Kozhikode Police

This needs to be approached from two angles. The traffic policing merit appreciation given the odds within which they operate. But from an idealistic perspective, one can rate it only as 'lot to be desired'. I am a firm believer of the fact that traffic in Calicut can easily be improved by 40% using the existing road infrastructure if 100% of drivers on the road knew how to drive. The drivers on the road (majority of them) are merely operators of vehicles and not drivers in its real sense. The errors they follow while they drive on the road is not because they are bad drivers but they do not have the right training as to how to drive and behave on the road. There are two immediate solutions, which if implemented without dilution will improve the traffic many-folds without spending extra penny on traffic improvement schemes.

1. Make a rule that if a driver violates any traffic rule (however simple), make him undergo a full-cycle driving training once again. If he/she carries a driving licence, it should mean that he/she knows the entire road rules while driving a vehicle on the road. Licence is given to drive a vehicle on the road and not in their private compound. The general public is exposed to their wrong driving and innocent people are often the victims of their ignorance. Obtaining a license should be the most difficult process as the number of people being killed or injured in traffic accident is the single most cause. RTO is known for their corrupt practices and they do not ensure if they certify the right person to qualify for a licence. Licences are more often than not BOUGHT and not EARNED. The RTO does not recognize the fact that drivers they certify as 'qualified' are not actually controlled by them once the licence is issued. From that moment, the traffic police needs to handle them as traffic control is the responsibility of the traffic police and not RTOs. The only way you can rectify the 'errors' of gifting a licence is by making it mandatory to undergo the licencing process all over again (this time please ensure that only the right person gets through the process) if caught for any traffic violation. Give a comprehensive training syllabus to the students (just like pilots and loco pilots) and ensure that every driving schools imparts the correct and professional traffic lessons and classes to their students. Half the time, it is the wrong teaching of private driving schools that produces wrong drivers on the road. Most of the driving schools give an tacit "undertaking" that they will ensure that their students receives a licence if enrolled in his institution. Consequently, the most important change needs to be made in the area of driving schools and the way they conduct their 'education'. Professionalize driving schools, monitor their activities continuously and ensure that they produce 'pilots' and just drivers.

2. Train traffic police. Traffic jams become more complex if a traffic policeman is controlling the road traffic, apparently because he has no clue as to how traffic works. When a traffic jam convert into a chaos, they often pulls back from the scene and expects the problem to solve itself. Traffic duty is often a 'punishment duty' to the police and it is idiotic to expect high performance from a 'punished person'. Motivation comes from appreciation and not from punishment. Traffic police needs to be given special incentives such as reduced working hours, extra holiday, free medical facility, and special pay while on duty. Traffic control is nothing but law and order maintenance and unlike any other law and order issue, traffic control is a non-stop activity as every minute of the day the policemen really needs to work on the ground.