Flying vs. Driving: Why Our Roads Feel More Dangerous than Our Skies
Updated: Aug 28, 2025
The recent accident of Air India flight AI-171 was a stark reminder of how deeply we fear air tragedies. Yet, as shocking as such rare aviation mishaps may be, the truth is—our roads are far more dangerous than our skies. Having spent decades in the cockpit and logged thousands of flying hours in the Indian Air Force, I can say with conviction: flying, despite its pressures, feels safer than navigating our roads.
When I hung up my uniform and stepped out of the cockpit, I thought life on the ground would be calmer. But the reality? Driving through our cities turned out to be more stressful than flying supersonic jets. Settling down in Jaipur, I expected a culturally rich tier-2 city to offer a respite from the chaos of metro life. Instead, I was greeted with an unsettling discovery—the roads demand nerves of steel.
A Culture of Chaos
The first thing you notice about driving in many Indian cities is sheer disregard for rules. Car owners flaunt their self-importance, often treating traffic signals and lane discipline as optional. Is it ignorance, arrogance, or both?
My stints in Jaipur and Indore revealed the same troubling picture: narrow roads in historical city centres choked with slow-moving three-wheelers and pick-up vans, coupled with the sudden boom of high-end cars driven without adequate skill. Add to that poor enforcement—few traffic police, negligible monitoring, and zero deterrents—and the streets resemble survival arenas. Unlike Chandigarh, Mumbai, or the NCR (where traffic is far from perfect but at least manageable), tier-2 cities expose a raw lack of accountability.
A Disturbing Shift: From Carelessness to Violence
But there’s now a deeper, darker problem emerging—road rage.
On July 27, 2025, in Jammu’s Green Belt Park area, a horrifying incident occurred. A 20-year-old engineering student, driving a Mahindra Thar, rammed into a 65-year-old man on a scooter. Instead of helping, he reversed the vehicle—deliberately—crushing the elderly man a second time. The victim, Kamal Kant Dutta, sustained severe injuries, and the CCTV footage of the incident sent shockwaves across the nation.
This was not “rash driving.” It was cruelty. It was arrogance wrapped in privilege. It was a disturbing glimpse into unchecked anger, entitlement, and the dangerous cocktail of inexperience and overconfidence among some of our youth.
Sadly, this wasn’t an isolated case. We recently lost Shri Fauja Singh ji, another innocent victim of a hit-and-run. The pattern is clear—our society is normalizing aggression on the roads.
Why Is This Happening?
Several factors fuel this growing menace:
Weak Legal Deterrence – Penalties are too soft, and offenders often walk free.
Faulty Licensing – RTO shortcuts churn out “licensed drivers” with little to no actual skill.
Cultural Shift – Aggression is glorified, whether through vehicle ads emphasizing “road dominance” or through online trends that equate recklessness with “coolness.” People flaunt their class, caste and lineages on vehicle stickers and illegal number plates.
Psychological Stress – Gen Z drivers, often juggling academic or workplace stress, turn volatile behind the wheel.
The dangerous outcome: impulsivity, thrill-seeking behaviour, and a shocking lack of empathy for fellow road users.
What Can We Do?
If aviation safety could be built through strict systems, road safety can too. But it won’t happen with half-measures. We need a multi-pronged approach:
1. Legal Reforms
Strengthen penalties under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), treating deliberate road rage as attempted murder.
Revoke licenses permanently and confiscate vehicles in severe cases.
Install more CCTV and AI-based monitoring to detect rash driving in real-time.
2. Driver Training & Education
Replace RTO “shortcuts” with genuine driving schools teaching defensive driving, road empathy, and anger management.
Introduce compulsory courses for young applicants on conflict de-escalation and consequences of reckless behavior.
Include road safety as a subject in schools by Class 7 or 8, before students start learning to drive.
3. Societal Shifts
Stop glamorizing reckless, aggressive driving in ads and media.
NGOs should move beyond campaigns for publicity towards measurable change.
Promote community initiatives that foster respect for pedestrians, cyclists, and two-wheeler riders—the most vulnerable groups.
Closing Thoughts
Flying taught me discipline, precision, and above all—respect for life. On the road, however, I witness the opposite: recklessness, entitlement, and complete disregard for human dignity. The Jammu incident was not just a crime; it was a wake-up call for all of us.
If we can create a culture of safety in the skies, surely we can build the same respect on the ground. But it requires a collective will—lawmakers, educators, parents, communities, and every driver behind the wheel.
Because at the end of the day, whether in the air or on the road, safety is not a privilege—it is a responsibility.
All views and comments are welcome.
Enjoy your drive responsibly!
Jai Hind,
— Air Cmde SK Verma, VSM (Retd)
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