Most idiotic things Indians do on public roads

Indian roads are full of stray animals, potholes and jaywalkers that often lead to accidents. These make the Indian roads one of the most dangerous in the world to drive. We could play the blame-game for eternity on this, however, all of us are active participants in making knowingly or unknowingly similar mistakes, which could lead to a bad driving experience for all of us. Read further to find out 10 such instances which are regular sights on the road.

Using sunroof to hang out

It may sound extremely cool, to look up to the roof of your car and see the blue sky or feeling the cool breeze on the top of your head, but when at this moment you decide to stand up with half your body coming outside the sunroof, you’ve no idea what might hit you. They’ve become popular with new car buyers, who don’t mind spending a little extra for this WOW factor. However, it could cause serious harm. Considering the state of Indian roads, sudden brakes or jerks can imbalance the person and they could have serious injuries. Debris flying off from other vehicles could also hurt the passenger. The electric wires on your way could also cause shocks. 

High beams

The purpose of high beams is still unclear to a lot of us, even experienced drivers. To clear the air around this today, let me state that high beams are only supposed to be used on multi-lane highways with no proper street lighting and also they have proper road dividers or in worst-case scenarios, areas where visibility is extremely low. Also, if we are using high beams on these dark roads, and we see a car approaching us, we should immediately switch to the lower beam. Most people still think the brighter the light, the better, so then most of them drive around in high beams post-sunset, making the sudden blinding flash of light distorting the vision of the driver coming in the opposite direction.

Hazard Lamps

Just like high beams, even hazard lamps have not used the way it should be. It’s one of those things people use as a statement by going past vehicles at high speed with indicators glaring on matching beats from the loud music playing in the car. Many would also use it when it starts raining or there is dense fog. This could very easily confuse the vehicle behind you and could cause accidents. Hazard lights are to be only used in case you’ve to stop your car on the road due to a puncture or vehicle damage. 

Not using ORVMs

The inside rearview mirror is extremely helpful to watch the traffic around but there are a lot of blind spots that are only visible through the outside rearview mirrors (ORVM). Unless you turn your head while driving, which is not the ideal way to go, you will not get the complete view of the traffic coming to you from all directions. It’s necessary to fold the mirrors while manoeuvring through tight traffic jams, but just to make it habit to look at all 3 mirrors, will keep you much safer.

Taking reverse after missing a turn

It is an unsaid rule to not reverse on one-way roads. Many drivers would start reversing on missing a turn to save time, fuel or the fear of not finding another turn to the desired location. A lot of cars behind you would not know that you’re reversing and might not be able to control their speed. It’s always better to be safer and be alert, and even if you miss a turn, wait for the turn ahead.

Tailgaters

Considering the number of confident drivers on the Indian roads it’s not rare to see these drivers on even expressways, getting too close to the car moving ahead of you, despite knowing the danger involved. Driving too close to another vehicle leaves a very insignificant gap between the two vehicles, which could result in low judgement time for the drivers involved. Sufficient distance between two cars will give you time to judge basis any of the abnormalities on the roads, such as speed breakers, potholes, people crossing the roads etc.

Parking on blind corners

Next time when you’re in the mountains and you see a breathtaking view and stop your car for a tea break, make sure you’ve parked your car at the right spot. Parking on the blind corners where the vehicle is completely invisible to other vehicles on the road, there is a high chance of collision.

Taking the wrong side

When you’re driving and you see a vehicle coming towards you in the wrong direction, remind yourself not to do the same to save time/fuel and god knows what other reasons. For the safety of self and others on the road, take that extra mile to get to the U-turn, before you realize its too late to teach yourself this simple step.

Using footpaths to ride

We read these signs that lane driving is sane driving, but we would still make lanes on our own. Most of the times these lanes are footpaths, drainage dugouts or even dividers. Let us not create an unnecessary hurdle for the traffic behind you when you merge onto their lanes again, just to save 3-4 minutes.

Group Riding & Talking

It’s always fun to ride with friends, however, its important to stick to just riding and not talking while riding. It’s important to concentrate while riding and talking to your friends could get your mind off the road. Its better to stop at a side, talk and then proceed to enjoy the ride.