[tilt]

While cleaning house my wife came across this gem from January 1950. I thought we people might get a kick out of seeing this. Remember, it cost a princely 4 Annas then. And for those who (and whose parents too) are too young to know "Annas", the currency system in India used to be Rupees-Annas-Paisa where 6 Paisa makes one Anna and 16 Annas make one Rupee. And later, when we went metric (100 paisa makes one Rupee) we renamed the Paisa to Naya Paisa. To this day we oldies still say 4 Annas or 8 Annas instead of saying 25 paisa or 50 paisa.

As it says in the third picture I attach, this is "A Manual of Common Sense and Courtesy on the Road". A lot of what's mentioned here is very valid even today (especially today).

Read on and see if any of you breaks any of these codes

Attachments follow. Enjoy.

By the way, I tried googling for a more recent version of this, and I could not find one. Does this mean that we have officially given up on educating our drivers and pedestrians?

Cheers

[tilt]

The rest of the pictures are here since I could not post all in one post.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Vintage Section. Thanks for sharing!

[alpha1]

I recall that there is (was at least a decade back) something similar given by the RTO to read and understand before undertaking the driving license test. Of course most Indians will never know about it since they get license by paying few rupees underhand.

I like the part where the driver is shown displaying HIS intent (I AM GOING TO take a right) via hand signals.
In the real India, on the contrary, the indicators and hand signals appear to show HIS command (YOU ARE GOING TO take a right)

[carthick1000]

This topic brings the recent memory of my theory test for a Dutch driving test (License B for passenger cars). It includes 2 parts with multiple choice answers :
Part 1 : 25 Multiple choice questions (showing the drivers view with speed) for situational awareness and hazard perception. The answer choices always are
a. Brake
b. Release throttle
c. Do Nothing

the minimum to pass is 13/25 in this part

Part 2 : 40 multiple choice questions asking about the traffic lights, driving in roundabouts, intersections, highway, traffic users and priority, speed limits, road markings and the sign boards, trailer usage, road safety, first aid and basic automotive understanding.

the minimum to pass is 35/40 in this part

The average pass percentage of Dutch people in the first attempt is around 43%. So you could imagine the toughness of the exam.

This paves way for a safe driving environment for all road users.
Btw I cleared in my second attempt.

If you pass theory, there is a practical exam for 40minutes in which you are tested for
*following the traffic rules
*Driving safely and without annoying others
*Understanding of the operations of various controls
*Special maneuvers - parking in a line, stopping, U-turn
*Incoming and exiting highways
*speed limits
*Using of signals

And you will not be surprised if I tell this pass percentage also hovers around 40% for the first attempt.

[Bh.P]

Page 16, I want to turn left, that signal looks funny. I thought the signal has always been to put your right hand out of window, and turn it around to indicate the intention to turn left. Did not know the rule was to show the hand to the left from within the car.

[tilt]

Bh.P, if you look at the last picture on page15 you'll see the hand signal you expect for a Left turn.

On page 16, if you read the title, it clearly states that the following are how you would signal your intentions to a policeman who's directing traffic. These signals are meant to be used while you're stationary and not while you're in motion.

Cheers

[anvara]

Sir,

Great thread.

Clearly shows that driving should be considered a privilege which is hardly the case these days. Absolute disregard to safety & total disrespect to the fellow road user seems to be the norm.

Sad.

Drive safe.

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by Bh.P

Page 16, I want to turn left, that signal looks funny. I thought the signal has always been to put your right hand out of window, and turn it around to indicate the intention to turn left. Did not know the rule was to show the hand to the left from within the car.

Those times, it would have been "raising the Left Hand" for signalling a left turn on cycles & two wheelers. Obviously since this cannot be used in the car, it is the right hand gesture for turning left, as displayed on the last image.

[hybridpetrol]

I find it pathetic that the highway code that was written in the year 1950, way before there was traffic on the roads, way before there were any proper roads, are still relevant and are still not followed.
It has been 65 years since the print, but except for the indicators part, most of them seem relevant.

As a pedestrian, how many of us are aware that, we should walk opposite to the traffic, in the right side of the road? Though we know, how many of us actually use footpaths when available, or wait for signals to cross roads? Even this day, there are many who walk on the busy roads together with their group of friends, as if they are on a park or a mall!

There are cars / buses / trucks overtaking in blind turns even this day. Courtesy is any way absent on road, at least common sense should be there. Most of us have read similar text about traffic rules in our schools / colleges or in driving schools (not all of us just give bribes to get their license, you know!). We should put the theory to practise.

[RWD]

Tilt, thank you very much indeed for sharing this. Quite an interesting read. 65 years on, and animal driven carriages are still relevant on our highways.

Being an early 80's model, I have only witnessed the last couple of decades, of our country's degeneration of traffic sense. I used to think, that, we lack traffic discipline, because of the lack of ground rules during the early days of India's motoring history, and, that style of driving without rules, has trickled down from one generation to the other. But having a look at this book, I am left scratching my head, as to how did we come to become this unruly, when most of the basic rules were in place right since the 50's and before.

Today, we are a bunch of road users, who have no idea of traffic rules, and very little courtesy. Even something as basic as, who has the right of way, or how to go around a roundabout, is alien to many of us. And its not just the drivers/riders, we are just as ignorant when on foot as well. Not sure where it ends. Maybe, we should all pitch in and start handing out flyers with traffic rules to the people, including traffic police (They also know nothing, just like Jon Snow ). Would be a nice Team-BHP initiative to educate the road users.

[Car-go-man]

Originally Posted by RWD

But having a look at this book, I am left scratching my head, as to how did we come to become this unruly, when most of the basic rules were in place right since the 50's and before.

The rules were always there, but what was/is lacking is-

1. Awareness
2. Willingness to follow

Awareness must be spread at the very root level. It should start at home and at school. Topics like these should be made mandatory in academics and should be stressed upon to make an impression on one's mind.

Willingness to follow comes from awareness as well as observation. If my kids watch me breaking the rules, the more likelier they are going to do the same when they grow up.

[ShankarG]

Great read tilt. The government has been serious since the 1950s but the execution was never there. It is like comparing to the fact that India was one of the earliest country to have a population control in 1950s. but no execution on that too taking us in the top 2.

As pointed above my many of us, life education should start from school. Respecting the life of others should seep deep in our lives. Sad to say that we respect others life because any wrong step will take us to prison and we cannot afford to do that. Not because we genuinely care for the other chap on road.

[autotranny]

The best advice on page 4, "Go slow while overtaking the animals.Remember they cannot read this highway code." and in the next 60 years, we have realized that its the animals who can actually read these instructions that are creating most havoc.

[RGK]

Tilt - Wonderful. A treasure. Please do preserve in a safe place. Try to convert into digital format and store.

<<<Does this mean that we have officially given up on educating our drivers and pedestrians?>>>

You are right. In India, we do not have a driver's manual like this now.
Educating a (learning) driver is essential and a copy of this manual can be issued along with a new license.

Do send a copy of this to the Motor Vehicles Department, New Delhi (transportindia.org).