10 dangerously stupid things Indians do on roads

Compared to other countries where traffic laws and infrastructure are much stricter and better, India is one country where riding and driving can be a tough challenge. From dodging stray animals to people breaking traffic rules, a lot of care and attention is very much required. What adds more to the trouble is the lack of basic manners by people on the road while driving and riding. This makes the overall experience even more troublesome. Following are ten such examples of stupid things which Indian people do while driving as well as riding on the road, which causes a lot of trouble for others and danger for themselves:

Using sunroof to hang out while driving

Sunroofs usually make the cabin of the car feel airier or spacious while driving, with the glass of the sunroof, kept closed and curtains pulled off. If you need to feel the fresh breeze of air inside the cabin, you can open the windowpane of the sunroof as well. However, a lot of people use a sunroof to hang out while being driven in the car, which can lead to hazardous accidents.

Using high beams all the time

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Many people use high beams of the headlamps just to have a brighter illumination on the road ahead – all the time. However, the fact is that the high beams should only be used in extremely dark conditions where visibility is affected drastically. People, however, use high beams even in doable conditions, which can lead to the blinding of people coming from the front in the opposite direction. It can lead to blurry vision, which can be fatal at times.

Using hazard lamps improperly

The main purpose of the hazard lamps is to operate as a parking lamp, whenever the vehicle breaks down. In such conditions, the hazard lamps can be turned on to make other passers-by aware of the breakdown. However, many people use hazard lamps just for fun either to match with the beats of the music or to drive past through traffic, especially in foggy or rainy conditions.

Not using ORVMs while driving

Many people keep on driving vehicles with keeping the outside rearview mirrors (ORVMs) in the closed position. While using an internal rear view mirror is adequate, the ORVMs help a lot in rearward visibility while cornering or seeing blind spots. Driving with ORVMs in a closed position should not be made a habit, and can be done while manoeuvring through tight lanes.

Taking reverse while missing a turn

If you miss taking a U-turn from a particular divider gap while driving both in city traffic and highways, you should always look for the next gap, rather than taking a reverse in your lane. Driving in reverse might seem convenient at first to save time, distance and fuel, but that can lead to a collision from the rear or unnecessary traffic jam situations from the vehicles coming behind you.

Tailgating

It is always advisable to maintain enough gap between you and the car or two-wheeler going ahead of you and not tailgate and keep that gap very low. Continuous tailgating can lead to a frontal collision if the vehicle going in front of you suddenly applies brakes. Tailgating has to be avoided even more on high-speed highways, where the impact of a crash can be even more severe.

Parking on blind corners

While travelling in a region that has a lot of curved roads and turns, it is advisable to not park your car in blind spots, such as turns or edges of the roads. Usually, people park their vehicles on these spots to pause while driving or riding to take pictures or videos. However, other passers-by might not be able to see these vehicles as they might come in the way of their blind spots.

Driving or riding on the wrong side

Like taking a reverse while missing a U-turn, many people tend to ride or drive in the opposite direction. Despite knowing the routes and gaps in dividers completely, many people deliberately do this for saving some time and avoid the ‘hassle’ of going the extra distance to take a U-turn. It can lead to dangerous head-on collisions, especially on those roads which have high-speed traffic in general.

Using footpaths to ride

To avoid waiting for a few moments at a traffic signal or to escape through a traffic jam, many two-wheeler riders follow the unimaginable ‘alternative’ of riding over footpaths or broken dividers. It can make traffic jams even worse, but it is always dangerous for pedestrian safety.

Talking while riding in groups

You might have come across situations when two or more riders on different two-wheelers or cars have conversations in the middle of the road while driving or riding. It is an utterly stupid move which not only creates hassles and delays for people riding or driving behind but can lead to diversion of minds of those people riding or driving, thus causing an accident.

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