“Use Dipper at Night”

At this point in time, driving on Indian roads is neither safe nor enjoyable. Too many drivers are ignorant of basic traffic rules, while even more do not even know what traffic rules are. It is a pitiful situation, one that requires more than a blog post to rectify. Nevertheless, here is a set of guidelines, as yet incomplete, that everyone driving on Indian roads should follow, not only for their own safety but also to improve the driving experience for everyone. Think of these as fundamental rules which you must be aware of. Some might appear to be very basic, but given what I see on the roads everyday, I think these are absolutely worth mentioning. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.

• The fast lane in the new 4 and 6 lane highways is on the right. From what I’ve observed, it seems like 70% of drivers think it’s on the left lane. Furthermore, truck drivers switch on the right indicator when they want to signal for you to overtake. Those unfamiliar with this idiotic habit might find themselves stuck behind the truck for the entirety of the journey.
• Use hazard lights only in an emergency, such as if your car stalls in the middle of the road, if you are changing the spare tyre on the road, or if visibility is poor due to fog. They are called hazard lights for a reason, yet I see some drivers using them to indicate that they are going straight at a cross road. What is going on in their head I cannot comprehend – surely having neither the left nor the right indicator on means you are going straight? What’s worse, these people are setting a trend. I see other drivers also following this, thinking it is correct.
• Do not change channels or CDs on the music system while driving. As basic as it might sound, I’ve made this mistake in the past, and traffic in the city is too chaotic to take your eye of the road for a second.
• Please don’t use high beams in city limits. This might make the road clear for you, but it blinds the oncoming driver, creating the possibility of a head on collision.
• Those on two wheelers – please use your hand to indicate a turn like in the old days, in addition to the indicator light. In mid afternoon, even if you think you may have the indicator on, the light isn’t always clearly visible to rear vehicles. Alternatively, safety regulations must make it compulsory to use high visibility reflectors.
• If at any time the situation arises when you must use the indicator switch and change the gear simultaneously, which one would you use? Such an instance might come about very rarely, but I would use the indicator first for the reason of safety. This situation applies to new generation manual vehicles, in which the indicator switch is on the left side. I’m not sure why any safety department is not looking into this.