Hyderabad: Hyderabadis appear to hate wasting time, especially on the road. Many often switch lanes to save just a few seconds; in a reversal of international norms, it is not uncommon to find two-wheeler riders on the right-side lane, and buses and cars in the left-most lanes. The arterial Tank Bund Road is a testament to this behaviour. The Baghlingampally Ambedkar College road, lacking dividers, sees commuters frequently switching lanes, endangering themselves and causing severe traffic bottlenecks. In 2023, eight people lost their lives due to wrong-side driving, while 150 others were injured. According to a detailed road accident analysis by the Hyderabad police, most of these fatalities were caused by overspeeding or driving on the wrong side. Sharing his frustration, Mustafa Afsar Pathan, a frequent commuter on Tank Bund Road, told Deccan Chronicle, “During peak traffic hours, I hit the brakes four times in just four minutes. There’s a massive jam with vehicles moving ahead and others coming from the opposite direction. Bikers often switch to the wrong side just to get a little ahead.” A makeshift stick-like barrier divides part of the road, but it’s easily crossed — not just by bikers but sometimes even by cars. Another commuter, Ritika from Delhi, who works at an IT company in Hyderabad, recounted a harrowing experience. “I was riding with a friend near Rasoolpura when, out of nowhere, a biker hit my leg from the right. What scared me more was that I had just seen him on the opposite side seconds earlier. I was later told that wrong-side driving is common across the city.” More alarming than commuters’ experiences is the sheer number of wrong-side driving violations recorded in just over a month. The Rachakonda Commissionerate traffic police booked 26,803 casesbetween January 1 and February 10 this year. Meanwhile, Cyberabad traffic police booked 85,815 cases, with Hyderabad traffic police figures yet to be released. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Rachakonda traffic DCP V. Sreenivasulu said, “Clearing traffic bottlenecks in areas like Nagole, Vanasthalipuram, Kothapet fruit market, BN Reddy Junction, Karmanghat’s Hanuman Temple, and Gurramguda BN Reddy is a major challenge. Wrong-side driving is rampant in these areas, compounded by factors such as lack of space and incomplete construction work.” Amid this chaos, law-abiding motorists face an overwhelming sense of frustration. Explaining the psychological toll, Dr Sona Thakkar, a psychiatrist at Columbia Hospital, said, “The frustration caused by a rule-breaker on the road is similar to spotting a tiger in the jungle — it’s a mix of anxiety, anger, and fear. Imagine a vehicle speeding toward you on the wrong side; it triggers a fear of collision. Many struggle to shake off this frustration for hours.” Dr Thakkar added, “For new drivers, such experiences can be traumatic. They may struggle to process who was at fault, leading to a fear that driving itself is life-threatening.” GFX: Fatalities due to wrong-side driving in 2024 November 1, 2024: A 48-year-old rider died after colliding with a light commercial vehicle at Alaska Junction. November 2, 2024: A 25-year-old woman was killed after being hit by an RTC bus near Tarnaka. November 3, 2024: A 49-year-old rider succumbed to head injuries after a head-on collision with a car on NTR Marg.
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