Here are some of my personal observations about driving in India.......... 1. Those infernal horns, honking for the least reason. Even the signs on every Truck proclaims 'HORN OK PLEASE". Trucks with their super loud horns blast away telling all of us in teeny cars to scatter or be run over !
2. Indian roads were made for ox-carts and horse carts and bicyles. In my younger days when we alighted by train at Victoria Terminus (now CST) in Bombay (now Mumbai) we got to our final destinations in Victorias, those elegant carriages drawn by two horses clip-clop, clippety clop. Now the roads are crowded with cars or all sizes, trucks, auto rickshaws and those infernal two-wheelers..Two wheelers weave in and out between cars. Even a space of 6 inches suffices for two wheeler to squeeze through. They know that cars rather than risk a collision (for which the car driver is inevitably blamed) will let him/her through. 3. As the sun sets, many drivers do not turn on their headlights until it is pitch dark. Perhaps they are saving their headlights from burning out two soon. And when they do put on their headlights very often it is at full beam, blinding oncoming traffic. I turn on my headlights at dusk and soon hear cries from pedestrians "lights' lights" to inform me that my headlights are on. I bring their attention to the street lights that have come on and point to my headlights, and they smile sheepishly at their foolishness. 4. When I arrive at a "T" junction, very very often, I find cars or scooters on the main road who want to make a right turn, take a short cut and head straight at me, with both of us having to take last minute evasive action. Why dont drivers keep to their side of the road ?? 5. "Do Not Overtake" signs mean nothing to most drivers especially two-wheelers who overtake with impunity as there are no traffic cops to enforce the law. 6. In most countries a solid divider line indicates that nobody should overtake on that stretch of road. A broken line signifies that one can overtake with caution. Drivers in India apparently think that broken lines are only there because the painters ran out of paint ! 7, A striped ZEBRA crossing across a road, indicates a pedestrian crossing. Driivers are expected to slow down to allow pedestrians to cross safely. Instead cars, two-wheelers, trucks and buses speed up as though hell bent on mowing down whoever dares to use a pedestrian crossing. 8. When driving on a highway I always notice drivers coming out from side streets without checking for oncoming traffic. This calls for extreme defensive driving on my part to avoid collision. The same holds true for cars temporarily stopped on the road for some unknown reason. One thinks that the dar has a problem and it is OK to overtake them. So I blow my horn to signal that I plan to overtake them when suddenly the stopped car decides to take off. 9. Overtaking when permissible and traffic conditions permitting should always be on the right side of the driver, right ?? Tell that to two-wheelers who will overtake you from any side. 10. When one approaches a traffic circle (round-about), who has right of way ? I asked this question of a Traffic Policeman and he shrugged his shoulders and said "anyone". In all countries (other than India) that I have driven in, traffic already in the circle has the right of way. This allows for orderly entry in to the traffic circle. In India apparently there is no such rule. One plays "chicken" and pushes his way through regardless of anyone else being in the circle. 11. Everyone appears to be hell bent in a hurry to get somewhere, and woe be on you if you are driving at the posted speed limit, even in the slow lane. Traffic behind you will honk away and overtake you and scream obscenities if you are a law abiding driver keeping to the official speed limit. Having lived in India for close to a dozen years these are my factual observations about driving conditions here. I have held driving licenses in East Africa and several different states in the USA. Ihave driven extensively throughout East Africa, the continental United States of American, Canada, the UK and mainland Europe. By and largetraffic in those countries is orderly. Special mention must be made of drivers in the UK. When one gives a signal that one wants to make a right turn against oncoming traffic, the oncoming drivers stop and allow you to turn. No such courtesy in India. Signal all you want, nobody will give you way. You have to play "chicken" and dare someone to knock you over ! It is not my intention to insult anybody. I am just giving my factual observations of driving in India. .
