Road Safety Rules

Sharing The Road

Drivers of various kinds of vehicles and the pedestrians must first get the feeling that roads are public properties and not constructed for their personal use. They should drive in such a way that do not put the lives of other fellow drivers, pedestrians, cyclists etc. in danger. It is the duty of every road user to give equal importance and value to other’s lives. Pedestrians may include children and aged people, with whom vehicle drivers should exercise extra caution, as they are more prone to danger than the others.

Always Give Way To Pedestrians

This is the first and foremost rule that drivers should follow. At no point of time, should they put the lives of the pedestrians in danger. People like children and aged people need extra care as they can behave quite unexpectedly at times. There are some areas like places near schools, residential apartments, hospitals, shopping malls, parks, etc. where lots of people, especially children are found on the roads waiting to cross them. Drivers should exercise extreme caution while driving through these roads, so that they don’t frighten the crowds. Similarly, driving during the night and in the rains should be done with extra caution and consideration. Pedestrians will be clueless about the vision and the capacity of the drivers to notice them, therefore, it is the duty of the drivers to be very careful at places like crossings, meeting points of roads etc. more so, if they are planning to take a turn.

Especially, when approaching near a crossing, drivers should slow down and stop near the crossing, to enable pedestrians to cross the road. This is one place where drivers need to focus thoroughly on their speed so that they can stop in time. Since pedestrians may not always cross carefully by looking at both sides for approaching vehicles, the drivers are left with no option to patiently stop till all the pedestrians have crossed before they start their vehicle again. During a school crossing signal, if drivers spot pedestrians, they should automatically stop and allow them to cross, irrespective of whether or not a traffic inspector is present.

Never Indulge In Zig-Zag Driving

Zig-Zag driving is a dangerous habit found by motorbike enthusiasts. This habit can prove to be fatal not only for the motorcyclist, but for fellow passengers as well. The high speed capacity of motor bikes should never be used wrongly for these kinds of purposes. When drivers ride their bikes at a very high speed and encounter accidents, the chances of the mishap turning to be fatal is much higher when compared to accidents occurring during slow rides.

Do Not Overtake

When a vehicle is stopped at an area which is a pedestrian crossing or school crossing zone, drivers should never attempt to overtake and go past this vehicle. There are high chances that the vehicle could have spotted a pedestrian at the crossing point and hence has stopped to give way for him to cross.

You Must Give Way

While going inside or coming out of private areas such driveways, drivers should always give first priority to pedestrians and stop to let them pass through. In case, drivers are not able to find any pedestrians, they should make loud sounds through the horn of their vehicle, as a notification or alarm signal for pedestrians before entering or exiting the premises.

Cyclists And Motorcyclists

Drivers of vehicles – whether big or small have the same kind of responsibility and commitment while on the road. The basic responsibility is to ensure that their lives, along with their co-passengers’ lives are not endangered in any way. There should be a distance of a minimum of one metre between vehicles and at no point of time should two vehicles be fighting for the same lane. Car drivers should carefully check if there are any kid cyclists or other motor cyclists in their path and only then open their car doors, in order to avoid any kind of collision.

Since bicycles and scooters are quite small in size, they are not visible clearly to car drivers. Lack of visibility is the major reason for most of the accidents that occur as drivers turn right without noticing other cyclists properly and hence hit them. Motor cycles have a high accelerating capacity; therefore damages are immense when accidents occur. Car drivers should maintain a considerably long distance from cyclists on the road. Similarly car drivers should be extremely good in calculating the speed of bicycles as well. 30km per hour is the usual speed of cycles and at this pace, if accidents occur, they are mostly fatal.

Intersections or meeting places are the mostly the venue for most of the accidents. This is because while going into or driving out of the intersection point, car drivers do not pause and check if there are any vehicles on their path. While turning, drivers should ensure that the road is perfectly free and safe and only then make their driving moves.

Look Out For

Large and heavy duty vehicles like trucks and Lorries have the power to crush cars immensely, therefore, car drivers should navigate carefully while driving in the midst of these vehicles. It is best to try not overtaking these vehicles either on the left or the right side in order to avoid collisions of great degrees. It is also important to consider that these big vehicles use more than a single lane while turning sharply.

When Overtaking

Drivers must always cut across the vehicles that they want to overtake from the right side.  If the driver of that particular vehicle has plans to turn towards the right, then the car drivers can overtake the same on the left side. However, it is advisable not to overtake very big vehicles as they tend to use up more road space than other vehicles.

Do Not Overtake

If the situation on the road is such that the path ahead is not clear (like on top of a hill) or if overtaking could put the lives of other passengers at risk, then drivers should completely refrain from overtaking. Again, if the vehicle in front, has not given a green signal for overtaking, drivers should not do so. If the visibility factor is limited to just about 150m and if the surface of the road is hilly or uneven, then overtaking should be strictly avoided. Drivers should never overtake other vehicles that are halted at important places like pedestrian crossing, railway crossings etc. In roads that have multiple lanes, overtaking should never be done, as enough space should be given to vehicles moving on all lanes.

When Being Overtaken

If drivers notice that they are being overtaken, the best technique is to maintain the pace of their vehicles. If drivers tend to increase their speed, then it will lead to lack of clarity in the vehicles that are overtaking them, thereby leading to accidents.

Driving At Night

Driving through the night hours is definitely quite dangerous though there are fewer numbers of vehicles on the road during these times. Vehicles tend to go at higher speeds, visibility factor would be at a bare minimum level and fellow drivers could have consumed alcohol thereby increasing the risk of accidents. Therefore the first rule during driving at night is to drive at a very slow pace. It is easier to keep accidents under control when vehicles are driven slowly. The beam of the vehicles should be in high mode while driving through the dark, as it helps in visibility. Once the nearby vehicles are within 200m radius, then the mode of beam can be dimmed quickly to reduce disturbance caused to other vehicles.

Dip your lights for Oncoming Traffic

When going behind other vehicles, drivers should always remember to keep their lights on a dip mode. While driving during dense foggy conditions, the beamer should not be too bright, as it could reflect back on one’s own vehicle thereby impacting visibility to a great extent. During night hours, dipper is always mandatory. During approaching vehicles have a very high beam, then it is better to drive on the left side of one’s lane as this way, disturbance due to the bright beam is kept at minimum.  In spite of all this, if the driver feels disturbance in his eyesight, then it is better to stop for a while and then resume driving.

How To Stop Quickly

Stopping abruptly, by causing very little damage to self and other vehicles can be done only when the driver is driving at a slow pace.  A good driver should always be prepared for the unexpected surprises that pedestrians and co-travellers may spring up on the road. Kids could turn suddenly, a vehicle at the front could stop without signalling, pedestrians could cross without looking at either side, loads could drop from trucks unexpectedly, bikers could hit a pole and fall off in front of the vehicle suddenly etc. These are just few examples to emphasise the unpredictable nature of movements on the road. Driving slow could help drivers to stop their vehicles abruptly in crisis situations like this, without causing much damage. The impact of collision or accident caused when the vehicles are driven at high speeds is quite huge and irreversible, most of the times.

Right Of Way

In the absence of proper traffic signals, drivers should always follow certain rules and regulations on the road. During intersection points, drivers should always give some space on the right hand side for other vehicles to pass through when traffic lights are absent.  A red car should always allow other vehicles to pass through.  Some road sense is very important as drivers should always give room to other vehicles, even if others don’t do so.  It is needless to say that fire engines and ambulances occupy top priority on roads. Drivers should stop while pedestrians are spotted at crossing points and should also allow other vehicles in the lane that they are planning to move into.

Intersection

If the driver is using the road that ends on a particular intersection point, then he must give room to vehicles that are moving on the road that continues into the intersection point. All red cars must mandatorily make room for blue cars.

Roundabouts And How To Approach Them

A roundabout is an area that is an intersection point with a traffic point at the centre. Drivers should make way for vehicles that are already within this circle and must apply the right indicator to indicate the direction that they intend to take. Lane markings need to be followed and in their absence, the basic rule to be remembered is not to overtake vehicles from the left side. Directions should be kept consistent in a roundabout as fluctuating moves and zig-zag driving can cause confusion in the minds of other drivers.

Turning

While moving towards the left, pedestrians should be allowed to pass through first. While moving towards right, it is important to signal pedestrians and other fellow drivers through an indicator or hand signal. An effective turn is one that is done when there are no approaching vehicles.

U-Turn

U-Turns must be done only by making a hand signal and only after closely watching other vehicles through one’s rear view mirror. These are very dangerous movements and hence should be done with high degree of caution. If U-Turns are banned on a particular route, then it should be strictly avoided.  There will be no U-Turns at important highways or at traffic signals or in any area where traffic could be disrupted. These turns are also not allowed on roads where lane markings are present, whether single or double markings.