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-   -   Service road users expect vehicles exiting a 90 km/h highway to wait for them to pass? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/268590-service-road-users-expect-vehicles-exiting-90-km-h-highway-wait-them-pass.html)

Hi, I'm looking for information along with the rule/ law/ act that I can refer regarding this situation.

I'd like to know the rules of the road, regarding 'right of way' on Indian roads. When a vehicle enters a bigger road from a smaller road, they have to wait for the bigger road to clear. Similarly, a vehicle exiting a highway onto a service road, has to be allowed in, by the service road vehicles, for the obvious reason that the vehicles behind on the highway are approaching at high speeds. If the vehicle on the highway waits for the service road to clear, they will be rear ended. I'm looking for what document I have to refer to know such right of way rules. I'm not talking about vehicles vs pedestrians or vs emergency vehicles, or intersections.

Any help is appreciated, thank you.

The Motor Vehicle Driving Regulations 2017 has some notes in that regard.

While I couldn't figure out the exact answer to this question with a quick search
the other question is answered in exact terms.

Sadly we see a lot of accidents because of this carelessness by drivers. When you are merging onto the highway, you wait for a clear path before merging on.

When you are on the highway please keep an eye out and be prepared to avoid numbnuts who merge onto the highway without looking.

Rules seldom matter on our roads sadly and common sense is tossed out of the window like a piece of candy wrapper fluttering away.

Had a major accident scenario in my wife's extended family side with multiple deaths because a bus merged onto the highway without even slowing down and t-boning their car.

I see Yield sign all over USA roads but never have seen it in India.

As per wiki:

In road transport, a yield or give way sign indicates that merging drivers must prepare to stop if necessary to let a driver on another approach proceed. A driver who stops or slows down to let another vehicle through has yielded the right of way to that vehicle.

Under the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, the international standard for the modern sign is an inverted equilateral triangle with a red border and either a white or yellow background.

Motor vehicle rules - https://morth.nic.in/central-motor-v...s-rules-1989-1

Do note one thing - there is not one rule that would apply to a given scenario, there maybe multiple. However having the right of way does not ultimately make you a victim.

So that is why there is a difference between Law and Justice :)

Always practice safe driving , slow down , observe and proceed only when it's safe for yourself and other motorists on the road.

• That is because NOBODY yields here in India!
• It's always "Me First" irrespective of what I am driving/riding.
• Road Manners are close to Nil.
• Everyone wants to be First.
• Zig-zagging is a skill that one can brag about.
• Turn Indicator on means -- Right
  of Way! (else you'll be asked with disdain - did you not see my indicator)

That's why Indian Govt. decided not to have "Yield Laws"

(above post is satirical) :)

Ideally there will be deceleration lanes which are available near the exits which are separated from the main carriageway.
These deceleration lanes are sometimes created as a big cloverleaf to add more capacity to the exit lane without blocking the deceleration lane with traffic. Traffic exits slowly on the cloverleaf and reduces bottlenecks. We can find cloverleaf exits on NICE Road, Near Airport at Bengaluru and in many other cities as well.

This is the Bannerghatta Road exit on NICE Road, on the exit slip lane, the speed limit is 50kmph, so we need to drop speed even before we reach the spot.



This exit slip road has 2 lanes and if both of them are full in a hypothetical case, I will take the next exit as we shouldn't stop on the highway.

Not talking about the rules written in the book.
The right of way on Indian highway is determined by might.

Truck has right of way over smaller ones, unless the smaller one belongs to a more powerful person.

"Might is Right" truly manifests on the roads.

Btw, if you want to exit a highway and the exit ramp/lane is choked that you cannot get onto it - the rule is that you must proceed along the highway. Not that you stop on the highway's through lane waiting for the exit lane to clear.

The MVA doesn't define "right of way" to the best of my knowledge. In India, it's better to slow down "in lane" before entering or exiting highways. Reasons:

By convention, the person who rear ends a vehicle is deemed to be at fault by the authorities. On the other hand, blame is almost always attached to the person who merges into a lane despite their "technical" right of way, and starting position.

Practise defensive driving. Counter intuitively, exiting highways is more hazardous in India as you don't have right of way over much slower vehicles in your blindside. Slowdown well in advance to give a chance to speeding vehicles behind you to change lanes.

Not just on highways - even within the city roads, I have noticed 99% of the drivers (bikes and cars) won’t stop, look and proceed when they merge from the side road into the main road. No matter whether they want to turn right or the left, they just barge in into the thoroughfare and it is only a matter of luck combined with average slower speeds that no major accidents happen routinely:Frustrati

Ironically, it is the driver who generally drives cautiously is the one that ends up breaking more often to let these morons reach home safe.

I had the same opinion until I started looking actively. I've seen good signage at least in the south. This is in cities as well as in highways. Rural roads, it's a hit or miss. Some have good signage, some older roads, no. But definitely have noticed good signage.

Unfortunately, a large number of them are partially or completely covered by posters (cities especially) or have other billboards or random objects blocking their visibility.

People having knowledge of what they mean, and even if they do, if they follow the signage- we know where we're at, right? lol:

The question is wrong unfortunately. You are not supposed to exit at 90kmph in any country. You would be asking for trouble. Slowing down to less-than 60kmph should solve the issue. Unfortunately in India the law on the street says “might is right”. So be careful no use speaking of laws.

Service roads exists for 2 reasons:

1. Allow slower moving local traffic alongside faster traffic with separation. There would be entry/exit points to allow movement from either side. Examples: Madras ORR
2. Short service roads (< 2 km) which only serve as entry/exit points to towns or other roads.

In the first case, there can be traffic moving on the service road at 60 kph while the main carraigeway allows 100 kph. In such cases, I would watch and adjust my speed for traffic on the service road about 1/2-1 km ahead of my exit point. So 2 vehicles don't meet at the same time.

In the second case where I enter the service lane at its start point, there is little more leeway. This being a lawless country, I fully expect anything from bicycle to C class Benz to come from the other side and/or barricades and/or unscientific rim breakers

In either case, I'd drop my pace and expect the unexpected than dive on a service lane like Max Verstappen

MVA does define the rules for the “right of way” under section 118 of MVA, here it is. The question is, how religiously is this being followed on the roads, I doubt even an iota is being followed, even the traffic signs are rare to see. Here is the snap shot below;

That’s a strange rule, if it exist. In that case what does the emergency response vehicles do when they have to exit the highway in such scenarios ? Will they take the longer detour ?