I know what you're thinking. How can traffic save a person's life?! Ha! I mean, just a cursory glance through last week's newspapers would yield at least one tragedy caused due to an ambulance stuck in traffic.

But I am not talking about the life of a person who is seriously ill and in need of immediate transportation to the nearest medical facility. I am talking about the life of a common man who uses the treacherous roads that connect the centres of activity in Chennai.

Seemingly random and sporadically placed potholes are definitely not something that came to be on their own, but rather a precise planning by Yama Dharma Raja (Lord of Death) himself. Add to this equation an engineering marvel known as the speed breaker, and you have in your hands a deadly combo, literally. Perhaps if these speed breakers were designed and supervised by actual engineers and not labourers who are devoid of any idea of a "speed breaker" being aesthetically profound, then maybe it would serve its function well of only breaking the speed.

Given the choice, I would avoid these roads altogether but alas, the world runs and we must run along with it. While running it is best to stay right at the heel of the pack, so that you can see the obstacles cropping up ahead and make the necessary adjustments to your course. The same is true when driving on Indian roads.

Here's why. Anyone who likes a high-speed morning drive on the roads would agree that there is nothing that can beat it. A common case of high-speed driving that we all can relate to, is that of weaving through traffic to get to work or college on time.

And I, like most people enjoy having the wind in my hair. Of course, that means I take it upon myself the risk of plummeting suddenly into the ground or being launched a couple of inches into the air.

So today, every time I end up in traffic, I curse my stars that I have to roll along at 40 km/hr, but secretly I am grateful because it is the person in front who has to confront an invitation from beyond. Not me.

But I must admit, weaving through traffic is quite enjoyable.