Paint a Picture
of Road Traffic Safety in India

Subject: Paint a picture of Traffic: Road Traffic Safety?

To: Family or Friends

Date: Sunday, August 17, 2003

Let's see if I can paint a picture of traffic here in India. It is so picturesque that I'm not sure if I will be able to do it justice in a verbal picture, but we'll see. First off, you must turn your thinking completely upside-down because they drive on the left hand side of the road. So begin to imagine driving in a mirror image. While that image settles, consider these elements of the picture: the passenger side is on the left hand side of the car (if you are sitting in the car).

Imagine the disconcerting feeling as you drive past a car and you look into the car you are passing, the right front seat—the one that is normally the driver's seat—is empty. It gives you the uncomfortable feeling that you are driving around with a bunch of driverless cars. Add to this the confusing notion that the fast "lane" is on the right hand side of the road and the slower traffic moves on the left. Let that image settle a little in your mind... For people in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and other places, this will seem quite comfortable, but not for the rest of us …

Now, clear the slate and let's take up an entirely different picture. Imagine yourself a pedestrian on a busy New York sidewalk during rush hour. Picture the disorganized movement down the block as people jostle forward, pressing upon each other while they wait for stop lights, weaving in and out and around slower walkers as they move forward. Personal space diminishes to a small bubble around each individual and "lanes" of "traffic" are pretty much nonexistent.

Take this image of "organization" of traffic flow and superimpose it on the mirror image that you've drawn in the first paragraph. But instead of superimposing a mass of people, replace the individuals with a car, bike, motor scooter, truck, rickshaw, three wheeler, or pedestrian. However, as you do so, do not change the size of the bubbles of personal space. Each vehicle has a personal space of no more than six inches on all sides—this is why road traffic safety in India is such a questionable issue.

Now, let’s draw a picture of the roads. In addition to all of these closely spaced vehicles, the roads are an interesting sight. The main road in Gurgaon is pretty good, only a few pot holes now and again, and it is a divided road with a thin grassy median running down the middle. I must mention the potholes. The road traffic safety department—-if you can call it that—-leaves the marking of potholes to road travelers. Generally a large rock—-four to eight inches (20-30 cm) in diameter serves to notify drivers of potholes. The grass on the median attracts the cows—-which I've already mentioned as a major feature of the roadways around here. For example, on the 10-minute drive to work, we pass 15-30 cows each day.

To get to the median, of course, the cows must cross the road. So, drivers must always be prepared to stop in order to allow a cow to cross the road. In fact, today, we almost had an accident as a calf attempted to cross and got scared running one way and then another to get across. All the cars managed to stop, but there was some squealing of tires in the effort. Calf, uninjured. Of course, sometimes the cows get tired and must lie down. Usually they lie close to the median and only take up part of the inside lane, but sometimes, they lie right in the middle of the road... clearly, they don't understand road traffic safety.

The cows are not the only livestock on the roads. I've seen goats, donkeys, pigs, camels all walking down the side of the road. I saw a tribe of monkeys beside the road. And I saw an elephant with its rider on the road walking in the middle of traffic as though it was another vehicle.

The thing that topped it all, though, was the herd of sheep today. There must have been 300-500 head of sheep being herded down the "side" of the road. Even with a dozen shepherds poking and prodding, they spread into the road, covering half of the road and forcing traffic into a single lane in places. It was a thing incredible. This is not the back country that we are talking about; this is the middle of an urban center. There are high rises and office buildings all around.

Don't forget the horns—they are the cornerstone of road traffic safety in India. Honk to pass; honk, to say "I'm coming through the intersection so don't go." All big trucks proclaim in large colorful letters on the back "Blow horn" or "Please use horn."

Add to the picture the homelessness. The main road is flanked on both sides by a grassy/muddy strip about 30-50 feet wide. Here, countless people live under blue tarps or make-shift shelters. That is a thing incredible as well.

The final thing to add to the picture is the things that people carry on their motor scooters and bicycles. I saw a bike today with 2 thirty-gallon drums strapped on the back. In the picture above, you see a man carrying a couch on his cycle rickshaw. A family of four can ride a motor scooter. Dad drives, one small child stands in front, mom sits sideways on the back with an infant in arms. I don't even want to think about road traffic safety for this family. I saw another motor scooter with a man and a woman and a folding card table sandwiched between them. It is amazing.

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