A SALUTE TO THE BRAVE 2 WHEELER RIDERS OF PUNE

Often when I drive my car on the busy streets of Pune, I happen to give lots of gaalis to the cycle & two wheeler riders (mann me ha…, as do all the car & bus drivers). The two wheeler riders show the bestest example of the most undisciplined traffic followers in the entire world. From lane cutting, to criss crossing, to breaking the signals (which is our birthright in Pune), they do everything. And especially in the rainy season, they particularly happen to drive right in front of you at the slowest pace.

And then I took up to driving my two wheeler for this season as well (petrol costs & everyday car……, phew). I seriously think driving a two wheeler is a huge task in Pune. I remember P.L. Deshpandes Mumbaikar, Punekar ka Nagpurkar where he says driving a two wheeler in Pune is equivalent to driving a national movement, most difficult task… And as a Physio I started perceiving the problems that 2 wheeler riders encounter in Pune.

Well, we all know Pune has the highest number of two wheelers in India (Or Asia or the World I think). Most of us city riders have the scooter types. I know we can’t insult the two wheelers by calling them scooters, but guys, they are what they are. Most of these auto-gears two wheelers are the most prominent sources of back & neck problems in this city. (I’m happy for this yaar. Gives me my patients, right!!!)

The small bases of the wheels are poor shock absorbers. As against the bikes, who have large wheel diameters & thus provide better shock absorption. Whenever we are sitting on any engine, there are two problems worth understanding. One is the sitting position itself. Sitting increases the pressures within our vertebral discs to a large extent. Our back is a rigid pillar consisting of components giving us mechanical & structural stability. We have natural bends (curves) in our spine which help in giving us an upright posture. But more so, these curves work as our natural shock absorbers helping us distribute the loads on our body. This function is largely done by our vertebral discs which are the best force distributors ever occurring naturally. But they require support & reinforcement by our core muscles as well. The discs encounter minimal force in a lying down position, more force in standing, still more in sitting & a lot more force while sitting with back unsupported. This is exactly what happens when we are sitting on a two wheeler because no two wheelers have a seat with back support.

The second problem is the vibrations of the engine. 4 stroke engines have fewer vibrations than 2 stroke engines. But engine vibrations are directly related to the cc’s of the engine. More cc displacement means more engine power & also more engine vibrations. These vibrations on the unsupported back by themselves are good enough to give us back problems. And to add to the misery are the obstacles on the roads. These can be our beloved potholes, speed breakers or even the so called crossings for senior citizens. And jerk to the back means an increase & rise in the disc pressures almost 60 to 70 times of their normal capability. This is true for the back as well as the neck. Also the posture we drive is very bad. Instead of a proper upright position, we prefer to bend forwards while riding. (Style hai bhai…) This puts high amounts of forces on the spine. I’m very sure more than 90% of the two wheeler riders in Pune suffer from back pain, neck pain & neck spasms.

The other frequently encountered “adventures” of two wheelers are triple seat riding. Most of the two wheelers have a suspension system adequate for one or maximum two riders. A few two wheelers these days have good telescopic suspensions as well, but only for the front wheels. So the poor pillion riders is most of the times compromised. Triple seat riding puts excessive loads on the shock absorption system which has never been designed to handle extreme loads. This misfires badly on our spine & makes us vulnerable to back injuries. The other adventures include driving on the wrong side of the road & breaking signals. This “risks” are the commonest causes of accidents & injuries but are highly neglected in our scenario.

To add to this, we all take it as a personal insult to wear helmets as well. I really don’t know why we feel insulted or inferior or below our dignity to follow any of the traffic rules & laws. Helmets are amongst the best protectors against head injuries. (But we all already know this). The only exception can be people suffering from neck pain & discomfort as this may aggravate their problems. But apart from this, its helmet or hell met…..

Also is the mobile style. Why do we need to talk with someone soo urgent while driving? That too when riding a scooter. The auto gears have rear brake on left & front brake with accelerator on the right. So many accidents of skid & fall happen cause left hand is occupied holding the mobile phone and the person tries to stop urgently with the front brake accelerating at the same time. Not only are cell phones a huge distractors while driving, they are also potential hazards for accidents. And if cell phones are not enough, we see two riders on two bikes chatting with each other riding in middle of busy streets & increasing the temperaments of the other drivers. Guys…. Drive on the same bike na…

When driving the car, I used to get soo annoyed on the way the two wheelerwalas come in front & drive soooo slow. But while driving a two wheeler I realized how unstable it feels to drive on wet roads with all loose gravel lying on it. I’ve seen riders skid & fall soo bad, especially while driving at fast speeds on a curve, it really makes me wonder, is this thrill worth the fractures & the pain??? Rash driving, breaking signals, riding triple seat we feel it’s a thrill. One of my friend told me that I’m missing the thrill of my life & am too “darpook” cause I don’t do anything of this. I took him to our hospital trauma ward & showed him all the two wheeler accident cases & told him, I’m happy as I am missing this thrill as well.

Whatever it is, problems are many & solutions few. In a city with poor public transport systems, costliest petrol prices & highest two wheeler producers, using these machines of health “disbenefits” seem to be the only solution for the masses. But whatever it may be, rules & regulations are meant for our own health & safety. There are a few factors which may not directly be in our control. But most of the factors associated with riding a two wheeler are definitely in our own hands. Use of helmets, following the traffic signals, avoiding rash driving & triple seat riding, regular vehicle servicing, following speed limits (if any), riding on the roads (and not from footpaths & wrong side), avoiding lane cutting may not just serve only to improve this beautiful city. It will also contribute to improvisation of our health & cutting down of our health costs which happen just cause of small negligence from our part. I know it is easier said than done. 

But I have surely realized & understood what a brave breed of people live in Pune & live their lives riding two wheelers. All I can say is, I salute the brave two wheeler riders of Pune.