Road Rage, a Baseball Bat and Personal Safety

Road Rage, a Baseball Bat and Personal Security, I know not many will be able to interconnect these three phrases to exactly make some sense. But for me at times these words are really intertwined to each other. Road Rage I know is now a global phenomenon, and for people who drive on Delhi roads this term really make sense, DAILY. New Delhi, the capital of India, was recently voted amongst the most unsafe cities to drive around. Well, that was not an eye opener at all. In fact, I was amused why such things take so long to crop up. To add to the frustration level of my fellow drivers the Delhi roads nowadays looks like moon’s surface full of craters thanks to ongoing CWG construction work. 

That reminded me of an incident of road rage that happened with one of my cousin brother last month. He was badly beaten by five men in drunken state after he had a heated argument with them on the road. All these five men were using rough Haryanvi dialect and had hockey sticks with them in their Toyota Qualis. As per my assumption they might have been cab drivers from a nearby village in Gurgaon who are often on a fun drive in midnight after boozing excessively. These men dragged my cousin out of his car and started assaulting him with hockey sticks. The more shocking thing was that not a single car passing by stopped to help him. This incident took place at 11 pm in night on Chiragh Delhi road. After having beaten him up black and blue they threatened with dire consequence if this matter ever goes to the police. It’s been two months since the incident and my cousin is still recuperating of his injuries. Even though he managed to note down the Toyota Qualis’s number his family member understandably forced him not to go to the police.

This road rage incident led to a debate between me and my friends. What if we ever find ourselves in such awkward situation? What about personal safety and how to protect ourselves on Delhi’s roads? Can we fight back? I know it only happens in an action flick where single man overpowers twenty men. But this is real life we are talking about and fighting five men single handedly is not a joke. In fact it is beyond human limits. So when I asked them for solution one of them quipped, “That is why I always keep a baseball bat beneath my car’s seat.” I knew this guy as a spoiled brat who always had his father’s business as a backup if he couldn’t study properly. “Yes, I know nowadays lot of young guys keep baseball bat inside their car for protection. But why baseball bat”, I asked. “Arrey dumbo, it is handy, heavy and effective and no cop sees it as a weapon. Even in the case of your cousin those men used hockey sticks to beat him up. Remember,” he replied acting smart. This was not going well with me. It was okay to keep baseball bat but how will an elderly citizen or woman driver will ever be able to use it.

But this guy’s suggestion had a magical effect on rest of my friends as most of them bought a baseball bat the very next day. They started flaunting it as if it was a latest fad. One day few of them took me for a night out in a pub. When we were going back home most of us were tipsy after having a few shots of Tequila. Three of my friends drew out the baseball bats and started swaying them in circular motion while hanging out of the car’s windows. They were abusing and teasing the passer byes gave me déjà vu feeling of those five Haryanvi men who had assaulted my cousin. That feeling made me uneasy and I shouted, “Stop this childishness.” After a brief silence I again yelled at my friends and said, “You people got these baseball bats for your own protection but I am seeing you turn into rowdies like those idiots who assaulted my cousin. We are back to square one.” After this I got out of the car and took an auto to my home. Since then road rage, baseball bat and personal safety seems to be common terms to me.

Vikas Sharda