Highway driving etiquette and rules

[Perakath]

Originally Posted by highsteem

So shall we take a stand in Tem-BHP about indicators then? Let the truck drivers and others do what they want, but as an educated group (to avoid the confusions on the road)
=> We shall use the indicators only to indicate where we would like to go and definitely not to tell others where they SHOULD go [let them decide what they want to do]
=> When we want to go left, the left is on
=> When we want to go right, the right is on
=> Both of them on when we want to indicate hazard situations

Hazard lights should never be used when the vehicle is moving. It irritates me no end when I see people driving with their blinkers on.

Edit: Oops, sorry, I didn't see Sudev's post and Highsteem's response above. My bad.

[naikpranav]

Originally Posted by highsteem

Sudev, agree with you that one should not use hazard indicators while everything is clear. But for sure hazard indicators are a blessing when there is poor light and poor visibility. This friday I was going via Bangalore and was on the roads when it rained all of a sudden! Oh! man, what a rain! Even in the middle of the day, could not see what was just infront of me with wipers in the fast mode. Was trying to find a place to park for a while and then I saw two lights blinking infront of me. Even though I could not see the vehicle, I could easily see the indicators blinking! Even during winter, when we have fog, these are the lights that we can see first even before we see the head lights or the vehicles (because of the color?) So I consider them as as another safety option!!

IMO Rear fog lights in clear weather are used by ignorant drivers who threw the user manual into the dustbin the day he got the car, because the switch is positioned along with the headlight switch, they just think its more light on the road, the same guys use forward foglamps and high beam at all times while driving, oblivious to the irritation caused to drivers both in front and behind as well as oncoming, the root cause here is education, mostly dealing with the quality of it. We just don't have a culture of reading or learning or following rules anymore. On the highways this is compounded by city drivers who come out onto the highways with their poor expierience and almost no proper driving training from the so-called driving schools, its quite frustrating driving amongst so many poor drivers on the highways.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I think the same rule applies to India also. I remember seeing boards in my childhood days saying 'Give way to up vehicles'

I have seen that most of the times on ghat roads( I used to take the Palakkad - Coimbatore - sathy - bannari - asanur - Chamarajnagar - Mysore route almost twice a month) the vehicles going uphill are always given right of way. The only exceptional (and stupid) drivers were the ones driving the mini pickups (mahindra bolero pickup, tata 207 and tata ace etc..), they never cared for anything, and drove their vehicle as though it was going on the plains!

[DileepKS]

One reason I read about the right indicator for pass is that when you pass a big rig, you can use the flashing lamps to judge the edge.

I for one, don't trust the other's signal, even for turns. Also, I won't signal for someone to pass. There is no rule asking you to do it, anywhere in the world. It is his call to pass safely, and his problem if he ends up in a collision. I will just take evasive action for my own safety.

Sometimes I might give a single flash of the right indicator to get some crazy guy to pass and get off my RVM.

[sudev]

Another safe driving habit (not only on highways) is constant awareness of what is behind you. Both through over head and outside mirrors.

Specially when you are barking it is important to know what is behind you. It helps taking evasive action rather than getting rear-ended. At highway speeds the smaller cars can stop in much less distance than a fully laden heavy vehicle. Sometimes it is possible for you to brake less than max just so that you are able to give more room to the guy behind while still not hitting the object in front.

I see so many who keep their out side mirrors in "closed" position. And mostly they are the ones whose cars are most likely to show rear end scratching. This is result of some poor guy ending up scratching their car (and his) because the ignoramus moved to right without realizing that some one was over taking his or in the right lane slightly behind him in his lane.

[MileCruncher]

In the UK to signal someone to overtake me on a two lane road, I used to put on the left indicator. This makes the person behind me aware that I dont intend to block his way and he can overtake where allowed. The driver passes and puts the hazard on for a mili second to indicate thank you . I picked this technique up while driving in Europe and UK and have seen this being utilised extensively in Scotland.

Thad correct me if wrong.

I generally use the above of use my hand signals to indicate to someone to overtake me. Truckdrivers gnerally put their right indicators on to indicate a pass and wave their hands. I generally use a small beep to catch his attention and overtake.

[neeld]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

I generally use the above of use my hand signals to indicate to someone to overtake me. Truckdrivers gnerally put their right indicators on to indicate a pass and wave their hands. I generally use a small beep to catch his attention and overtake.

Same here, I use a small beep before an overtake just so that the vehicle being overtaken is aware of my vehicle's presence.

Also, most of truck drivers use hands at night to signal. That hand is barely visible at night .

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

In the UK to signal someone to overtake me on a two lane road, I used to put on the left indicator. This makes the person behind me aware that I dont intend to block his way and he can overtake where allowed. The driver passes and puts the hazard on for a mili second to indicate thank you . I picked this technique up while driving in Europe and UK and have seen this being utilised extensively in Scotland.

Thad correct me if wrong.

I would do this before practically pulling in to the left, to let someone past. Many of our British "main roads" are just two-lane roads, and some of them are very curvy.

But it is completely informal, of course!

High-intensity rear fog lights: there are quite a few British drivers who, even if they know not to drive on high beam, actually think that there are only two positions for the lights switch: everything off, or everything on.

High-intensity rear fog lights, except in high-intensity fog, are a real pain in the eyesight.

[Blur]

Originally Posted by ACM

Thats an incorrect and misleading method. flashing the left indicator tell the overtaking vehicle that you are going left and that he can overtake. Its dangerous many follow this method, but it is incorrect, pls just indicate the direction that you would take to enable the overtaking or preven it. So if you were to signal right then it means that you may turn right, it will tell the guy behind that he should not overtable.

Dude, I was talking of a situation where the vehicle behind me was pulling a move in a blind corner!
I do not just slot in the indicator tab and let it flash away to glory (which would indicate that I was indeed moving over to the shoulder with an intention of halting); just hold it there for a couple of brief flashes, to warn the overtaking vehicle to get back in line!

[pshyamsundar]

This is one the best thread and I think we all can learn here and become better drivers. I have to say one thing we can apply the 80/20 rule in india. 80 bad drivers and 20 good drivers. Because of the 80 bad drivers 80% of the good drivers also become bad drivers.

Indians cannot drive properly. We all just do not know how to drive. that is the fact.

We just do not have that in blood. We all do not know how to drive in city, highways, expressways & especially hills. Some portion is attributed to ignorance and most of it to arrogance.

Even in a million years we will not become better drivers. I have already given up.

Only thing I try to do while driving is not to get angry. this is my suggestion if you do not get angry then you are a good driver here otherwise MAY GOD BLESS YOU

[throttleking]

not sure if these points already discussed, still adding from my side.

1. Do not overtake on turns, you can not see the oncoming vehicle on turn.
2. Roll up the windows, this will not hamper the aerodynamics of the car and will ensure maximum stability at high speed. Plus will give you more mileage.
3. Always use dipper at night when there is on coming traffic, whether in city or on highway.
4. Switch the rear view mirror to night mode.
5. Do not overtake along with the overtaking vehicle in front. let him go first.
6. Drive slowly in Ghats, give way to oncoming traffic.
7. Do not stop at turns, in ghats or even on highways.
8. Do not stress yourself, if you are feeling sleepy take a nap. Dont try to be superhero
9. While you stop at regular intervals check the tyre pressure, tyre bust at high speed on highway is worst.
10. Do not drive in neutral or with engine shut on ghats just to save fuel, this will heat the breaks eventually resulting in poor / no breaking in no time, use lower gearing and breaks together to slow down.
11. Focus on road, look forward as long as possible. do not get carried away by scenic beauty around you on higways and ghats.
12. if some driver is not driving properly or has done something wrong, dont look into his eyes.

[Ankoor]

Don't know whether its been discussed but I feel its an important point specially now that the summers are here...

People you really need to check the air levels in the tyres cause in summers, the tires tend to burst specially if you are travelling on a cement road like the mumbai pune express highway...

Of what I heard, it happens because the heat increases the air pressure in the tyres and cement roads tend to be hotter compared to the regular tar roads.

[neeld]

Originally Posted by Ankoor

Don't know whether its been discussed but I feel its an important point specially now that the summers are here...

People you really need to check the air levels in the tyres cause in summers, the tires tend to burst specially if you are travelling on a cement road like the mumbai pune express highway...

Of what I heard, it happens because the heat increases the air pressure in the tyres and cement roads tend to be hotter compared to the regular tar roads.

I would also add one thing here, people should know their tyre's speed rating i.e. the maximum speed the tyre can withstand.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by throttleking

6. Drive slowly in Ghats, give way to oncoming traffic.
7. Do not stop at turns, in ghats or even on highways.

The right of way is to the climbing vehicle.

Most ghats especially tourist spots have an area ear marked for parking. Use that.
When parking on an incline the wheels must be turned such that in the event of parking brake failure, the vehicle will not roll down on the road or off the cliff.
Simply placing stones under the tire may not work.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by pshyamsundar

Indians cannot drive properly. We all just do not know how to drive. that is the fact.

We just do not have that in blood.

It is not blood, it is education --- and, as some wise person once remarked, the world cuold be changed in just one generation with education. But it is true that people also have to care...

Originally Posted by neeld

I would also add one thing here, people should know their tyre's speed rating i.e. the maximum speed the tyre can withstand.

I have forgotten the details of such ratings, but I think that, rather like pressures, the highest would be so far in excess of anything practically safe that it should not be necessary to think about. In fact it might encourage people to drive to fast!