Road Safety Week: How safe do Mumbai’s women on wheels feel on city roads?

"There can never be ‘enough safety' on our roads. When I ride a bike, no matter how strictly I, as an individual, follow traffic rules, I know I am not completely safe. I always have a fear of falling from my bike because of somebody else's carelessness," says Neha Sohani, a 24-year-old film industry professional from Mumbai.

Sohani, who has been riding her Bullet Classic 500 and Pulsar 125 Cc bikes for eight years now, is one of the many women in the city who share similar experiences. The discomforting attitude of male motorists and drivers and the violation of traffic rules by fellow commuters are some of the major factors that create an unsafe environment for female riders and car drivers in the city. Additionally, they battle unhealthy road conditions and difficulties caused by the Mumbai Metro construction activities.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report on ‘Accidental deaths and suicides in India', with 13,940 fatalities due to traffic accidents, Maharashtra is one of the top three states which reported maximum deaths due to traffic accidents in India in 2020. Moreover, in 2020, 418 people died due to road accidents in Mumbai.

National Road Safety Week, observed annually from January 11 to January 17, is aimed at increasing awareness about traffic rules and ways in which one can avoid accidents and injuries. Mid-day Online reached out to five women, who told us what road safety means to them.

Battling sexist stereotypes

Encouragingly, more women motorists have been claiming space on the road. According to media reports on data from city Regional Transport Offices in 2020, women accounted for 34 percent of the 88 lakh driving license owners in Mumbai and most of these women have dual licenses for two-wheelers as well as four-wheelers. Additionally, based on data from automation industry experts, women account for 10-12 percent of total automobile sales in India. That share could in fact be much higher as often the vehicles are registered under the names of the male members of the family.

However, while women on heavyweight bikes and behind the wheels in all kinds of cars are a common sight these days, persisting sexist stereotypes mean their capabilities with vehicles are typically underestimated.

"Road safety definitely goes for a toss in the presence of non- cooperative drivers around you. The impatience that male drivers show, particularly towards female counterparts, saying things like ‘automatic lelo' (‘stick to automatic cars'), is extremely provoking," says 23-year-old Sejal Parab, a city based biotechnologist, who drives a Volkswagen Polo car.

Image courtesy: Tessy George

Fears of road accidents coupled with such stereotypes, reinforced from early childhood, often discourage parents and family members from letting the females of the house own and ride a two-wheeler. But, for Vedika Dhauskar, an 18-year-old biker, early encouragement for learning to ride a gear bike came from her father.

"My observation is that male riders always have the 'koi ladki chala rahi hogi' (‘must be a woman driver') attitude when a vehicle takes a wrong turn, without even looking at who is driving. Making changes in the perspective among men, women and all the other genders is something that will happen over time," says Dhauskar.

According to Sohani, purposeful overtaking, honking and blocking the way are some of the common ways used to intimidate female bikers. "I have always been going out on the bike with the maximum gear that I can wear, which makes it impossible for a person to recognise who's really riding the bike, if it's a girl or a boy. I have seen the male ego hurt when they see a girl do better than them and this has happened the maximum times," she says.

"There are times when people at the green light move when the countdown is still at 2-1. When it's your turn to move and you block them, as soon as they realise that it's a girl they shout and make gestures to tell people ‘dekho kaise chala rahi hai' (‘look how she is driving'). Men have also tried to teach me on the streets - ‘waise nahi, aise chalate hai' (‘drive like this, not like that')," Sohani adds.

Tessy George, a city-based two-wheeler trainer, believes while young males ride carelessly or break signals, middle-aged men are comparatively helpful and encouraging towards females who ride or drive. "It depends on the maturity of the person. Young males are also helpful, but they are only creating the problem in the first place. Indiscipline and a fearless attitude creates an unsafe environment," says George.

Encounters with rule violators

According to the NCRB data, a total of 170 road accidents in Mumbai occurred from two-wheeler vehicles. With 5,877 deaths, Maharashtra reported the majority of the total deaths due to two-wheeler vehicles. Careless driving, such as speeding and overtaking, emerged as the major cause of road accidents in Mumbai causing 259 fatalities, and the data reveals that none of the accidents were due to lack of road infrastructure in the city.

"As per the traffic rules, bike riders have a separate lane for themselves. This rule is broken by them as per their convenience. They are seen breaking the signal very often and overtaking four wheelers when they see space to run out," says Parab.

According to George, "Car drivers often show lack of respect and consideration towards two-wheeler drivers. With left side driving, bikers have a lot of challenges as they have to navigate through narrow lanes. Most of the time, the left side is jammed by car parkers."

Sarika Bala on her scooter. Image courtesy: Sarika Bala

For Sarika Bala, who has recently started riding a bike, road safety is a comprehensive act of maintaining coordination with not just other vehicles, but pedestrians too, which requires a certain amount of physical and mental preparation before and while riding.

"I experienced that there are a lot of complications while riding, whether it be potholes on the roads or other co-riders and drivers, especially males, who constantly give you reasons to be alert throughout. I always try to ride in harmony with others on the road to ensure my safety and the safety of others," says Bala.

When asked about any loopholes in traffic rules, all women feel the current rules need to be enforced stringently to do away with impunity among rule breakers.

"I feel the traffic rules in India are not very stringent and that's the reason drivers and riders are very comfortable breaking them. Most of the penalties for breaking a traffic rule are financial in nature and affordable for the drivers. It should be more severe extending beyond financial penalty wherein the driver or rider has to spend his precious time rather than money," says Bala.

According to Sohani, a surveillance system to track speeding vehicles, systems such as ‘no helmet-no petrol' and disallowing outdated vehicles which can pose a danger, are some of the ways in which safety can be ensured.

"Mentality and views of people who ride/drive need to change towards other people on the roads. A little more education about traffic rules before issuing the license and conducting proper driving tests will really help people to follow the rules. Social media can also be used to spread awareness about traffic rules," she adds.

Conscious of road safety ethics and rules

On being asked the ethics that they follow when setting off for the road, the women mention how wearing a helmet, avoiding usage of phones while in motion, following the signal, continuing to ride in their own lane are some of the basic traffic rules that they follow with utmost seriousness.

"Maintaining safe distance from the car ahead, following a particular driving lane, not overtaking any vehicle from the left, religiously following the signal and not honking unnecessarily, are some principles that I follow," says Parab.

While Sohani adds keeping all the vehicle documents renewed and valid as one of the principles, Bala says checking the brake mirrors of her scooter is one thing she cannot miss before beginning her ride.

"Driving needs maturity and discipline. In my years of teaching, I have always observed that female riders are comparatively more attentive, follow the rules and study the road better. They do not take the road or vehicle for granted," adds George.

Also Read: Going the Hallyu way: Why more Mumbaikars are learning Korean