Hello friends!
Let me begin with one simple question!
How many of you here on this board use the roads??? I know its a real stupid question to ask!!
Before i start hearing a string of swear words directed towards me, let me put forth another question!
How many of you have never broken the rules???
All of us invariably have!!! I am sure we have a consensus!!
Following rules is not just for those who drive a 4 wheeler or a 2 wheeler it also includes the pedestrians who on most occasions are jaywalkers and apparently have gone amuck!!!
This reminds me of more than .......(how many???, I ve lost my count!!!) say 10 instants where i risked my life in trying to avoid them. Apart from the jaywalkers, this is India and one is sure to find holy cows(no pun intended!:-)), buffaloes, dogs et cetera. One thing we can be certain of is that those poor four legged creatures cant be taught "ROAD ETIQUETTE".
Nevertheless, I believe humans can fathom the importance of following them!
Everyday when I drive, my thoughts invariably wander back to a very basic issue on Indian roads, that of appalling road etiquette.

I wonder if this is because of people being ignorant or of knowing how to behave but opting not to for reasons best known to them.

I'll list a few things I notice and we can add on as we go along.

Lane discipline

People don't seem to respect other's right of way when driving along a lane. Regardless of what form of transport they are in, everyone wants to cut across your lane, without your permission. Its almost like they think its their right to cut across without due notice to you.

This behaviour is outright discourteous and quite unacceptable in civilised countries

If a person wishes to cross someone in a lane, the appropriate thing to do is to indicate and wait till one is allowed to move in ahead.

Red Lights

I can understand a faulty signal which stays stuck in red and people move across. But when you have functional signals people crossing into the intersection despite a red signal are engaging in behavior which at best can be described as reckless.

Driving on High Beam lights regardless of oncoming traffic

It is outright uncomfortable for oncoming traffic to encounter an oncoming vehicle driving at full beam. On roads where traffic moves at speeds its actually unsafe as you can cause the oncoming traffic to lose control on account of blinding lights.

It is discourteous to drive on high beam where you have oncoming traffic. Even on a divided four lane road high beam driving distracts others

Right of way at roundabouts

Technically when you arrive at a roundabout and notice traffic already in the circle you must concede the right of way to those already in and wait for your turn to enter when the traffic is clear.

On the contrary I notice people diving straight into a roundabout, almost bulldozing their way across. This is rude behaviour and only proves you lack civic sense

The use of horns

World over a horn has come to be used usually to express displeasure at other people's inappropriate road behaviour

Need I say anything on how its used here in India?

We need to create more awareness about these issues as even educated people seem to err on these accounts. Perhaps its just a case of most people not knowing how to behave on the road. Sadly there are many who behave in a discourteous manner despite knowing the effect of their behavior

The above mentioned are just a few reasons why Indian Roads are notorious, The only way we can make it safe is by following the rules!.
All of us need to understand that the rules are for our safety and saving our time. Then why on earth do we risk our life and waste our time??