Driving And Transportation

01 Nov 2022 - Tanmay Jha

Differences

I had never driven much in India, having left soon after I turned 18. Since I had done most of my driving in the US, my instincts had gotten shaped accordingly. Traffic runs on the other side of the road here, which can throw you off really hard, even if you used to drive in India before moving away. In the US, flow of traffic is smooth and you are expected to rigorously follow each rule around stopping and lane changes, stop signs and yielding etc. The system is built on the belief that everyone is following the rules, and no one really watches out for others to screw up. So if you don’t follow the rules, you are instantly going to be a part of a multi car pile-up.

In India, you are expected to watch out for screw ups from people in front of you and to the side, and account for their behavior. At the same time, your screw-ups are the problem of the person behind you, and it is an unspoken rule that the person behind you is responsible for keeping an eye on your abrupt stops and lane changes.

Horns

Horns really screwed me up, even as a passenger! My instinct had changed to treating horns as a sign of a massive screw up or a warning of an imminent collision. When you hear a horn, your instinct is to brace for a collision and check your surroundings. However in India, you typically honk to make people aware of your presence, especially as you overtake them. All the honking had me instinctively bracing for collisions all the time, and it was a couple of weeks before this stopped.

Instincts

There are few things more annoying in life than your instincts being completely off, and one of the main problems with moving between countries is that every routine action that your brain has automated has to be re-evaluated and consciously executed. Every time I approached a turn, my instinct was to turn into the wrong lane. Every time I wrote the date, I was writing the month first if I did it without thinking. For at least two weeks, I had to carefully think out each turn and each date, and it was quite draining cognitively. However, I am pleased to report that those habits only last a few weeks.

My advice would be to avoid driving for a month or so. Start off in the passenger seat and spend a couple of days just observing how your uber driver is navigating traffic. Remember, the golden rules are - follow the flow of traffic, honk often and squeeze into openings. While these may feel “wrong”, the alternative is staying stuck in place and being unable to drive. Start off driving in a small car (ideally a small hatchback) and avoided crowded routes. The instinct comes back pretty quickly, although you may quickly find out you prefer cabs or a driver if you have a long commute.

Note on rideshare

Ola, Uber and Rapido are the big players in app based rideshare. They typically offer a variety of options like hatchbacks, sedans, autos etc. Most drivers have a strong preference for payment via cash instead of through the app, and during rush hours your odds of getting a cab will be higher if you select cash as the payment mode. You don’t actually need to carry cash since almost all drivers will happily accept direct UPI payments instead of cash (instead of UPI payments through the app, since they can access the money immediately). Depending on the city, app based rideshare may be not be reliable (especially in Bangalore).

In Bombay, Autos are very reliable and affordable, but you need to carry cash.