India

Road Frustration

India has been the most frustrating place in which to drive so far.

Nobody has priority, there is no lane discipline, and people entering a road from a side street/field, do so without paying any attention to who is already on the main road.

To repeat what I've already told a friend...

Coming back from Agra on the dual carriageway, there was a break in the central reservation. Sure enough, a car put its bonnet through. I saw him, so, like any other Western driver, anticipated. Anticipated him putting more than just his bonnet through. Which he did. The whole car emerged. I was already on the brakes, accompanied by a sound and light show, and was down to walking pace at the central reservation opening point. His U-turn had taken him onto the inside lane of my carriageway, where all the horses and carts travel. I was on the outside lane, and, as my front was level with his driver's door, at our slow forward speed, he started to pull out into my lane.

Now. Invisible I am not. Pint size isn't a suitable description either. But the look on his face as I drew level, sounding the horn (remember, we were next to each other as India has RHD cars) was simultaneously one of "what have I done wrong?" and "what are you doing there?"

The majority of the cars don't have a nearside (kerb) mirror, and their offside mirror is pulled flat to the side of the door. The latter is for two reasons. Firstly, you gain an extra six inches in width so can get through narrower gaps. And secondly, they never use it anyway, so it might as well be pulled in to gain the aerodynamic advantage.

The upshot is, their is no attention paid to things which are not immediately visible through the windscreen.