Team-BHP - Safe Driving on Indian Highways & Ghats

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidharth_j (Post 3774539)

8) If ever you have to drive through heavy rain/cloudbursts, reduce your speeds and switch on the emergency lights and the headlamps on low so as to increase visibility. I was caught in one such outside Dharmapuri last weekend and visibility dropped to zero pretty fast.

What's with people using hazard lights when there are no hazards? I have seen it in tunnels too, for God's sake. Use your parking lights and rear fogs if equipped whwn driving in heavy rains or fog. Emergency /hazard lights are meant for emergency situations. Use them if your vehicle breaks down or you see an accident ahead or another obstacle, but please stop using hazard lights when driving through tunnels or rains or fog.

Well, i agree with the posts, that technically, the hazard lights should be switched on ONLY if you are immobilized.

However, how many of highway users are really aware of the correct usage of hazard lights? in fact, having additional signalling on indian highways is better than no signalling at all. P.S. i understand that in the US, many states allow for usage of hazard lights during driving.

exceptional situations - like a cloudburst, where you enter an area of very heavy rainfall all of a sudden, do indeed classify as a 'hazard'. I can see that this has been discussed to death here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...lights-10.html

BR.

Regarding the proper use of turn indicators, would like to highlight an unusual practice followed by motorist's (especially the truck and taxi drivers) on hill roads. It's that when you request for an overtake, instead of giving hand signal to proceed, they flash the right turn indicator in affirmative, now this is absolutely a wrong practice, which can definitely confuse the motorist behind.

Flashing the right turn indicator means the vehicle is going to turn right but here it is being used to signal the driver behind to proceed. The correct thing to do is to flash the left turn indicator, which will signal the driver behind that the vehicle in front is moving towards the left and now it's clear to overtake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by locusjag (Post 3779822)

I really never knew of this risk. I always drive right by the stopped police vehicles on the same right-most lane, although I do slow down. Thank you so much!

Changing lanes is always wise when you see a police vehicle - especially with lights on.

Of course in India it could just mean the guy stopped for a smoking break or something of the sort - and that there isn't actually any danger ahead.

Still - if they or any other vehicle are parked on the shoulder of the road that is a bad place to actually drive - changing lanes to pass them, besides slowing down - sounds eminently sensible.

Saw this happen when I was in the bay area earlier this month - guy saw a light turn green, drove ahead full speed - and his bumper hit a police car that was parked just ahead on the shoulder of the road. Then two other cars hit this collision. That was just before the turnoff to my office from a road that, thank god, had a 40 mph speed limit rather than being a freeway. Took about 45 minutes to drive under 5 miles (in US conditions, that's a pretty fair time if you try to drive that distance in bangalore)

Hello, BHPians. I have been long thinking of starting a thread on the driving ethics and practices followed among drivers in our country and how right/wrong are them!.To be brief ,let me add some of the common practices that have been intriguing me since I learnt driving and needs clarification from the highly experienced lot of our forum.
1. Using hazard lights when moving,
A. Slow in the fast lane.
B. When sudden deceleration is needed.
C. When parking in highway/town.
D. When parking in the above areas in daytime.
E. When driven excessively fast and zig-zag (boy racers).

2.changeiver between high and low beams.
A. What's the right procedure to be done at night by two vehicles coming in opposite direction?
B.Some blink them at 1 switch per second till the other vehicle pass. Some blink then at 10 HZ till the opposite vehicle is blinded. Some follow complementary high and low beams with the incoming vehicle. Few,including me, proceed on low beams alone if the other is on the same too.

3. Telling to overtake our vehicle to a fast approaching/honking/wanting-to-do-so ones tailgating us ?
A. Some switch indicator on few times.
B. Some slow speed and go to extreme left.

4. Honking single time as a gesture of thanks when someone allows a vehicle to pass by giving way readily.

5. Switching on headlamps to tell the vehicles coming in opposite about one's decision to overtake. Off late,I have been almost every modern bikes ,equipped with pass lamp feature blinking the lamps every few seconds ,carried away by that dramatic act.

Some of the above mentioned practices ,though maybe wrong but then again followed by most people at most times may make them appear right and correct way. I will add up whenever I come across other behaviour and etiquettes. I felt starting this discussion because ,over a period of time ,this will prove useful to many among us including me and scores of visitors crowd and may provide a chance for educating the masses about right driving practices apart from general things like speed,belts,vehicle care etc. Looking forward for valuable suggestions and similiar confusions which may prevail among you .

Almost all aspects of safety on highways have been mentioned by fellow members. I would like to add some specific details regarding Kerala's highway system.

General info-

Kerala's highways are pretty narrow compared to other states.

Roads are meandering especially the state highway(m.c road).

Accidents are well above the national average.

Specific problems.

The most dangerous accident hotspot- Allapuzha. It is a very busy town with narrow roads and drivers have to change from 4 lane to 2 lane immediately when travelling via NH-47. I have personally seen many accidents when travelling from Cochin-Trivandrum.

Buses-Unlike tamil nadu or Karnataka Kerala RTC is very supportive of it's drivers and the buses are very modern and can easily chase down a passenger car. (They have an armada of Volvo,scania and Leyland buses)

The drivers take chances each day and it's better to let them pass. The drivers are supported by KSRTC and they behave as if they rule the road. If they charge flashing the light immediately let them pass even if it means stopping on the left.

The M.C road- A twisting state highway through the hinterland. It's well maintained but narrow. Accidents occur mostly at bends and at night always flash lights on corners and be on the look out for buses coming on the wrong side after taking the corners at high speeds.

Some of the practical but not scientific things I have done for safety.

Hazard lights- I use them when driving in heavy rain. I learnt to drive in a Mahindra major and in a jeep the headlight will not give the exact edge of the vehicle so with red blinkers visibility of exact edge was not a problem and helped me in very heavy monsoon. In narrow roads it's more practical.

Never drive on the right lane- I will narrate a short incident to make this point clear. I was driving my old Tata Estate from Trivandrum-Kochi ,I had reached Kayamkulam and a white skoda Octavia was keeping to the right and was not letting me pass. He was merrily driving at 60 in the right lane and when ever I caught up with him he would simply accelerate and would not let me pass. With the Estate's engine overtaking him was impossible despite dropping gears. I saw a KSRTC super fast behind me and let him pass, he overtook the Octavia from the left and when another bus approached him, sideswipe happened. The Octavia's body was battered and the bus driver did not even care to stop. If the Octavia owner had gone for a trial he would be declared the guilty party.

In kerala reach for the left lane after overtaking because if someone overtakes from left then it's a recipe for accident as we can't steer to the left and cannot avoid oncoming traffic. This is the cardinal rule as the roads are narrower and twisty

Anticipation is the key to drive on Indian roads. Trouble can come in from any direction, and in any shape or form. Indian roads teach one to practice the best defensive driving techniques ever invented. Smoothness of controls is the key for an efficient drive on our roads. One must practice smooth acceleration, braking, cornering and switching lanes. Don't be bothered about driving on right/left/middle lanes or even going off-road as long as it is in interest of your and others safety. During daytime drive as fast as you can see and brake and in the night do not exceed the spread and reach of your headlamps. Anticipate unexpected speed breakers, road damages, obstacles like stones or broken down vehicles, especially on uphill curves. Expect water patches and rivulets on fast lanes during and after heavy showers. Expect people and animals on road sides to cross your path suddenly, make liberal use of your horns especially when crossing animals, people and overtaking vehicles even on straights, you never know who would feel like drifting into your lane. If a vehicle doesn't give you way after honking and flashing expect the moron to be speaking on the phone and driving, after all multi tasking in the car is a national sport.
Final point: Do not drive faster than your guardian angel can fly :D