Today we turn our attention to India! The peculiarity of this country is the absence of traffic rules. More precisely, they exist, but for drivers it is only a formality. Complete chaos reigns on Indian roads, and driving on them will be a real extreme for a Ukrainian driver. Are you ready to be surprised?
In India, left-hand traffic is officially established, but local drivers often ignore it. In this country, the bigger the vehicle, the more it should be respected. Passenger cars are simply obliged to let trucks pass (despite the traffic rules), and large vans and trucks are the recognized “owners of the road” and can do as they please.
The klaxon in India is used not only for its direct purpose of attracting attention. Sound signals can also be an expression of sadness or joy, for farewell or greeting, for cursing or flirting. It is a sign language-like device that helps drivers avoid collisions or road mishaps. For example, if a car behind you honks, it warns other road users that it is about to overtake. At intersections, the right to pass first also belongs to the car that first approached it and gave a sound signal.
This active use of the horn is explained by the complete absence of rear-view mirrors in Indian cars. The flow of traffic on the country’s roads is so dense that mirrors simply create inconvenience. And keeping them intact in such narrow traffic lanes is almost impossible.
Be prepared for the fact that not only traditional cars and motorcycles, but also exotic rickshaws, camels, and elephants are found on the roads of India.
The complete absence of road markings and any signs can add inconvenience to foreign drivers. The fact is that the local residents do not need them at all. And if they were, hardly anyone would pay attention to them.
Traffic lights have the same “decorative” function – no one pays any attention to them, with the exception of Calcutta (the capital of the state of West Bengal), where motorists “respect” traffic lights. Often there are “lying down policemen” on the roads, which, as a rule, are not marked with any signs.
The rules of stopping before a pedestrian crossing are also ignored by local drivers, so people are already used to maneuvering between cars in the moving stream. At the same time, it is worth noting that despite the chaos, accidents in India are still rare, and fatal road accidents are generally a tragedy for the country.
The only thing that can 100% make Indians stop is a cow crossing the road, and this is a very common thing in India.
Especially many cows appear on the roads in the evening – the asphalt, which has warmed up during the day, especially attracts animals. Not only that, cows can even lie down in the middle of the road lane to rest and warm themselves on the warm asphalt. None of the drivers will ever get out of the car to scare the animal, and will not sound the horn – such actions are simply prohibited here. According to Indian rules, hitting a cow is much more dangerous than hitting a pedestrian. For such a violation, the driver may face up to seven years in prison.
There are toll roads in the country, for which motorists must pay from 10 to 30 rupees. It is these routes that are considered to be of the highest quality, and very narrow dirt roads are most often found far from large population centers, on which it is almost impossible to drive away from oncoming traffic. In addition, such roads are often used by local residents for the wrong purpose: they are laid out for drying rice, spread out freshly washed clothes or spread coconut shells so that passing cars crush them with their wheels.
If your desire to understand the mysterious India is so strong that you are ready to take such a risk, remember that only driving experience, quick reaction, the ability to analyze the most difficult situation in a matter of seconds and accompanying any of your maneuvers with the sound of the horn can save you. And if suddenly a cow appears in front of you on the road, which has decided to lie down in the middle of the traffic lane, it is better to carefully go around it, so that this sacred animal of India does not cause you problems with the local law.
