stefanotti's mileage: Driving in India

Titles I considered for this post:
- "the indian version of the game of chicken"
- "those lines are just guidance"
- "it's fine if you just honk first"

I mean.. are you kidding me? where do i even begin... How about three key Indian driving rules I've observed:

Rule #1: There are no lanes (i.e., those lines are just guidance)
The lines in the road don't really mean much, both in terms of heading in opposite directions and multiple lanes going in one direction. Continual swerving to avoid pedestrians, bikes, rickshaws, and oncoming traffic is to be expected. If there is room to squeeze in between cars going in the same direction, go for it. You will become comfortable with a mere inches between your car and the one next to you. If you are coming from behind, just honk so they know you are there. When passing, go if there is enough room for you to get past the car in front of you; if a car is coming in the opposite direction either honk and accelerate, wait for them to swerve over, or brake and abort.

Rule #2: Push your way in there (i.e. the Indian game of chicken)
When there are no stop signs or traffic lights, how do you think one does things like cross an intersection or make a left hand turn into oncoming traffic. The Indian answer? You wait your turn, and make your turn if need be. Just inch your way in there until someone has to slow down or stop for you, and go for it. This creates a flux wherein everyone will stop in one direction until either there is a break in traffic or the leader of the pack manages to get a foot in the door and pry it open.

Rule #3: Just Honk.
What would the Indian driver do without a horn? Is it possible to drive in India without one? On the back of large trucks it actually says things like "Horn Please" and "Sound Horn." My driver must have used his more from the airport to my hotel today than I've used in my car in the past 15 years! Using it means things like "I am passing very closely behind you, so just want you to know I'm here," "I am passing the car in front of me and I'm in the wrong side of the road, just so you know," and "Hey, I was here first, wait your turn."

Observe in the following video the interplay between the cars and rickshaws going straight and those making right hand turns (the equivalent to lefts in the US since they drive on the right here).