Road Safety Rules to Stay Safe on Indian Roads

Road Safety Rules to Stay Safe on Indian Roads

Road safety rules are a pivotal bit of knowledge for any automobile user, especially in a country like ours. India is notorious for road accidents due to a combination of reasons like poor infrastructure and vehicle maintenance, flaunting of traffic regulations, and a general disregard towards other motorists and pedestrians. Here's a list of key road safety rules that you should follow in order to stay safe on Indian roads.

1. Cars

The following set of tips regarding road safety should not only be followed by people driving cars but by all motorists in general:

- Always wear your seat-belt

Not because it's illegal to not wear one while driving, but because it can genuinely save your life. In fact, it's highly advisable for all passengers to strap in, even in rear sections of the car. You never know when someone else's lapse in judgement can result in you having an accident.

-Never drive under the influence of alcohol or narcotics

Driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics is completely illegal and can result in the driver being imprisoned if found guilty. Not only does it cloud your sense of judgement, it also reduces your reaction time which could lead to a serious accident.

2. Bikes

The tips mentioned above can be applied to all motorists. Here are a couple of additional road safety tips and rules that should be adhered to by bikers, scooterists and other 2-wheeler riders:

- Wear a helmet

No matter how uncomfortable they may be, helmets are essential. The human skull is designed to be tough in order to protect the all-important brain. However there is a limit to the amount of trauma that it can take. Hence, wear a helmet as it may indeed save your life someday.

- Avoid swerving between lanes

2-wheeler owners in India must find its extremely liberating to be able to squeeze through tiny gaps in traffic congestion. However, what they don't realize is that it takes one bad decision on their or another motorists' part for there to be a major accident. 2-wheelers are small and are much harder to spot in mirrors and on the road. For your own protection, avoid straying between lanes and squeezing into tight channels. Remember, when a 2-wheeler collides with a four-wheeler, it's the person on the 2-wheeler who is likely to suffer serious injuries due to the complete lack of body protection.

3. Pedestrians

Here's a look at a list of good road safety habits that you should adopt as a pedestrian to stay safe while walking on or across Indian roads:

- Always look both ways when crossing the road

This is probably the first road safety rule that is taught to children at a very young age. Before crossing a road, make sure that there is no one coming from either direction. It's important to note that this should be practiced even on one way roads, just to be doubly certain that no one is driving in the wrong direction.

- Learn to anticipate road behaviour

This is something that you learn with time. Being cautious and predicting what an oncoming motorist will do before crossing a road not only makes it easier to know when to cross but may also save your life someday. An example of this would be predicting if a driver is distracted or not because a distracted driver may not be able to detect when a pedestrian is crossing the road.

- Use public amenities

If you need to cross a road, always look for an aerial walkway or underground subway before opting to cross the road directly. Also, use footpaths when available. Walking on the road can be extremely dangerous for you and for oncoming traffic.

Nimmadthi Do’s and Don'ts on Safe Driving

• Don't drive when drunk. Drunk driving is the No.1 cause of car accidents, making it a crime in many cities.

• Don't speed.

• Don't use phones.

• Don't nod off.

• Don't Cross The Yellow Line

• Do Not Brake Suddenly except for safety reasons.