Driving

Driving in India is quite an adventure in itself! The photo at left is one I took on my last trip. It is amazing what kind of vehicles you find, and how drivers seem to defy the laws of gravity. I once saw a family of four on a standard bicycle: dad driving, mom sitting sidesaddle on the luggage rack holding a one-year-old in her lap, and also some grocery bags, and a 3 or 4 year old sitting on the handlebars. I have seen similar things with mopeds. The buses have so many passengers hanging on the outside windows nearest the street that they tilt wildly to one side.

Carseats are another issue. Last time I was there very few people used them. I got admonished by older relatives that Abi looked very uncomfortable in the carseat and would be happier on my lap. I could just hold her tight in an accident. I annoyed some family members when Abi took up a whole seat to herself when we were doing a caravan to some temples. Because of her, we needed to rent another car. My little nephew is now using that carseat that we left there. When we go this summer I plan to take Nitara's 5 point booster seat for him to use. He's a big kid and could probably use it by the time we get there. I am bringing Abi's seatbelt highback booster for Nitara to use because she is the right size for it now. I guess Abi will just sit in a regular seat. Something we are not going to try at home but for lack of space we can't bring 3 seats. I hope this visit brings more carseat sightings but I'm not holding my breath.

I have found these little tidbits from the web and none show any exaggeration. This is true representation of the Indian driving experience.

A website that has some good photos and funny observations about driving.

Here's a little video that shows a typical street in an Indian city. Crazy! Those little yellow cars are auto-rickshaws. You really do have to hold on for dear life!

Here's a street-level view of the same thing. Note heavy pollution.

Passing

Traffic Jams

Chennai specifically

The following item was extracted from the travel section of a UK daily newspaper:

Travelling in India is an almost hallucinatory potion of sound, spectacle and experience. It is frequently heart-rending, sometimes hilarious, mostly exhilarating, always unforgettable - and, when you are on the roads, extremely dangerous.

Most Indian road users observe a version of the Highway Code based on an ancient text. These 12 rules of the Indian road are published for the first time in English.

ARTICLE I The assumption of immortality is required of all road users.

ARTICLE II The following precedence must be accorded at all times. In descending order, give way to: cows, elephants, heavy trucks, buses, official cars, camels, light trucks, buffalo, Jeeps, ox-carts, private cars, motorcycles, scooters, auto-rickshaws, pigs, pedal rickshaws, goats, bicycles (goods- carrying), handcarts, bicycles (passenger-carrying), dogs, pedestrians.

ARTICLE III All wheeled vehicles shall be driven in accordance with the maxim: to slow is to falter, to brake is to fail, to stop is defeat. This is the Indian drivers’ mantra.

ARTICLE IV Use of horn (also known as the sonic fender or aural amulet): Cars(IV,1,a-c): Short blasts (urgent) indicate supremacy, ie in clearing dogs, rickshaws and pedestrians from path. Long blasts (desperate) denote supplication, ie to oncoming truck, “I am going too fast to stop, so unless you slow down we shall both die”. In extreme cases this may be accompanied by flashing of headlights (frantic). Single blast (casual) means “I have seen someone out of India’s 870 million whom I recognize”, “There is a bird in the road (which at this speed could go through my windscreen)” or “I have not blown my horn for several minutes.” Trucks and buses (IV,2,a): All horn signals have the same meaning, viz, “I have an all-up weight of approximately 12.5 tons and have no intention of stopping, even if I could.” This signal may be emphasized by the use of headlamps (insouciant). Article IV remains subject to the provision of Order of Precedence in Article II above

ARTICLE V All manoeuvres, use of horn and evasive action shall be left until the last possible moment.

ARTICLE VI In the absence of seat belts (which there is), car occupants shall wear garlands of marigolds. These should be kept fastened at all times.

ARTICLE VII Rights of way: Traffic entering a road from the left has priority. So has traffic from the right, and also traffic in the middle. Lane discipline(VII,1): All Indian traffic at all times and irrespective of direction of travel shall occupy the centre of the road.

ARTICLE VIII Roundabouts: India has no roundabouts. Apparent traffic islands in the middle of crossroads have no traffic management function. Any other impression should be ignored.

ARTICLE IX Overtaking is mandatory. Every moving vehicle is required to overtake every other moving vehicle, irrespective of whether it has just overtaken you. Overtaking should only be undertaken in suitable conditions, such as in the face of oncoming traffic, on blind bends, at junctions and in the middle of villages/city centres. No more than two inches should be allowed between your vehicle and the one you are passing - and one inch in the case of bicycles or pedestrians.

ARTICLE X Vaikuntha (heaven) may be obtained through the head-on crash.

ARTICLE XI Reversing: no longer applicable since no vehicle in India has reverse gear.