MUMBAI, CHENNAI WORSE THAN DELHI ON MANY PARAMETERS

NEW DELHI: Nearly seven out of 10 Delhiites are okay with underage drivers and about 44% drivers won’t stop at zebra crossings to allow pedestrians to cross the road, according to a sample survey done by an automobile major. About 55% of car drivers in Delhi said they weren’t willing to park vehicles in authorised parking lots.The survey by Ford India covering private drivers, passengers and pedestrians from six Metros and four non-Metro cities indicates a cavalier attitude towards traffic rules and lack of concern for other road users. While Kolkata and Ludhiana were found to be the most “courteous” among major Metro and non-Metro cities, Delhi has the worst score in consideration for others.According to the survey, nearly 51% of road users said they are unaware that the airbag system works best only when passengers are wearing their seatbelts. At 97%, the level of unawareness in this regard was the highest among the people interviewed in Bengaluru.The survey has also brought to light how a large section of drivers have little concern for bus passengers as more than a third of them admitted that they would overtake a bus that is dropping off passengers. Drivers from Hyderabad scored the worst on this parameter. Nearly 42% of Delhi drivers covered in this survey admitted that they won’t give way to emergency service vehicles and a similar share of drivers said they would jump a traffic signal, if no traffic police personnel were present at the crossing.The survey results were released against the backdrop of road safety activists demanding the immediate passage of Motor Vehicles (Amendments) Bill.