The rule of walking on the left side of India has been challenged in the Supreme Court.
Pedestrian left side walks rule:There is a rule to walk to the left on the road in the country. Its case has reached the Supreme Court. The court has sought an answer by the Center and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) that can there be a rule for pedestrians to walk on the road to pedestrians like abroad? The whole matter has come in the discussion with the petition of Gyan Prakash, a resident of Jabalpur.
In the petition, the danger is stated to be on the left side of the road. It has been claimed that in the year 2022, 18 thousand people died of pedestrians in 50 thousand road accidents. The petitioner claims that the vehicles coming in the front are clearly visible due to walking to the right. Due to this, accidents can be avoided.
Now the question is why the rule of walking on the left side in India, why there is a rule to walk on the right abroad, where is it applicable and what are its benefits?
Why the rule of walking to the left in India?
Why is such a rule in India, the answer is that this rule was decided in view of traffic security, legal system and road design. According to Road Regulations, 1989, pedestrians should always walk to the left on the road.
It is argued that when pedestrians walking on the left side, the traffic coming from behind it is also running in the same direction. This reduces the risk of conflict. The pedestrians are easy to estimate the direction, horn and speed of the vehicle.
Bus stops, pavements, traffic lights and crosswalks have been built on the left side of the streets in India. It is claimed that the traffic remains organized by walking the left. This makes it easier to cross the road to turn and keep pace with trains.
What arguments were made to walk to the right in the petition?
The petitioner says, if the pedestrians walk to the right, then the vehicles coming from the front will be able to look more clear. The argument has also been given that the pedestrians cannot see it due to the vehicle coming from behind in India. This rule is part of the British traffic system which was adopted in India. In this way this trend is also going on. This will reduce the risk of deaths due to accident. In this case, the Supreme Court has sought an answer from NHAI with data till 10 November.
Supreme Court
Where to walk to the right, how beneficial it is?
In most countries of the world, there is a rule to walk on the right side on the road. It includes most countries in America, Canada and Europe. At the same time, in many countries there is a rule to walk to the left. Such as Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
It is claimed that this manner of walking can see the pedestrier. If his attention is distracting or turning the car, then you can take the step of rescue immediately. At the same time, this is not possible in the case of a car coming from behind. By facing traffic, you can add eye to the driver and make sure that they are looking at you. By doing this, he is more likely to give place.
What does history say?
Before the French Revolution, the Samudha class here used to walk to the left of the road while the farmer to the right. After the revolution, to avoid harassment, the aristocratic class and the common people on the right got mixed up. Later, Napoleon implemented the rule of the same right in the European regions won by him. America was inspired by France and started making Right-Hand Drive Vehicles. This led to the trend on the right. Gradually, this rule became a part of many countries of the world.
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