How true is it that driving in India is a scary experience? I heard that drivers do not respect the center line and will often jump into oncoming traffic to get around another slow driver. That is truly scary and makes me not want to drive while I'm there.
I am an Indian and trust me it breaks my heart when i have to say this, it is a scary experience to drive in India because people there don't follow strict rules and regulations like in the other countries abroad. Everyone is in a rush. In some places there is no respect for traffic lights also. But that is how it is. Can't do anything about it. Yes people sometimes do jump into oncoming traffic. If you expect everyone to follow rules than i suggest better don't drive while you are there.
This reminded me of a trip I took to Denmark years ago. I was with a friend from China who was completely unable to handle caffeine. He made the huge error of drinking a cup of coffee in Copenhagen one morning and then insisted on driving us through the city. Long story short, we ended up driving at high speeds down a bike path. Looking back on it, it makes me laugh, but at the time I was terrified.
I would really not suggest that you drive in India. I think that, apart from not being a local and knowing the streets very well, it is not very safe to drive there either.
I don't think I'd take the chance of driving in India. I've heard that they don't often follow the rules of the road, if there are any. They sometimes will jump into oncoming traffic to get around other slow moving cars.
In my whole lead up to the trip I was told to avoid driving, mostly for the reason that it was just not worth the hassle, and then I got there and realized that the reasons that many users have said above really is a bigger reason to avoid it. It was a mess, and not something that I would want to deal with in a different country. Transportation was easy to come by and driving is just not a necessity, so avoid the headache.
I had a business trip to Chendu in China. I don’t know how people drive there. The taxi service is one to remember. They drive so fast and are all over the road. If it’s like this in India, I’m sure I won’t drive there.
I have never drove in India, but I have traveled to different places by road. India has a set of road rules, however, because of ignorance and negligence most of the people do not seem to follow the rules. India's roads are dangerous.
Honestly I don't really like driving whenever I travel - no matter the country I'm in! It's a whole bunch of new road rules to get used to, possibly driving on a different side of the road that you're used to, the road conditions are different, traffic might be scarier than your home country - there's just a lot of reasons why I prefer to use the local transport methods rather than trying to worry about driving myself!
Driving in India is not only scary but can be confusing since they have different sides for driving as compared to the US and most European countries. Also, some of the traffic signs may not make sense if they have letters in the local language.
I was planning to rent a self-drive can but now I have second thoughts. I guess a taxi driver who is familiar with the area is a better bet than a person who is not driving in India and does not know the place.
I would say to err on safeties side and don't drive. There are many other options you can use such as train, bus and the little tuk-tuk things. Although, it might make for a fun trip to get a cheap car and brave the roads. As most others are saying, the road rules seem to be just a guide and not something they strictly adhere to which can make for quite dangerous or exciting travel, depending on how you view life...
Well, driving in crowded settlements and well-used roads is certainly dangerous, especially if you're following US driving rules. But if you commute through the National Highways, I don't think there'll be any problems. They're well-maintained, monitored by the local police, clearly divided into lanes and anyone using an NH to travel usually adheres to the traffic rules strictly.
Most people find it difficult to drive in India not only because of the chaotic traffic but also due to the different sides that traffic moves on. If you come from the US you will be used to cars driving on the right side of the road whereas in India you have to drive on the left side.
India follows the British system. They drive on the left side because that's how the British do their driving. If you're British or from a country that follows a similar driving system (many Asian and European countries drive on the left side too), then there's no problem driving in India as long as you have a GPS tracker and a road map with you.
There is a lot more to it then just a GPS tracker. I wont advise driving in India unless you know get used to the way people drive here. It is not just the rules that you need to know, its the getting used to seeing people breaking rules and what they do under certain circumstances. You would see people crossing a busy road without waiting for the lights to turn red and it takes time to get used to such stuff and a GPS tracker wont be much help when you have a cow walking down the road... you gotta know what to do in such situations or you will have an accident. Leave the driving to cab drivers as they know how things work.
If I get a chance I will drive a car in India. I like to drive in any country that I visit so that I can get a first hand experience of how it feels to drive in that country. In fact I have already made arrangements for a Honda sedan to be loaned to me when I am in India.
I will prefer travelling by train to experience what I usually hear about Indian railways. If you have money then you can consider hiring a chartered flight. But taking a taxi will be much cheaper and convenient. Road conditions there are fair. There have not been complaints from those who have visited India.
Absolutely not in India. Hit the accelerator and ram into the auto-rickshaw that suddenly breaks ahead and if you brake there will always be a bicycle rickshaw bearing down on your rear at full speed. You are better off leaving driving while in India to Indian drivers.
I think the problem is that they never had a culture of ordered traffic. In Europe, there has been centuries of keeping traffic to one side or the other while on the road. Even the Romans practiced this to a degree, and passed people on the left. This has grown, and been ingrained on society as it developed, eventually being cemented with the rules of the road for driving. I don't think anything of the sort existed in India. The roads were packed for commerce, and people were let to their own freedom. It will be generations before they learn to respect the law. But of course, they can be forgiven. They have been driving for a shorter time than many others in the West. A friend here in Uruguay has been behind the wheel for only eight years. She is a year younger than my mother, who has been driving for fifty-eight years. Big difference in experience.
It is strange how my town and India have so much in common. The other day some guy was shooting up heroin, and crashed into a light poll. He took out the power for a two mile stretch. Lots of drivers here don't follow the rules either. Honestly, cars are like giant tanks that we go zooming around in. My advice is this, if you are going to drive in India, or anyplace where lots of people break traffic laws, be a strong, confident defensive driver.
I can't say I've gound that to be true. I'm English and wouldn't dream of driving in an Indian city, its confusing and chaotic and no-one should really attempt it if they are not used to it. Out in the countryside its a lot better, I have driving in more rural areas when I've had another driver with me, ready to take over in case things get tricky but the cities are crazy. Theres a lot of taxis about and they're fairly cheap so stick to them if you can.
You've heard 100% correct that it's not a good experience to drive. The streets, people, and even other drivers are a complete mess and it's very easy to get in a rut because of it. By all means, have someone drive you though.
Well i don't plan on driving in India but for someone who comes from Africa i don't think i would be scared with this kind of driving because it's something I'm used to. Anyways i plan on enjoying the tricycle when i get there
LOL, pretty much all of third world countries do that. Because of the lax rules of the road, and to be honest, the lax law abiding motives of society, it's basically the wild wild west in those parts. Who needs traffic lights when you can just sort it out for yourselves? You needs pedestrian lanes if you can just run really fast before the cars come in your direction? Welcome to the real world!
Oh My God! All the times I've taken a taxi in India, it's been terrifying! I one had a cabbie that ran wvery single red led light! I swear i peed on that back seat!
On no, this is one of the countries that you don't have to worry about me driving at, because India's road patterns and driving patterns are completely different from the United States and I wouldn't have the patience and time to learn to handle that driving experience; without coming back home ball headed with gray hairs! Driving in India is a real stressful driving experience that I wouldn't recommend no one to drive not unless you have experience of driving in challenging countries with unusual driving conditions!
I completely agree, driving in India is a very scary and dangerous experience! I can't speak for myself, but my significant other describes driving in India is totally chaotic and scary, with near-accidents being very commonplace and even taxi drivers making ridiculous maneuvers and running red lights like crazy. I think it would be best to leave driving to the very minimum that you can!
