A black SUV aggressively swerves across lanes on a busy Delhi highway, cutting off a sedan and two-wheelers. (AI image)
On Sept 2, two people were killed after a speeding SUV hit their motorcycle in Delhi Cantonment. He cites a 2024 study involving 546 licensed drivers across India and published in ‘Transport Policy’. Once I saw an SUV owner using ‘8055’ on the number plate in a way it read like ‘BOSS’,” he says, adding that police should undertake special drives.
It found that SUV drivers reported significantly riskier driving behaviour than drivers of sedans and hatchbacks, with speeding emerging as an important predictor of such behaviour.
“Some recent cases have involved SUVs, which has put the spotlight on the vehicles themselves,” he says. International studies have also described what researchers call the “car cushion effect” — the possibility that the greater size and perceived protection of a larger vehicle can give drivers an increased sense of security and control, which can in turn encourage risk-taking. ‘Has to be an SUV’: A string of recent incidents across Delhi-NCR involving aggressive driving prompted TOI to reach out to experts to examine the psyche behind road rage. The common refrain: it’s not the car, it’s the driver. .. NEW DELHI: When Gaurav Gill takes his car out on Delhi roads, it is not unusual for someone to try to race him. Bani Yadav faces much the same on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway when she is out in her fancy SUVs. Cars pull up alongside them, cruise wheel to wheel, drift slightly into their lane or surge ahead only to slow down — all familiar gestures from motorists trying to catch their attention and challenge them to a race. The irony is hard to miss. The two are among India’s fastest drivers and can put these people far behind within seconds. Gill, an Arjuna awardee, is the first Indian driver to win the overall FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. Bani is the only woman in India to win all major cross-country rally titles in a single calendar year. They have built careers around speed, but when it comes looking for them on NCR roads, neither takes the bait. This Sept alone, a series of incidents put SUVs in the spotlight. Road accidents broadly fall into two categories: those in which a driver unintentionally loses control, is fatigued or misjudges traffic, and those involving reckless behaviour like overspeeding or not stopping after an incident. “But we need to separate it from its driver’s conduct. Indian roads are shared by cars, two-wheelers, pedestrians, cyclists and even animals, making the driver’s responsibility critical irrespective of the vehicle being driven. There is, however, a possible psychological element to the way larger vehicles can influence their drivers. Piyush Tewari, founder and CEO of SaveLIFE Foundation, points to emerging evidence suggesting that concerns about risky SUV driving are not merely anecdotal. In one controlled driving-simulator experiment cited by Tewari, participants who believed they were driving a larger vehicle displayed riskier driving than those who believed they were driving smaller ones, even though the underlying simulator settings were the same. Former special commissioner of police Muktesh Chandra believes cops should look beyond the driving offences in identifying patterns. “There are some traits you will find in these vehicles, including casteist stickers and VIP numbers.
Gopal, who implemented Delhi’s first automated driving test track in early 2018, believes the licensing system needs to do more than assess whether a person can manoeuvre a vehicle.
Naturally, this increases the risk of people trying to game the system,” he says. Driving tests focus more on road manoeuvring and assessing a person’s driving skills than on teaching them how to drive responsibly and protect other road users, he says. “It is not that these aspects are missing from the govt-prescribed course, but hardly anyone is aware of them,” he says, adding that drivers need to be trained to remain mindful of smaller vehicles and other road users. Training, he says, should also cover what a driver should do after an accident.
For Nand Gopal, former motor licensing officer with Sarai Kale Khan Regional Transport Office, the issue starts even before a driver gets his licence. “The entire learner’s driving licence test has been moved online, and you can even take it from home. That becomes particularly important on roads when an SUV, a motorcycle and a pedestrian find themselves sharing the same limited space within seconds.
On Sept 18, following a dispute, an intoxicated driver repeatedly rammed a commercial cab with his SUV in Sector 89, Gurgaon. On Sept 26, an SUV was captured on dashcam weaving aggressively through traffic near Dwarka Expressway. Gaurav Vangaal, associate director, production forecasting, Mobility Global, says SUVs constitute over 55% of passenger vehicles sold in India and have overtaken sedans and hatchbacks in popularity over the past decade. He also cites a study by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in US, which found that vehicles with particularly tall front ends were around 45% more likely to cause a pedestrian fatality in a crash than vehicles with lower, sloping front ends. Riya Yadav, the youngest female rider at 19 to conquer Khardung La in Ladakh, says the physical characteristics of an SUV could also play a role in how a driver perceives the road. They account for over 55% of total passenger vehicle sales nationally, vastly outpacing traditional hatchbacks and sedans.
Because they cannot race, but because they know there’s a place for speed and competition and pushing a car to its limits, not. Because many combine greater size and mass with high engine power, acceleration and a sporty positioning, that becomes particularly relevant with SUVs. Because they are designed to provide greater ground clearance, keeping the main body of the vehicle above rocks, water and deep potholes, she explains, sUVs have a higher seating position.
They call such motorists “delusional” and people with little idea of what triggers an accident. “I can easily beat them at this game,” Bani says. Gaurav Gill, Arjuna awardee and rally driver says, “They think with these cars, they own the road. What research says Gill believes the answer begins much before a person gets behind the wheel. So, it is down to not the car but the person driving it,” he says. Bani says some motorists feel the need to show they are faster, stronger and more powerful than others. We require stricter laws that deter these people,” she says. Bani Yadav, rally driver says, “I can easily beat them at this game, but this is not a game I want to play on the roads. Bani, who is India’s fastest woman rally car driver, says, “I can understand that people may get an adrenaline rush from driving fast, but they should channel this positively. “These characteristics should demand greater responsibility from the driver, not encourage a more aggressive driving style,” Tewari says. But even that, he says, should not become an argument against SUVs. “The answer is not to demonise SUVs or their owners, but to recognise the interaction between vehicle characteristics and human behaviour,” Tewari says. Ultimately, the greater the capability and potential impact of a vehicle, the greater the responsibility that must come with driving it,” he says. Riya Yadav says, “These vehicles are designed for off roading, the problem is the psyche, and rash driving, not the vehicles. “This tall build gives the driver a commanding, high-up view of the road and the front bonnet so that you drive safer, but inadvertently it does make you feel that you are above all,” she says.
It is just not a public road, the two say. “But this is not a game I want to play on the roads. I would rather do it on the track. But ultimately, it is not the car, it is the person driving it. The behaviour they describe is increasingly playing out in disturbing forms on Delhi-NCR roads, not just in the form of racing or aggressive overtaking, but in using SUVs to intimidate, chase, hit or deliberately ram other road users. The impact was violent enough to deploy the cab’s airbags and severely crush its side. It attempted to squeeze through a narrow gap, knocked down a motorcycle and injured two riders before speeding away. These and many other incidents in recent times involve reckless driving and deliberate acts of road rage. Their recurrence raises a bigger question: What is it about a section of drivers that turns a large, powerful vehicle into an instrument for asserting dominance on the road? “We, the racers, have spent decades trying to get control cars, yet we do not overspeed on roads. There are certain cars, which have a muscular and macho image these people think goes with their personality. And then these elements think that with this car, they own the road. And it starts with the way they inculcate values in their homes. “Some SUV drivers think they can get away with breaking the law. I think policing here is not strong enough, or even when action is taken, these people know they will ultimately get away without facing a major punishment. When there is nothing much to deter them, they think they are the law unto themselves. They should enter motorsports and showcase their talent on the tracks. If you have a passion for fast driving, that is your choice, but you do not have the right to punish others. Experts caution against turning SUVs into villains. The larger concern, he feels, is enforcement or the lack of it. “Enforcement against speeding, dangerous overtaking and other forms of rash driving needs to be strengthened, while vehicle manufacturers also have a responsibility to ensure that the marketing of power, speed and performance is accompanied by an equally strong emphasis on responsible driving. But that, Riya stresses, does not mean everyone driving an SUV develops an aggressive mindset. “In Delhi, many women drive these vehicles. But they rarely feature in any of the videos of rash driving and road rage that go viral. The changing composition of India’s car market has made SUVs a much more visible presence. With more such vehicles on the road, their proportion of involvement in traffic incidents will naturally increase. But the question is whether their increased visibility is also making certain forms of aggressive driving more visible.
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“So naturally they are far more visible on our roads and in case of such incidents,” he says. “The manual states that in such an event, one should provide first aid to the victims, if possible, and help them get medical attention. We also need to teach people the human side of this — why such actions are important and how they can help even in case of an FIR as the law takes your intentions into account as well. Download the TOI App.