Expats Feel Nervous On Seeing Police Cars‘ Lone Driving’ To Up Traffic On Road THIS week’s online poll by the Arab Times invited voters to share their view on what they felt was the psychological effect of crackdown on traffic violators. A majority of voters said that they felt nervous on seeing police cars.About 40 % of the voters expressed this view. Respondents speaking to the Arab Times said that whether you are a violator or not, seeing police cars sends shivers down your spine. “We suddenly become too conscious of the speed, seat belt, and the wallet in our pocket. And if there are any dents, even minor ones, our hearts begin to pound, because that’s good enough a reason for impounding of cars or a fine.”Other respondents said that this fear is reflective of what Kuwait is turning into: a police state. In places, not too far from here, while the laws are stricter than here, there is a benign face to it. “The police are not in your face bearing down upon you dauntingly.” Respondents said that it would be a good idea for the police to be a little more subtle in their approach. “The main reason for fear is the idea that the police are there to deport you for the slightest reason.”Another major consequence of the stringent checks has been the increase in lone drivers. About 30% of the voters said they have been avoiding giving rides to friends and colleagues following the crackdown. “It’s fun to drive with your friends or colleagues. But as it’s difficult to prove the relationship in every instance, we prefer to drive alone as we could be charged with running taxis and penalized.” Others opined that this move would only contribute to increased traffic on the road, as now you will have more people driving separate cars. If two friends want to go to a common location, they would ride two cars, instead of sharing one.” Motorists are now extremely mindful of their speed meters, say 13% of the voters. “This has been a very clear effect of the new rules. Whenever there is a board reminding motorists of the speed limit or a symbol of speed camera, drivers relax their feet on the gas and look at their speed meters.”Respondents said that such an effect however has not made much difference to safety on roads. “Because most of the time reckless driving is done by citizens, and they somehow don’t seem to fear the law as much as expatriates.” One respondent related a recent incident when a citizen jumped red light and a traffic officer in plain clothes gave him the chase. The citizen was determined not to surrender. At a junction, the officer caught up with the violator and managed to slip his hand into his window. But the officer’s hand got stuck as the felon attempted to close the window just in time.The violator continued to speed, and the officer had to jump out of his car to pull his hand free. He fell on the road. Luckily as there were no vehicles behind them, the officer escaped with his life. About 8 % of the voters said that there’s an increased sense of respect for the yellow light since the rules became tough.Earlier people used to drive through yellow lights. But now you find cars stopping for yellow lights, “though at times it frustrates motorists behind you.” Switching off mobile phones while driving and being more mindful of where you park your car are some of the other effects the new rules have had on people.
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 05:42:51 +0000
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