Driving in India

The traffic in India is famous for being chaotic - and deservedly so.  Sharing space is a flow of motorcycles, autorickshaws, tuktuks, bicycles, handwielded carts, cars, vans and trucks of all sizes. Adding to this interactive weave are pedestrians and cows. The huge volume of dogs tends to stay on the sidelines where traffic is concerned. Smart dogs.

typical cow standing or wandering aimlessly
with traffic flowing around it

To cross the street as a pedestrian one must judge a relatively sane moment and make a break for it, in a calm steady pace.  To drive in this mess requires a huge amount of skill, eyes able to look in all directions at once, and endless patience. That is if one is a good driver, but most of the drivers we have seen are not good drivers.

The horn honking is endless and musical in a highly discordant way. However, no one honks in anger, aggression or impatience, unlike every other place on earth. Here everyone honks only to let each other know where they are, as in “I am coming up on your right side, so be aware.” Trucks, all brightly painted and decorated, have “blow horn” painted on the back, to invite this warning of proximity, given that there are few side mirrors providing the driver any sort of view, even if he was interested in accessing it.

When horns sound, no one looks around or back to see what is honking or where they are. Drivers just drift over a bit to whatever side is the correct one for their route. Driving is on the left hear, as it is in Britain, but the choice of passing lanes seem to be a secret only the Indians know.

What is fascinating is there is no road rage at all, despite the merit for it. The whole thing is so incredibly courteous. Of course patience only works in the short term. If a traffic policeman (there are a few) stops on lane to allow another to move, everyone stops and waits. If the waiting goes on quite a bit longer than desired, there is an inching forward, and the motorbikes tend to slip in to the melee, but in general everyone waits until they are motioned forward.  

On the highway, vast fleets of trucks move goods up and down the country. I love these trucks. they are brightly coloured, often decorated with sparkly things, and have dangly things hanging from the front mirrors. Some have INDIA or other motivational messages on the sides, along with flowers and images from India's love of decorative motifs. The cement trucks (there are hundreds of these, with new roads and bridges being built everywhere) are blazoned with attributes to the strength and quality of its holdings. The fuel trucks (also a large number of these, as oil and gas are two of the only resources India must import) have "Highly Inflammable" and a painted skull and crossbones on them. The trucks carrying stones or bricks for building are packed with expert care, but no constraints. If one stone or brick were to become dislodged the entire load would fall out. Even tractors pulling loaded carts are decorated up the wazoo, and often blare out local music that must impair many a tractor operator's hearing in later life. 

All of these have "Horn Please" or "Blow Horn" painted on the back.