STRESS

AND

ACCIDENTS

DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR
 Stress if not managed properly leads to defects in
regulation, control, coordination, harmony, efficiency
inside and outside us.

Stress leads to hundreds of psychological, neurological,

endocrine and metabolic disturbances, which are
reflected in the behavior also. One of the defective
aspects of disturbed behavior is accident proneness. The
mismanaged conscious and subconscious stress; directly
leads to defective driving behavior and increase in
vehicular accidents on road.

But apart from this; when our stress is mismanaged; and

when we are in positions of power; it leads to defective
policies, rules and regulations related to vehicular
production, marketing, conditions of roads, facilities of
public and mass transport and maintenance of traffic in
general. Accidents and many other related and
consequent problems; are created by such defective
policies and their implementation.

Strangely; billions of us; the sufferers; who are so much

stressed and are unable manage it; fall victim to the
diseased model of progress. They can’t even identify and
understand the defects in the policies; which are
 responsible for the increase in the number and severity
accidents. The stress seems to have made these sufferers
amongst us; so much incapacitated, inactive, indifferent,
apathetic, cynical and frustrated; that they refuse to; or
are unable to participate rectifying the causes responsible
for accidents and their complications. Thus, they
indirectly support and promote defective policies and
their implementation multiplying accidents.

It is easy to understand how a stressed individual is more

prone to commit accident, but how mismanaged stress
can lead to wrong and disastrous policies can be clear
from the following example of policy about production of
vehicles.

Thus the policy of excessive production and marketing of

cars and two wheelers (for the affluent few) and
suppression the production buses, trams, trains and
other modes of public transport, which are urgently
required for billions; leads to suffering of billions in
many ways, one of which is increase in road accidents.

The brief explanation of how this single policy can

increase not only accidents but cause many related and
consequent problems; is as follows.
 1. Excessive increase in number of vehicles on roads
leads to congestion and tremendous and unnecessary
load on traffic police

2. Commensurate increase in fuel consumption causing

chemical pollution and also in import expenses; leading
to increase of fuel prices and subsequent increase in the
food prices and unbearable load on the farmers living in
villages, where electricity is barely available for few
hours. Thus the farmer community which is the heart of
society becomes sick and moribund! This alarms real
danger!

3. Wear and tear of roads increases. Consequently there

is increase in accidents due bad condition of roads as well
as increase in the maintenance expenses and disturbance
and delay to smooth traffic

4. Excessive increase in noise pollution results due to;

blowing of horns; which is especially troublesome; to
hospitals, schools, and other places; where silence is
essential.
 5. Traffic jams adding to further increase in fuel
consumption and wastage of time, disastrously affecting
the performance and/or productivity of the people of
different occupations.

6. Increase in the number of vehicular accidents is

largely contributed by simply the huge and increasing
number of vehicles on road apart from other factors

7. Increase in vehicular exhaust causing global warming

8. Excess of load on local trains and other means of

public transport [where ever available] and consequent
accidents, quarrels and mishaps

9. Overall increase in tardiness in the traffic and increase

in anxiety and tension, further increasing the quarrels,
traffic crimes the number and severity of accidents and
difficulty in providing medical aid (and disaster
management) due to difficulty in movement of
ambulances and fire fighters.

10. The eco-friendly bicycles production and sale suffers

due to “imposing and threatening” presence of cars,
motorcycles, rickshaws, scooters etc.
 11. Excessive production of vehicles; is associated with;
unproductive and wasteful work; such as insurance,
registration and traffic policing!

12. Increase (due to difficulty in enforcing law and order)

riots, thefts etc due to slowing of police movement

13. Excessive production of un-degradable solid waste.

14. The need and construction of excessively wide and

cement or asphalt roads at the cost of irreplaceable trees
(extremely important for avoiding global warming,
pollution, rain and organic manure) and open earth
surface (extremely important and vital for absorbing and
holding rain water) and unnecessary disruption of the
natural habitat of the animals.

Thus, one wrong policy and its implementation can cause

and increase several problems in society; apart from
road accidents. Since this is one of the fallouts of
mismanaged stress, the holistic solution is Total Stress
Management (The core of which is NAMASMARAN); of
every one of us.
The immediate solution for the accidents is improvement
of public transport system by improving; the production
of buses (quantitative and qualitative), bus maintenance,
bus frequency, preferential lane for buses, bus service
and so on!

More holistic solutions can be worked out and

implemented by the experts with holistic perspective;
solidly supported and strengthened by public opinion,
consensus and movements.

As stated earlier; one of the simplest ways for such stress

busting; is beginning our own emancipation; through the
practice of NAMASMARAN!