You can’t possibly imagine what driving in India is like unless you go there. Every trip on Indian highways is a hair-raising experience. Here is a small glimpse of the chaos we encountered on our drive from Sattal back to Delhi.
There have been many improvements in India since I was there, but the roads are not one of them. The Indian highways (and I’m being kind here) are as bad as they were in 1969. The few relatively smooth sections of pavement are interrupted, for no apparent reason, by sections of rutted gravel road that require everyone to slow to a dusty crawl.
In addition to the poor road surfaces, there are hazards we don’t deal with in the U.S. Even on major highways, cars share the road with pedestrians, cattle, bicycles, water buffalo, ox carts, horse carts, bicycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, scooters, under-powered motorcycles, trucks, buses, and an occasional monkey. Can you imagine going 120 km/hr (75 mph) in the fast lane and passing an ox cart in the slow lane? Indian drivers think nothing of this! When combined with the total disregard Indian drivers have for traffic laws, it’s amazing there isn’t more carnage. Thanks to the quick reflexes of our driver, we made it to Delhi in one piece. We felt like kissing the ground when we finally got out of the car.
Oh… in case you’re confused by the photos, they drive on the left in India!
Top speed of this baby? ... 3 miles an hour!
Centerline? What centerline?
An Indian road hazard.
Another Indian road hazard.
Not exactly sure what this is.
Indians take the Shared Ride concept to a whole new level. Everyone has their seat belt fastened... right?
Believe it or not, this is a four lane divided highway. The guy driving the ox cart decided it was too much trouble to cross over to the correct side of the divider. So, he just started driving down the wrong side of the highway... into oncoming traffic.
September 26, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Marc
I had to laugh when reading your description of driving or riding on India’s roads. When I was in kashmir 2 years ago I realized some things just don’t change. It was very hair-raising to ride behind the driver when we traveled around the area. I can’t wait to read about your next adventure. Thanks!
Angie