mobikes overtaking from the wrong side, putting your life as well as theirs at risk.

Many admit driving to be full of risks on city roads. Hence, some of them engage chauffeurs.

“But these innocent looking buffaloes are such an easy bunch to control. We just leave them alone since they do not run or jump or blow horns or take sharp turns or overtake from the wrong side,” says a traffic cop.

Explains a psychiatrist: “That is because the buffaloes are a very docile animal. They never appear to be in a hurry. For them masticating lazily acts as an antidote to hurry or worry that most commuters are prone to. That is why when a human watches these buffaloes, he tends to relax.”

“It would have been so easy to manage traffic in the city if all commuters picked up a few tips from these buffaloes on how to behave on roads,” comments an officer, pleading anonymity for obvious reasons.