There is a classical dilemma that my boss (hey Srini you are my boss :D !!!) and i were discussing over lunch yesterday ...
The problem: How do we stop Bangaloreans from breaking traffic rules?
Possible solutions discussed:
1) Make the fines really large, increase them by atleast 5 times over current levels. This will dissuade current motorists from breaking the law.
2) Allow policemen to keep 25% of the fines that they collect. This will motivate the policemen enforce the law more strictly.
While both approaches have their tactical merits, in the long run i feel these will prove to be detrimental to the task they wish to achieve!
If the fines are made really large, then there will be more motivation for the public to bribe the policeman to escape payment of such large amounts.
If policemen are allowed to keep 25% of the fines, it would be very difficult to put in place control mechanisms which will ensure that policemen don't misuse their power and harass innocent motorists to make more money for themselves.
For a hard day of thankless work, a traffic policeman is probably paid Rs8000 (USD200) per month along with free departmental housing. The conditions of traffic police station are just short of pathetic.
Contrast this with salaries that are paid in other professions (fresh grads get paid upwards of Rs10000 (USD250) per month) along with benefits and a swanky (mostly) air conditioned environment. It becomes evident that it is this lack of "financial motivation" that could perhaps be the root cause of the whole "corruption-breaking traffic rules" cycle which is the main factor behind such madness on Bangalore roads today.
Our final conclusion at the lunch table, tackle the problem head on, increase the wages that are paid to our policemen, give them better benefits and working conditions. In the long run, this will be more viable than any short run benefits that other solutions bring about.
Disclaimer: Every statement made in this post is debatable and does not represent an absolute unchangeable line of thought! :D ...
2 comments:
lack of financial motivation for the cops could explain the corruption.. but the traffic rules are broken by the highly paid professionals.. so we can't blame the lawlessness on the roads to salaries.. or am i missing something?
also, statistically, more violations of traffic rules occur in cities with high traffic density where the existing infrastructure cannot comfortably accommodate the number of vehicles plying on its roads.. bangalore and nyc are known for their lawless motorists.. contrast these cities with goa and buffalo.. much better.. so it seems that as the traffic density increases, so do the violations.. or am i missing something again?
You are missing nothing chintu :) ... you have just gone deeper into the analysis. I was just disproving the notion that higher fines, or fine based motivation will allow traffic cops to be more effective in their work (Bangalore context)!
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