I should start this post with an apology, as the title is deliberately misleading... I'm sure that everyone will have seen the famous photos and videos of Indian roads, and already have (very correctly) assumed that the principal rule of the road is simply there are no rules.
In general, the approach towards driving is similar to the approach towards many things here; "every man for himself". If India had a motto, this would be it, however on the roads it could easily be extended to; "every man, dog, camel, horse and (occassionally) elephant for themselves".
Whilst always entertaining it's safe to say that in a country of 1.4 billion people, this isn't necessarily the healthiest attitude to take - all jokes aside traffic accidents are one of the biggest causes of mortality in India. Yet, in fairness on many roads that I see here the chaos does seem to be the only option. Many very busy roads are quite simply too small to deal with the volume of traffic that needs to use them, and without widespread and heavy investment in widening them and improving the surfaces, it's not easy to see any alternative to some good old fashioned crazy driving.
As for the driving itself - in common with most things in India, the keywords are enterprise and innovation. There's no such thing as "dangerous driving", just the ability to make creative use of space - thus it's never unusual to see some brave fellow cycling down the wrong side of a 5-lane road , normally with his wife perched side-saddle on the back. To help everyone drive crazily together there seem to be some general guidelines, the most useful of which I've listed below;
Medium beeps - "Get out of my way" (with varyng degrees of annoyance)
Long beep - "Please try not to crash into me as I speed along the wrong side of the road" (mainly used by truck drivers)
Having said all that, I'll confess to secretly loving traveling by road here - before I arrived I saw train travel as the epitome of any trip in India, but after only a few bus journeys I absolutely love the sights to be seen when traveling by road (some pictures here). Often it's the only time when you can get a good look at Indian daily life, while remaining relatively unobserved - for anyone traveling in India I definitely recommend jumping on a bus in the daytime to see what you can see...
In general, the approach towards driving is similar to the approach towards many things here; "every man for himself". If India had a motto, this would be it, however on the roads it could easily be extended to; "every man, dog, camel, horse and (occassionally) elephant for themselves".
Whilst always entertaining it's safe to say that in a country of 1.4 billion people, this isn't necessarily the healthiest attitude to take - all jokes aside traffic accidents are one of the biggest causes of mortality in India. Yet, in fairness on many roads that I see here the chaos does seem to be the only option. Many very busy roads are quite simply too small to deal with the volume of traffic that needs to use them, and without widespread and heavy investment in widening them and improving the surfaces, it's not easy to see any alternative to some good old fashioned crazy driving.
As for the driving itself - in common with most things in India, the keywords are enterprise and innovation. There's no such thing as "dangerous driving", just the ability to make creative use of space - thus it's never unusual to see some brave fellow cycling down the wrong side of a 5-lane road , normally with his wife perched side-saddle on the back. To help everyone drive crazily together there seem to be some general guidelines, the most useful of which I've listed below;
- Drive on the left (optional)
- Lane markings, wing mirrors, indicators and traffic lights are for decorative purposes only
- Use of full beam headlights at night is compulsory (anyone flashing their lights as they pass really likes your motorbike. Stud.)
- If you're lucky enough to find a pavement low enough to drive on, it would be a sin not to use it
- Use of indicators and checking of blind spots are inconvenient, and designed for sissies and girls
- So are seatbelts and motorcycle helmets
- So is insurance
- Your primary means of communication is the horn - the louder the better. If it breaks, you're done for - a short beeping translation note...
Medium beeps - "Get out of my way" (with varyng degrees of annoyance)
Long beep - "Please try not to crash into me as I speed along the wrong side of the road" (mainly used by truck drivers)
Having said all that, I'll confess to secretly loving traveling by road here - before I arrived I saw train travel as the epitome of any trip in India, but after only a few bus journeys I absolutely love the sights to be seen when traveling by road (some pictures here). Often it's the only time when you can get a good look at Indian daily life, while remaining relatively unobserved - for anyone traveling in India I definitely recommend jumping on a bus in the daytime to see what you can see...
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