Today, there is a rapid growth of road-commuters, as a result of increasing population, leading to road-congestion and traffic-blockage. At this stage, road ethics and proper road usage becomes all the more important. The foolowing points need to be kept in mibd and proper road manners need to be followed.

Follow Traffic Signs

Traffic rules play a great role in inculcating a sense of traffic in the minds of the drivers. Unfortunately, in India, unlike in the West, more stress is given on how to drive the vehicle rather than on how to behave on the road while driving. A training on the traffic rules is a mere one-day session, before the actual training which nobody takes seriously. Therefore, awareness on the basic traffic signs is one of the key needs of the hour. The traffic signs can be can be classified as:

A) Mandatory signs: These signs are usually depicted in a circular shape and are to be followed strictly to avoid any sort of confrontation by the police. Common ones among them include:

B) Warning and Regulatory: These are triangular signs, on a white background that indicate a warning to travellers of the situation ahead like a steep hill or a dangerous curve. Some such signs are:

• Stop: This is usually seen in traffic signal at intersection, indicating the vehicle to stop in order to avoid a potential traffic jam.

• Pedestrian Crossing: Indicates a pedestrian/zebra crossing ahead, usually at intersections. The pedestrians can use this crossing and safely cross the road.

• Bumps on the surface: This indicates that speed breakers are ahead of you and you need to slow down.

• T intersection: This sign indicates that the road bifurcates into right and left, with no road straight ahead. It, therefore, signifies that a person needs to look for approaching vehicles at the junction before proceeding.

• Railway Crossing: This indicates a railway crossing ahead, thus warning people to be extra cautious of approaching trains.

• School zone: This sign is indicative of a school ahead. It is always a nice habit to slow down at this place, and see if any children are nearby. Likewise, it is also wise to allow other emergency vehicles like fire brigades and ambulances.

At night time, usually blinkers are put on at intersections to inform night-commuters of the crossing. Headlights can be switched on, but it is better to dim them to reduce the glaring effect.

C) Guidance and Direction:  These signs are designed to guide tourists and other travellers. It helps the people to gauge their location and thus, take the right course. They are usually with a yellow, green or white background such as below:

D) Information Signs: These are the type of traffic signs which are meant to inform the motorist regarding  the presence of tourist spots, hotels etc. Some of these are:

Give signals when changing lanes

Giving signals to fellow drivers and to pedestrians when you turn to a right or left lane is a sign of good road ethics. Always indicate your intention to change lanes by signally with the hand or with the head lights.

Do not indulge in Speeding/Overtaking

This is another important factor for today’s road accidents, especially when children/old people are around. The ideal speed when going on a bike would be 42-45 km/hr, considering India’s traffic conditions. As far as possible, avoid overtaking. In case it is required, it needs to be done from the right as overtaking from the left can prove to be dangerous.

Do not blow horn incessantly

It is not prudent to keep blowing the horn if not necessary as it distracts the fellow commuters and can even make them feel irritated.

Do not Squeeze vehicles through traffic

It is usually seen that few motorists squeeze their way through traffic, especially at traffic signals, thus changing the course of their vehicle, and at intersections.  This habit of winding one’s way through traffic confuses other commuters. It also reflects improper road ethics and should be avoided, if possible.

Leave the pavements for pedestrians

Using pavements in order to go faster should be avoided at all costs as pavements are for pedestrians only and should be used only for walking purposes.

Use Helmet/Seatbelts

Putting on helmets when driving two wheelers, and seatbelts when riding four wheelers is for our safety and protection. In many cities, as in Bangalore, it has been made compulsory for two-wheeler drivers to wear helmets. For extra safety, those who are riding pillion can also be encouraged to put on helmets.

Follow Proper Parking habits

Parking of vehicles is equally important to avoid inconvenience to fellow-commuters and to leave sufficient parking space for others.

• It is wise to park vehicles in a straight lane, diagonally, to make full use of the available parking space, without blocking the road.
• It is unwise to park in front of homes or offices. Also, avoid footpath parking.
• Parking in the ‘NO PARKING ZONE’ is against law and invites trouble. The below traffic sign is also equivalent to NO PARKING board.

Improper parking only increases road-congestion and causes a huge amount of inconvenience to other persons.

Avoid Drunken driving

Driving in an inebriated state is another major reason for road accidents. It reflects a total lack of concern for road ethics and questions the basic values of humanity.  Drunken driving has assumed huge importance, especially after recent episodes of alcoholic person, mowing down people and causing injury to several others. The permissible level of alcohol in the blood during driving is 30 ml. Any level above this threshold proves to be dangerous to self and others. Drivers of heavy vehicles are more prone to this habit, and therefore have to be tracked upon.

Encourage vehicle pooling

Always check out if vehicle pooling(or sharing rides) is possible. This would reduce traffic congestion, need for petrol, and brings in a hot of other advantages.

Last, but not the least, check the condition of your vehicle before you go for a drive. Make sure that your petrol tanks are filled, your brakes are functioning well, your tyres are well-inflated etc. Use the right kind of petrol for your vehicle, with less/ no kerosene mixed in it (as is used by most autos, thereby increasing pollution). Clean the carburettor once in a while and service your vehicle at regular intervals to reduce air/noise pollution.