Road rage in busy Jakarta: Blame it on adrenaline?
Road rage in busy Jakarta: Blame it on adrenaline?
JAKARTA (JP): "He's heading south from Rodeo cross road. He
just ignored the red light. The car's a dark blue 1989 Toyota. I
need backup. Over," Brad, a street police officer yelled over his
car radio.
He had been trailing the culprit's car for the last 10
minutes. But he could see the car ahead of him accelerating;
creating thin wisps of smoke, shaped like a mocking clown. So
Brad drove faster and faster.
A familiar car chase scene in L.A. that I watched on the BBC
the other night. No, he was not under the influence of drugs.
That was just the work of our mate, adrenaline.
In a lot of countries, traffic violence has come under heavy
scrutiny. The brutalities vary from collisions between cars,
vehicles and pedestrians to physical abuse between civilians and
police officers. And people are pointing their fingers at
adrenaline. Ignoring reasons such as inadequate education, lack
of family values or plain immorality; no - it's a lot easier to
blame the micro gland - producer of the good old 'get up and go'
hormone. Hey, we'd never asked Mister Adrenal Gland to be stuck
in there. This helpless scenario does eliminate a little guilt
and responsibility over the ongoing war in this world.
There is one adrenaline control treatment center for blue-
uniformed traffic officers in the United States. I'd say that we
need more. Why? Because it is imperative for those people "in
power" to keep their hormone fluctuations under control -
brimming at a safe level at least. Having such an image and
authority; those raging, irritating policemen with their loaded
weapons would be the last people you would want patrolling your
neighborhood. Or even worse, these people may take their rage
home and victimize their families.
Indonesians are known for suppressing their emotions. This
calm, polite persona is projected through out the country. But
this image will be instantly shattered when you experience your
first dose of traffic madness.
It's amazing either the pollution or lack of nutrition during
childhood had ruined their adrenaline glands altogether or their
bodies appear to be running on adrenaline and not much else.
Emotionless chaos.
The noisy orange street bugs, some people call bajaj,
motorcyclists, buses and even the hundreds of thousands of
dollars worth vehicles driven by arrogant and ignorant drivers
cramp every street in this city. God knows how on earth these
people attained their driving licenses. As sometimes you can not
find any difference between them and a flock of lost sheep.
A few typical situations are, first example: an overweight guy
wearing a flawless Giorgio Armani suit stops his brand new
Mercedes Benz in the middle of a busy road to have an argument
with an ojek driver who apparently scratched his car. He doesn't
care about the massive rush hour traffic jam he ignites; no -
it's a face thing. Second example: people who cut across three
lanes on a main road after a blind curve just so they can access
the toll road a few meters closer. Third example: bus drivers who
seem to consider every person standing on the streetside as an
unofficial bus stop; which could happen every five meters. And my
favorite: a dozen police officers block the highway to let the
VIP of the day through uninterrupted, so that they would not be
late for their dinner.
These inconveniences, plus the piling frustration, coffee and
nicotine, after working the whole day for a bitchy boss, fueled
by the carbon monoxide infused air from the AC and the insults
from the street boys if you don't buy their colorful dusters or
squeaky "tweety" and not to mention the screech performed by Guns
and Roses from the car stereo, just can't make Mr. Hormone sit
calmly.
What about the police officers? They are incredibly calm. They
greet you politely and ask your licenses every time you violate
their street signs like "Forbidden from 6.30 am - 11.15 am,
unless during holidays and other important events or
emergencies"; which is partly written in micro fonts. Bravo. The
only hormone controlled bunch.
When there is a confrontation between road users, it will more
than likely develop into a street brawl, or worse "the famous
politically driven riots". People from all corners shamelessly
join to participate. They find it an excuse to let out their own
bafflement.
It's common knowledge that adrenaline intensifies emotions,
which range from exhilaration to anger, depending on your state
of mind and the surrounding situations. If the atmosphere is
irritating, you will likely feel anger, whereas if everything is
positive, you will likely feel happiness.
So it is up to our self-control whether we let our hormones
dominate our emotions or not. We can manipulate our surroundings
to be more supportive if we want to. Having soft background
music, urging the street patrols to wear clown outfits instead of
those dull brown uniforms (as if it'd make any difference), or
having your vibrating phone close at hand would certainly help
(but make sure it comes with a earphone and other appropriate
tools).
Or maybe we should ask the government to put the establishment
of adrenaline control treatment centers into their future state
budget?
-- Aida Greenbury