In India the traffic notionally drives on the left, as in the UK. Overall, there is a discernable bias to the left but it is not quite as straight forward as that. They also drive in the middle of the road and on the right as well, if for instance the road surface is better over there or if they are turning right at a junction. Distances are measured in kilometres and not miles.

Use of the Horn:

Perhaps the single greatest difference between the Indian and western driving cultures is in the use of the horn. Unlike in the west, the use of the horn is not a discourtesy. It's more of a discourtesy not to sound your horn in a situation where it is expected. And when you get used to using the horn you begin to appreciate that warning a pedestrian of your approach is often more effective than relying upon sudden braking. See also 'Overtaking' below.

Overtaking:

This is another area in which there is a great cultural difference. To say that Indians will overtake at any possible opportunity is somewhat of an understatement. They will overtake where absolutely no sensible opportunity exists. They will start to overtake before and on a bend and, if in the middle of the maneuver a vehicle appears from the other direction, they will simply drop back again without loss of face or embarrassment, so be prepared to let them back in . The best policy is to give way to them every time. When a vehicle wants to overtake and during the maneuver, they will sound their horn to make you aware of their intention. You should do the same when you start to overtake. If you allow any room between yourself and the vehicle in front you can be sure that a vehicle from behind will come past and fill the space. You just don't have to let it bother you. Trucks and particularly buses are the worst culprits. Trucks are mainly a hazard coming towards you, one very slowly overtaking another, using the full width of the road. You have of course to slow down before they reach you but it is sometimes necessary to pull off the road surface to avoid them. This is not always as easy as it sounds as sometimes there is a bit of a difference in the level of the ground at the edge of the road and the surface may be dry sand. This is a problem you do not face on dual carriageways. Trucks heading in the same direction as you are not such a great problem, particularly the loaded ones, but buses are. They usually want to go faster than you and I have even had them overtake and then stop immediately in front of me at a bus stop. You have to watch out as they will push past you very close and if you are not careful, force you off the road. Whenever there was a bus behind me I always slowed down and let them through.

Priority at Road Junctions:

Traffic, and particularly two wheelers, joining a major road from the left at either a junction or from a parked position will do so without stopping or checking for approaching traffic from the right. It seems to be the responsibility of the traffic on the major road to anticipate the vehicles joining the road from the left.

Roundabouts:

They call them circles in India and they are a very common feature in cities. In India the 'give way' rule to traffic on the roundabout coming from the right does not apply. If you do that you'll wait forever. Indian drivers rarely stop before joining a roundabout. They slow down and weave their way into any available space in the traffic on the roundabout. It's a technique you'll simply have to develop.

Traffic Lights:

Again they are common in cities but they are not always switched on. When operating at peak traffic times they are often controlled by a traffic policeman. There is no amber light and 'go' is not a complete light but a series of up to 3 green arrows indicating the specific directions in which you are permitted to proceed. Indian drivers, particularly 2 wheelers (including bicycles), often do not obey the signals but proceed against the red light if they think their way is clear. Don't be tempted to follow them. In Jaipur I have seen traffic policemen positioned around the corner stopping 2 wheelers doing this and, as a foreigner, you will be an attractive target for an unofficial on the spot fine into the traffic cop's back pocket. In Delhi, and in one other city (I can't remember which one), some of the major junctions controlled by lights also have a useful digital count down timer which tells you how many seconds to go before the lights are going to change in your favor or against you. At quiet times, some traffic lights are switched off and a flashing amber warning light operates indicating a junction at which no one has priority.

Speed Limits:

There are often signposted speed limits on entering built up areas but I do not recall ever seeing any indication of the end of a restricted zone. Often, the speed limits differentiate between different categories of vehicle and the slowest speed usually applies to 2 wheelers. Because of the amount of wording on these signs, they are often difficult to read as you drive past. The speed limits are blatantly ignored but I never encountered any speed traps and am inclined to think that they don't have them. But keep an eye out behind you.

Cities:

Cities are an absolute nightmare. Sign posting of both through and local routes is often non-existent and you have to stop frequently to ask for directions. It is often wise to get a second opinion as Indians will often confirm a direction rather than acknowledge that they do not understand or do not know. They also often confuse the words right and left but are usually right when they say straight. On a couple of occasions other two wheeler drivers were very helpful and led me to the correct road out of a city. Delhi has perhaps better direction sign posting than most other cities, but only for local destinations. Increasingly, many of the major towns and smaller cities on the National Highways have by passes.

Highways:

Signposting on the National Highways is, by Indian standards, reasonably good. Distance and route signs are fairly frequent in both Hindi and English (sometimes on separate signs), as well as local signs in the local non-Hindi state language. If you maintain an awareness of the distance to your next major point on your route, you can even make a reasonable guess at the Hindi writing alongside the distance markings. As well as the more modern road signs, on the older single carriageway roads there are the old fashioned white painted stone signs at the side of the road at fairly frequent intervals. On the National highways, the tops of these signs are painted yellow with the National Highway number. Those are handy for confirming that you are still on the right road. On the State Highways, these signs have a green painted top. In Gujarat the Gujarati road signs have Gujarati numerals as well as letters.

Traffic Calming Humps:

You will encounter a lot of traffic calming humps in India, in particular before and after rail crossings, but more frequently before entering and on leaving villages, even on the National Highways were there are usually two sets spaced between 50 and 200 metres apart. They are often quite fierce, unmarked and difficult to spot. Watch out for the vehicle in front of you negotiating the bumps. If there isn't one, you will often not spot the humps until the last moment, so anticipate them when entering or leaving villages. There are sometimes a single hump or, particularly at rail crossing, a series of about 4 smaller humps. They extend across the full width of the road to ensure that you do not cross to the other side to avoid them. Sometimes you can reduce their impact by keeping well to the left where there might be a small gap sufficient for two wheelers, but be careful. An alternative traffic calming measure is a staggered barrier across each carriageway, not as common, but not infrequent.

Toll Roads & Bridges:

Most of the National Highways are toll roads (even many of the older single carriageway roads with poor surfaces) and you will encounter toll booths at regular intervals. The good news is that two wheelers are not subject tolls. I never had to pay a toll at any road or bridge. On approaching a toll 'plaza', follow any local two wheeler and proceed through the far left hand side lane where there will usually be a gap in the barrier sufficiently wide to allow two wheelers to pass. I can't recall any tolls on the State Highways.

Railway Crossings:

I never encountered a rail crossing on the National Highways which did not have a manned barrier and warning lights. Watch out for the traffic calming humps immediately before and after the crossing.

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