ON Wednesday last week, two bikers were killed when an ambulance rammed into their motorcycle.

Actually there were three people riding on the motorcycle. Two of them were killed and the third one was critically injured when a speeding ambulance hit a motorcycle in the Dehradun's Patel Nagar area, said police in its official report.

The incident occurred late on Tuesday night when the ambulance, taking some ailing girl students to a private nursing home, hit a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction, killing its driver and one of the two people riding pillion on the spot.

Both the vehicles were going at high speed which may have been the reason for the mishap, said Police.

The critically injured was admitted to a hospital. People set out on search for the driver of the ambulance who fled immediately after the accident.

We must start looking at such news from a different Perspective!

The 'normal or the stale way' of reporting such news, tries to make the riders of a two wheeler 'victims' and that of the bigger vehicle a 'monster'. The time has come for us to look at the news from other perspective as well.

The other perspective is: What if the two-wheeler rider (s) is at mistake or is flouting the traffic rules?

In this incident for instance:

1) Three people were riding on the motorcycle

2) Nothing is said on, whether they were wearing a helmet or not (if wearing helmets, then was it genuine helmet or not)

3) Which of the two vehicles was running on a wrong lane. Merely saying they were coming from opposite directions is not enough.

Why a Different Perspective is necessary:

As, although the Motor Vehicle Act always puts the blame on the bigger vehicle; the reality facts many a times point to a different picture. Two wheeler riders are often seen driving Helmet-less, wrongly-overtaking, triple-riding and speeding. That apart, many two-wheeler riders are minors and hence drive a two-wheeler without a license.

As a responsible citizen, whenever you read such news on newspaper/TV, do raise such questions:

1) Was the rider wearing a Helmet
2) Was the rider Speeding
3) Was the rider driving on a wrong lane
4) Had the two-wheeler more than two riders.

Why an awareness on this matter is important:

Gone are the days, when a two-wheeler represented a scooter. The crown has now been taken by motorcycles. These motorcycles are getting faster and powerful with each passing day (Higher cc bikes, increased Torque, acceleration).

Many such bikes are being driven by minors or young people, who unfortunately don't know or care about safe driving. Nor their parents have time, feeling of responsibility OR wisdom to teach their child about Safe Driving (A driving which is safe for not only the rider, but also for the person walking on the road).

Hence there's always a likelihood that, they not only kill themselves but also people walking on road.

[PS: If you really want to help, silently report such speeding two-wheelers to the police. That puts pressure on police to Act. I normally do this.]
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