theory of chaotic harmony - the delicate balance of our traffic

This is from the paranoid part of me. (Rather, I WANT to be paranoid about it, but thick layers of oblivion prevent me from feeling it)

So its like this - Imagine a circus performer walking a tightrope, high over a pool of sharks, balancing 5 razor sharp knifes on his tongue, while running a fever. Maybe just be able to pull it off no? Now multiply it by all day everyday from now till god knows when!! - It's an accident waiting to happen right? (Ofcourse one could hope that the knifes fall and kill the sharks and the guy falls into the pool safely, while the cool water from the pool brings his fever down, but thats another story!)

Well believe or not, that is how i see our traffic (delhi) nowadays! and i cant help but muse as to just how lucky we are just to get home everyday safe.

I call it chaotic harmony cos everytime i head out, i see a road filled with irate drivers swerving and screeching and braking. Everyone judging just how deep the next guy will cut into his lane, and when the car infront will slam its breaks. It all plays out like some extremely complex dance or ritual. And somehow, it works! (For now atleast!) People get to where they have to, and we're all ok(more or less), we only have a few minor scraps and scratches on our cars.

I mean think about it. How is it that the sumo behind you passes you from the left, squeezes through the two tempo trucks ahead swerves back into the extreme right lane and finally takes a hard left turn on from the other end and still not effect our road casualty tally (by and large that is, some accidents do happen)?? Somehow, it works.

But i say "for now" cos the drivers are fast devolving from responsible motorists to intoxicated, dyslexic muppets.

I imagine it went something like this. Somewhere along the way, some idiot (and surely i cant blame one guy for the entire situation, but rivers begin as trickles blah blah) must've said "hey, everybody else's stupid, the cops are too busy having chai pakora, what if i swerve through all the lanes and break the signals. That way i can even zip at a 100. And hey that pesky last stretch for which i have to drive that extra km, screw it, i'll just go down the other way!" And now there are probably ten thousand guys having that same thought right now!!

It is only unseen forces and our knack for adaptation that has brought us so far. (Incase you're ever feeling down about your skills as a decision maker or manager, take some time to marvel at the number of split second decisions one makes literally every moment one is on the road!) Now when im approaching an intersection, i pretty much bring the car to a stand cos im expecting the joker on the other side of the road to drive onto my side. Expect the worst, most irrational, unexplainable behaviour from every driver around .. is a motto that i, along with many other "consciencious" drivers (that is, compared to others) sadly, are having to get used to.

guess what im trying to say is that our low accident rate (compared to rate of recorded and unrecorded traffic violations) should'nt be mistaken for ok traffic but rather, it should be taken as an indicator of things ahead. a situation similar to a balloon lying on floor scattered with nails.

tic tic tic tic....