Amid a spurt in road rage in Pune, experts weigh in on reasons and give tips to handle it

“It was unnerving, I did not know what to do. My identity card (the victim works in a government department) helped me escape from the situation alive,” he said. It was his first brush with road rage – something which he had read about but did not experience till then.

In another incident, Ketki Bhujbal and her husband, Amaldev PVK Raman, were grievously injured by two-wheeler riders near Pashan Circle in Pune last month. Two-wheeler riders had taken objection to the couple honking from their car.

Nikhil Pingale, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Pune Police Commissionerate, said the assailants in Pashan were under the influence of alcohol. “In road rage, the person who is behind the wheel often takes offense at a supposed transgression. They feel the road and the fellow motorist should act as his/her channel for venting out rage,” he added.

If the Pashan incident came into the spotlight due to the violence associated with it, many incidents of road rage go unreported. For instance, the Pimpri-Chinchwad victim said he was too dazed to take any action.

Mental health experts said rising incidents of road rage are a reflection of deep sociological and psychological issues that often go unnoticed.

Shruti Tambe, Head, Department of Sociology, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), said, “What the rage signifies is the deep-seated anger in people – this anger has social causes.”

She linked this rage to the growing divide between the haves and the have-nots. “If one looks at the society now, it has clear stratification – the number of people who have access to resources is much less than those who do not have them. This inability to bridge the gulf is giving rise to anger and frustration among people,” she said, adding that “in want of avenues to tackle this, often this inherent rage is expressed as road rage.”

In the Pashan incident, the perpetrators of the crime ran a tea shop while the victims were employed in white collar sectors. What had irked the two-wheeler riders was the honking by the couple in response to the erratic manner in which the two-wheeler riders were riding their vehicle. The violence that the couple faced can be described as symptomatic of class rage, the mental health expert emphasised.

Tambe said there was a lack of avenues, especially among the younger population, to express their emotions and thoughts, including their frustration or anger. “While bridging the wealth gap is a systemic issue, we need to focus on rational thinking and anger management from the school level and not blame the youth. Any form of exercise, be it yoga or a short run, is an excellent way to help clear thinking and expression. Unfortunately, we do not have the societal dialogue necessary to promote this,” she said.

Shubham Jadhav, psychologist, said, “If one analyses road rage, the person who is the perpetrator often has no history of violent behaviour – it is momentary anger and the root of it can be found somewhere else. Because anger is the easiest of all emotions, people often give in to that.”

He remarked that India, as a society, has not managed to devise a way to handle anger. “Of course, the traffic, the noise only add to the problems,” Jadhav further said.

Asked how the police deal with road rage, Pingale said each case is dealt with depending on the gravity of the situation. In case of grievous assaults, relevant sections related to homicide, or culpable homicide, are invoked.

Pingale has a suggestion for people on ways to deal with road rage. “Ensure that dashcams are installed both in the front and behind the car and are in working condition. When someone is getting violent, do not try to retaliate. Once the incident is over, go to the nearest police station with the necessary proofs and file a complaint,” he said.

Tambe said she never retaliates against road rage. “I just fold my hand and say sorry, knowing fully well it’s not my fault. Anything for safety,” she said.