It, as I later learned, stood for Electronic Detection System. This is how the system, also in use at certain intersections, works: the detector activates the camera the moment someone enters the security lane. The photograph of the driver is taken in an instant and sent directly to the police department. They first try to match the registered license plate with the driver. Then the photo is printed out and sent to the driver's home with a notice saying that he has to pay a YTL 108 fine. I asked a friend whether this was really deterring. "It really is," he said, adding: "A friend of mine received his photo the other day. When he saw it, he said, 'They even photographed my bald head, I have to pay it!'"
It turned out that the Greater İstanbul Municipality launched the system on April 12, 2007. In 2008 they will reportedly install this detection system at 90 spots where drivers most often commit red light violations and at 10 spots where security lanes are frequently not respected. With the help of the system, the previous 800 daily red light violations in Edirnekapı dropped to 20 a day and the number of security lane violations dropped to 50 a day from 1,300. The total amount of fines has reached YTL 7 million.
The violation of traffic rules alludes to social erosion. We haven't been alienated only from our essential values. We have become a society that knows no rules. The most tragicomic side of it is that we consider non-acknowledgment of the rules as an intelligent thing to do. When I see those trying to cut into long lines of people or cars without feeling ashamed, I ashamed for them. And when I see people not acting like kind, courteous and graceful people in their daily lives, and when they defend human rights only in words, it is upsetting. Have we become alienated from our values to such a high degree -- and have we really become this merciless?
Traffic makes us totally different beings. When we start thinking that nobody will recognize us, we do things that don't befit us. The unkind behavior we display and the bad language we use in traffic not only embarrasses us later, but can also give us a serious headache and may even result in totally unwanted situations.
We face one of most difficult tests on the road. We clearly see that we cease to respect one another in traffic. I live in a small city; there are no traffic jams. But take for example when you've parked your car in front the bakery. It's difficult to join the flow of traffic again, although you signal, implicitly asking, "Can you please stop for a second, I'm leaving my parking spot?" But you have to wait there for long second. Nobody is willing to lose a few seconds by stopping. When you are a pedestrian and set foot on the road, drivers stare daggers at you, as if to ask, "Don't you see you are just a human; a car is coming…" The human being is less privileged than cars. EDS indicates that we understand perfectly the language of punishment! Be that as it may, this is a positive development. The same with the issue of smoking; we made long journeys in the past in thick cigarette smoke on the bus. We risked fighting people even when we warned them politely. Now, we have covered much distance on that issue also.
Turkey has really been advancing on the issues of security, stability, liberty and welfare. And parallel to this, the general health of the society must also rise. Our democracy culture should mature. We should embrace our own values in the face of cultural erosion and we have to revive self and mutual respect. We can become tolerant individuals instead of getting stressed all the time. And we can cease to make life hell for every single one of us by no longer considering not recognizing rules as a very clever thing to do.
Believe me, we can do this…
