17 ways that India’s city streets are different than ours

One of the most important things to keep in mind when visiting India for the first time is that the roads are probably like NOTHING you’ve ever experienced, unless you’ve been there before. Your safest bet is to always let someone else, who knows the area, do the driving. Even if you’re used to renting cars on most of your vacations, are used the driving on the left, and are used to driving a manual transmission vehicle, do not attempt this in a big city on your first visit to India…for your own sanity!

How are the streets of India’s large cities different than in most other parts of the world?

1. Road rules exist but are rarely followed.
2. Beggars come up to your car when you’re stopped in traffic, tapping on the car window for money.
3. The road is shared simultaneously by cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, cattle, chickens, buffaloes, ox carts (pulled by oxen), street dogs, and more.
4. Pedestrians do not have right of way. Let me repeat this a little louder: Pedestrians do not have right of way.
5. The pollution will choke you.
6. Need the bathroom? Head to the nearest wall (if you’re male). Outdoor cement walls are regarded as urinals for some reason – another contribution to the general big city stench.
7. Traffic jams are common and tend to last from sunrise until the next sunrise – you’ll find them at all times of the day, even in the middle of the night sometimes.
8. The song “Where the Streets Have No Name,” by U2, probably was inspired by India where most city streets literally do not have names. Good luck finding your way around with only unfamiliar landmarks to guide your way.
9. People on scooters and motorcycles dodge between cars while they’re driving, as if trying to weave a complicated blanket.
10. Lanes? Yes, they sometimes exist. Do people follow them? Never.
11. Traffic lights? Yes, these also exist. Do people follow them? Sometimes; it seems to vary by intersection though!
12. Cars drive within inches of each other - it’s actually surprising that there aren’t more crashes.
13. Most cars do not have seatbelts; they’re regarded as a decoration when they do exist and good luck finding a corresponding buckle even if you do find the belt.
14. People constantly honk their horns. It isn’t done so much in frustration; it’s to let other drivers know your proximity to them. We use side mirrors; Indians use their horns….(because most side mirrors get knocked off very quickly due to how closely they drive to one another).
15. Three people on a motorcycle or bicycle? This is pretty common. Helmets? What are those?
16. Just because you’re supposed to drive on the left at all times doesn’t mean that everyone follows this rule strictly.
17. After dark, expect to see plenty of people driving vehicles without headlights even on dark, rural roads.

So now that I’ve scared you out of visiting India (hopefully not!), read on (next week) to find out why I still find India to be one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever visited, why I have a love-hate relationship with it, and why I will keep going back to visit - gladly! - for years to come.

Wishing you safe travels,
Marisa