Traffic and driving

Ok, so I thought MN drivers were bad, but I will now appreciate the orderly fashion in which people drive even if they don’t know the left lane is the passing lane!  In India, there is no rhyme or reason to the flow of traffic. There are people, cars, trucks, bikes, cows, dogs, goats, etc., all sharing the road together. The rules are meant to be broken on the roads. The drivers in India must be very alert and aware of their surroundings at all times as random pedestrians or cows/goats/dogs, buses or motorcyles, bikes/scooter/motorcycles, autos (taxis) etc. all jump out like an obstacle course at any moment. Driving in a car is always an adventure here as you weave in and out of the lanes, 2 lanes easily turn into 6 or 7  lanes as people all race to get through and pass everyone else.  There is no use of rearview mirrors or side mirrors–in fact, the side mirrors are many times non-existent or folded in because they would get swiped off by a car or bus next to you. 

There have been so many close calls for us on the roads that it is just best to close your eyes while riding as a passenger! There is no chance of reading or writing in the car because you are too busy holding onto your seat as you fly through the intersection or slam on the brakes for a pack of cows or an auto that cut you off to pass. We have started adding up points for the drivers like it’s a game of “chicken”–the cars wait to the very last second to decide who is getting through the lane first!!

Oncoming traffic is coming right at you and there is a bus immediately to your left as you are passing it, a young child and mother are crossing the street at the same time, and oh wait– there’s a car that is going to cross traffic to make a left turn and wants to do it before you and the bus and oncoming traffic get there, and that cow on the right will feel the breeze as we quickly swerve to miss…this is a typical day on Indian roads! The horn is the method of communication to the bus and the oncoming traffic and to the dog/cow and to the small child and mother that we are coming through and don’t want to stop.  Problem with that is, everyone is laying on the horn all time and is now just part of the everyday hussle and bussle to the point that people are desenitized to the noise! Just remember, you can drive in India without brakes, but can’t drive without a horn! Even the trucks have signs on the back to PLEASE SOUND HORN! What an adventure!

Advertisement