Licenced to kill??
Reading & commenting on fellow blogger Prabhu’s post earlier today, it now appears that I was all too keen & spontaneous in appreciating the efforts of the Bangalore police in their quest to i.d.entify all auto drivers.
Coming across this report subsequently in The Hindu, I wonder if I have should have been more circumspect. A related issue gives me the heebie-jeebies.
More than 10,000 autorickshaws in the city are being driven by people who do not have a valid driving licence
In Bangalore last week for my kids school admissions, I was enquiring with school authorities for home pick up and drop off arrangements. Autorickshaws seemed like a viable and cost-effective option. Reading the above report, I’m now doing a double take. Jeez, every 1 out of 8 auto-driver(s) will not be holding a licence.
Imagine mine, or for that matter, any parent’s plight if the ‘arranged’ auto driver had no licence and further jeopardised the safety of the children with rash driving and overloading. Enough of these horror stories have been reported. Who’s ever taken responsiblity, in those tragic cases? Not a soul.
So much for thinking on auto-matic lines.
:(
I have seen many autos in which the kids are literally hanging out of the autos with their bags…same is the case with maruti vans used in the city…they are like fully loaded with children…n dont even mention how these ppl drive.
I wonder how parents even think of sending their children to school via autos and vans…but guess they dont have another option :(
Ravi,
Good observations!
Please don’t even consider making your kid travel in an auto.
I have seen several accidents and over-loading coz of the drivers’ (with valid licenses :-( !!!) negligence and greed respectively.
@mehak: yup, the situation is pretty bad…what with demand for private transport being more than the supply, in a manner of speaking :(
@kanth: thanks! will try my best to avoid autos, as an option!