[Offroadthurster]

We need to drive safe because driving is the leading cause of fatalities, however most of the accidents are preventable.

Merely by focusing few points you can start your journey safe and sound:-

Pre Journey Startup check:-
Remember the word "POWERS"
P- Papers
O- Oil (engine oil, Gear Oil, Fuel etc).
W- Water (Coolant, wiper, etc.).
E- Electrical (Electrical system of vehicle, Horn, Light, indicator etc).
R- Rubber components (Tires, wipers, brakes etc).
S- Safety (First Aid, Fire Extinguisher, Seat belt etc).

and while driving make it a drive SMARRT :-
S- Search to the horizon
M- Maintain Space and visibility
A- Always move your eyes (don't turn you head to see, just manage with the eyes as far as possible).
R- Recognize the changing environment conditions
R- Respond in a safe and time effective manner
T- Take Control

some Do's and Don'ts (for take control or be seen):-
Do's:-
1. Be intentional when you drive.
2. Ensure the Road users are aware of your intentions by :-
(i) Using Headlights.
(ii) Using horn along with a hand wave or eye contact to communicate your presence
(iii) Using turn signals. (indicators)

Don'ts:-
1. Never assume that a driver is turning just because his turn signal is flashing, loo for other signals like change of speed or lane position.
2. Never assume that the other driver has seen you or your turn signal. look for a feedback to be sure.
3. Do not proceed further if you are not sure the other road user has seen you or there is no user.

[h3mnzu]

Whenever I drive in moderate traffic on the highways (usually well outside cities), the optimum speed makes me drive similar to the other majority of those present on the road.

Usually, 60% of the cars drive erratically, and while maintaining speed, distance from others and lane regulations; it so happens that my comfort zone of speed is spiked by the other rash drivers ahead and behind me.

Usually after some high speed spurts, I notice that there's a need to correct my speed and pace of lane changes. It becomes a series of cars all moving at high speed. I assume that everyone is either a skilled driver in this row, or is atleast using seat belts for all front-seat passengers.

How to move out of that situation?

Slow driving results in more correctional maneuvers and highly defensive driving to allow 10-20 cars to pass by. With each pass, a risk is taken.

Keeping up with others, it is assumed that until the road is good, our skills can endure for another 2 kilometers or so. So the focus is completely reliant on the road condition and other variables and spotting an ocassional idiot (figuratively, not a person, but the attribute given to the state of mind of someone who creates a hinderance to the fast moving traffic).

What are your strategies to keep yourself safely driving in this scenario?

Originally Posted by Arwin07

I am a experienced biker and done 1.2 lakhs+ kms but new to car driving.

Requesting advice regarding highway driving:
.
.
On the other hand, if I drive in fast lane, every 2 minutes or so cars doing 100+kmph honk at me to give way. I have to either move to slow lane or indicate the faster car to overtake from my left.

Same situation, but reverse. I'm new to bikes. And absolute mayhem it is to ride 2-wheelers these days!

I believe that every 4 wheeler driver should have atleast used a 2-wheeler once in life. If not, then they will be a risk to others on the road.

There are many 4-wheeler (car) drivers who have never had chance to be riders (of motorized 2-wheelers). They wouldn't have a clue what it means to have wind on your face and be exposed to elements like dust, rain, polluting smoke and wind bursts while riding.

They also have no idea how much gap, distance and leeway to give a rider of a 2-wheeler at various speeds.

Regarding your query, Arwin07:

Change lanes less often, enjoy your driving for now. Remember, your reflexes are better than the privileged others, who notice that you are maintaining the speed limits. And by this, you are not doing anything wrong. All good drivers want to overtake only from the right, unless it is impossible or unsafe.

When high-speed vehicles approach you, remember that they choose to be in a vehicle that is twice the number of tires, and many times bigger than the vehicles riding in the left lane for safety. And that should make them use their brakes more often.

Do not ever speed up for the fear of vehicles approaching from behind, keep an eye on them and notice that just before the moment they honk or flash a high-beam at you, there's also a slight moment when they minutely slow down. At that exact moment, just before they honk and flash, you need to convey your intention of not giving them way unless it is safe for all road users.

You may do this by slowing down. Yes. Not by applying brakes, but by letting go the pressure on the accelerator pedal. Just by a little margin.

And you'll be delighted at the response. You see, they do not mean to cause discomfort to themselves. Their own comfort is paramount. And you have given them a chance to relax. Let them disturb everyone by honking, flashing high beams etc. Make them believe that you are driving safe, at the speed limit.

Given a choice, these people will all say 2-wheelers are unsafe and they will never choose to even ride pillon on a 2-wheeler.

Given a choice, they will mostly chug along a little while and overtake you when safe. They will also take a breath of relief from driving fast all along.

Give them that choice. It sure passes in a fraction of a second, but you are already habituated to take split second descisions with your riding skills, is it not?

Before their patience goes haywire, pace up (which means gradually increase your speed to pass the left lane traffic) and then decide if you want to change the lane (if they are still following you and are helpless).

Don't change the lane if you have approached the speed limit by any chance. If they want to go at 140 kmph, they will find their own way to do it. Do not be an accomplice in their speeding pursuits.

I have come to know that this does not apply to following drivers:
1. Cargo Carriers and loader mini-vans, mini-trucks.

2. Distracted drivers.

3. Fully loaded vehicles with rear windshield occupied by bags, personal belongings.

4. Drivers with mobiles in hand.

For them, I sometimes use visual signals as an exception, like my palm raised towards my internal rear-view mirror (that's where their eyes are pointed) or an occasional hazard light to bring their attention to my inability to switch lanes or give them a pass. A few times, they oblige and get time to check their phones or the route and naturally slow down to do so.

Remember, by not allowing them to overtake unless safe, you are not committing a crime.

Further suggestions:

A. It will not hurt you to paste an L sign on your car if you are open to suggestions. Regular driving in different situations will make you perfect, not x number of kilometers.
I learnt driving in the hills, so even I'm not a perfect driver on straight stretches in a metropolitan city.

B. Be attentive always, always receptive to the senses of sight and sound while in a car.

C. Never play music so loud that your can not hear horns from the smallest vehicle in vicinity.

D. Always rely on your own judgement.

E. When with a front co-passenger, you can ask them to guide your when you feel necessary. But make sure they believe in defensive driving and are not merely sitting there for thrills. Rely on your own judgement, unless in an emergency. Even if, you are in an emergency, use your own judgement or designate an experienced driver to keep everyone safe.

F. At the first hint of drowsiness, always remember that you can park the car and take a nap. Even a 10 minute nap and splashing water on the face will refresh you to continue driving for another stretch. Cars are very good to sleep in, something you'll have never done on a 2-wheeler.

[1:1]

The horrible status of NH48 from Virar to Talasari.


I was out for a morning drive with family Mumbai to Hotel Ahura. We are fond of the morning drive, smooth drive and Bunmaska just makes it the best combination. Till now it was once a month affair for us.

What followed was a terrifying experience to say the least. More than 70% of the 100Km road is under concretization. This patch is one of the heaviest in terms of truck traffic.

To give you a glimpse of what went through here is the ODO reading.

200 km took us 9 hours!.



On the way realized there is traffic but not just traffic it’s a single lane left for down traffic with temporary dividers. As speed increased, I realized this isn’t safe or road worthy of driving even beyond 25kmph. I am a seasoned safe driver who rarely drives rash or speeds above 100. What scared the hell out of me were the road dividers (made from concrete square blocks and bamboo sticks). Many of these were broken and lying like broken toys on the road. By the looks of it looked like trucks would have just driven over them. And yes one of them did go under the car. I was praying and hoping none of the warning lights come up and luckily, they didn’t. Guessing the underbody cover saved the day. I am yet to take the car to the garage to check if there is any damage. We took a detour which took us additional 20km but lesser time which was through villages and road was better.

Also see how the metal rods are just left in open of the unfinished road, if anyone had to move in towards these open rods then for sure will have totally destroyed tyre.

https://youtu.be/cJGQos4RMF0

On the way back I was thinking if we should take a long detour and take the Nashik route. Google maps showed 2.5 hours on the way back so decided to take the same route. And my god the traffic was nothing less than driving survival video game. Of the three lanes we were in the middle lane with oncoming traffic on the other two lanes. To make things even worst some of the frustrated drivers were trying to overtake. I was Scared to the core to say the least. My nephew sitting next to me giggled and said this scene reminds him of the "India is not for beginners" meme floating around.



Then came the full halted traffic at Vasai under pass. Till now the only moving traffic was the one service road and here we were stuck for good 1 hour. I walked out to check how far are we, and found traffic cops halting traffic on purpose to clear the Vasai traffic and argued that two lanes above are meant for you guys why are you here now wait for your turn. Seems some VIP movement was also happening. There were some folks who had a flight to catch and were mostly going to miss it.

While a lot is being said and done in name of road safety but no one speaks about road safety while construction is going on.

[Kar_Om]

My long highway journeys have been mainly on Mumbai - Goa Highway, which was 2 lane highway and currently under upgradation to 4 lanes. I follow below practices which I have cultivated over last 8 years of driving:

1. Maintain speed between range of 40-80 KMPH depending upon terrain type, flat or ghat and traffic.
2. Avoid aggressive overtaking in 2 lane sections, especially during ghat.
3. Slowing down vehicle when arriving at small/big intersection specially in remote rural areas. There is always chance that someone will show up in front of your vehicle out of nowhere.
4. Using horn when overtaking a 2-wheeler, just to make them aware they are being overtaken.
5. Though it's not part of driving directly, i try to avoid heavy lunch during long highway journeys to avoid feeling sleepy and limit myself to Dal khichadi.

[kosjam]

Mumbai has again become a kind of island, as most of the access to the "mainland" is restricted.

With the exception of the Mumbai Pune Highway, all roads leading out of Mumbai have some or the other form of construction going on, whether towards the North, South or North East...

The State government is just not bothered to address this situation, with the maximum efforts being mere band aids on gaping wounds.

[Rshrey22]

NH48 is quite in a rough shape. Recently went from Gurgaon to Ringus, and it was pathetic. Whole drive was just me wrestling with trucks, potholes and irresponsibly placed dividers. This coupled with 4 massive jams made the drive extremely exhausting. This road is in tatters, to the extent that it is actually dangerous to drive on this national highway.

[Auto_guy_101]

I have been making regular Kochi - Bangalore trips in the last year (mostly solo drives) and recent increase in travel times, change in route options, new/ optional toll roads etc. have made me ponder about a few things.

I used to previously take the Kochi - Coimbatore - Erode - Salem - Krishnagiri route, which is full of tolls. However, I've begun to notice that what used to be a 8 hr drive + ~2 hrs in stops has now turned into a 10hr drive + stops. I've also noticed:
- Somewhat heavy traffic on the Kochi-Thrissur stretch even at 6am, which combined with the many signals makes this one of the slowest stretches
- Increasingly high traffic in Angamaly, which is going to become a major issue as this area is crucial to anyone travelling towards the south of Kerala.
- Potholes and patched uneven roads from LnT exit to Perundurai Toll.
- Hosur where one could easily end up wasting an hour.
- Good eateries on the way for south Indian or fast food options

But the worst part of this route is the many many diversions put up in the TN stretch and the barricades placed to check speeding, which some cars use as an excuse to overtake. Mind you, this route has tolls of about Rs. 1100 (some 7-8 toll booths) and the wait time at these booths despite Fastag is ridiculous at times (Esp. the Thrissur one).

I discovered the Kochi-Coimbatore-Satyamangalam/ Bhavani Sagar dam - Chamraj Nagar - Channapatna - New Mysore Expressway - Nice road - Bangalore to be almost the same time on google maps (+ some 20km shorter) and tried this route for a change. It has:
- Most empty roads with a good portion being 2 laned
- Mostly good roads, with limited twists except the 20 odd hairpins in the border area
- A ridiculous number of speed breakers (imagine having one every 100m - like at the start of the forest roads just after Sathy)
- A somewhat dangerous set of hairpins where you should be a little careful. But they're fun!
- Mostly no good eateries in between till the Mysore expressway

But this highway experiment makes me wonder:
1. Are speed breakers really a good solution? Can't experts think up of a way that's more comfortable to the passenger (because unless you have air suspension, most humps are felt inside pretty well)?

2. Where is traffic in Kerala headed? Kochi is already just as bad as other metros and unless you know a few shortcuts, the travel is going to take up a lot of time. They also have way too many signals in the NH from the airport.

3. We mostly pay the toll to avoid some traffic, signals and generally get better mileage and shorter running time. What if a tolled road is experiencing regular blockages? Or a tolled road is being serviced in a manner that severely impacts travel time?

4. When I had my 1.6 MT petrol NA vento, I used to maintain good triple digit speeds on the highway, redline the engine at signals and have experienced the limits of that car. But I used to still manage decent mileage (16 - highway, 10-11 - city). However, with my 1.5 DSG Kushaq, and a far more controlled driving (cruise control too), mileage seems to have taken a hit (15 - highway, 7-9 - city), despite turbo engines being far more efficient especially at highway speeds. The regret of not getting a 2.0 diesel seems to be deepening. Is it me or is it the car? What can I be doing wrong?

5. I've started to focus on my avg speed and want to maintain it at 60+, but it seems to hover around 48-55. What would be a good highway avg (as per MID, not the speed range one would maintain)?

[Itty]

Sharing my two cents on how to navigate Indian highways safer and enjoy the drive. That is with the little experience I have garnered over years on the road.

Hope this will be useful to fellow traveller's who LIVE TO DRIVE.

Our highways for nearly 95% pass through rural agrarian parts. Farmers around here having been cultivating their land living here for generations.
We have build highways through them. But to a great extend they still consider they have right of way. We traveller's come second. There is nothing we can do about this.

Cars nowadays are able to achieve tremendous speeds. You have to be alert every second and keep in mind something is going to jump in front of you. Be it cattle, dogs or humans. Something can even fall of a moving vehicle. Whatever speed you are at, you have to be sure you can get the car to stop without colliding with the obstacle and at the same time not have someone coming at the back to hit you. So if in an emergency you sudden brake remember to use the hazard blinkers. So atleast you are able to warn the vehicle coming behind. Remember he is not able to see what you are seeing. And for god's sake those hazard blinkers are not for you to indicate you are going straight. It is when you have to do an emergency stop or when you park on the side.

Now let me give you few tips.

a) Ideally try and start your drive around 5:00am and stop by 5:00pm. This way you don't feel the fatigue. Starting at 5 am helps you to avoid the traffic in cities. Otherwise when you leave late first thing in the morning you encounter traffic and that get's very frustrating. You will take few hours to come out of that.
Stop or halt at 5:00pm as by them slowly your mind becomes tired and concentration will start to waiver. This is because over the last few hours from when you started your mind has been concentrating. 12 hours and slowly your mind will start getting tired. It's inevitable. But you will think let me try and cover more distance. Try and sleep early, so you can wake at 4:00am and and be ready to start by 5:00am.
I strictly don't recommend night driving! When the sun goes down, you stop.

b) Drive with your headlight ON in low beam. When you approach a vehicle from behind put it into high beam. This way other vehicles are able to see you before they hear your horn. Remember that some truckers would be driving non stop and fatigue would have kicked in. But they will see a headlight approaching.

Even for people crossing the road, they are able to judge better when they see a light.
Should I cross now or shall I wait for that car to pass?

c) At intervals where not much pollution, turn off the AC air circulation in the car. This will let in some outside air and with it oxygen which will help you stay fresh.

d) Turn the music off in between and listen to the car for any unusual sound. Look at the gauges too to see if anything out of the ordinary.

Carry an electronic tyre air pump and also a jumper cable. Just in case. In some cases for hundreds of kilometres you will not see a soul.

e) Be aware of your surroundings. Look at the rear view mirror to see if anyone approaching you from behind. If he is faster than you, out of courtesy give way. Extreme right lane is for the faster cars

f) At blind turns most of the time there will be a cutting in the median to enter a village. Always remember there are chances that there will, bikers, cars, people and animals waiting to cross. So slow down, honk as you approach. Like I said before, the people living around here still think they have right of way.

g) In very interior parts, only cash is accepted for fuel. No credit card or UPI payments. ONLY CASH. So carry enough cash and keep checking your fuel gauge and figure out when you need to refuel.

Also in some parts you can go long distances without a fuel station. So plan ahead!

h) Every highway has many fastag toll booths now. If you have a fastag doesn't mean the other person also has one. Most of the toll booths have many counters. When you are approaching a toll booth you are usually doing an inky pinky ponky on which counter to go to. Try and figure out well ahead which lane is moving faster. But chances are that you would have picked one where the person in front doesn't have enough balance or does not have a tag. There is no point getting frustrated or honking. It will take a bit longer than usual.

i) Carry enough water and do not litter or throw out bottles or anything not degredable. Be sensitive to your surroundings.

j) Trucks will always drive mostly on the right most lane meant for the faster vehicles. No matter what you do, he is not going to move aside for you. So check carefully and overtake through the left. Preferably a honk and high beam just to let him know you are passing.

Then comes the most dangerous dare devil's who will drive opposite direction of you is most cases on the extreme left but some are braver and come at you in your same lane. So be aware he is not going to slow down.
They do this as they are trying to save few kilometres travelling in the opposite direction. Now with our highways for the villagers if they have to get somewhere in the opposite direction, they have to travel further few kilometres and do a U turn. To save on this they put theirs and our lives at risk. For them it's something normal and an everyday affair. Believe me it's not just bikes, cycles or cars. Even big trucks.

k) Have a working dashcam. You not only get to capture the beautiful scenery but also are able to get evidence god forbid if anything untoward happens.

l) Always indicate when changing lanes, so that others know. Put your indicator on is not an instruction for the car behind to pass. Your indicator is only to tell other cars on what you are going to do.

m) Take a stop for 5 minutes maybe once in three hours. Stretch your legs, bite into a biscuit/snack have some water.

n) Plan your meals. If you see a decent clean dhaba or restaurant stop there and have something. I will stop at the next better one might be another 200kms away. Also carry some fruits and eatables with you.

o) In the morning before you start, walk around the car, inspect your tyres, open the bonnet to see if anything unusual. Fill up the wind shield wiper liquid.

Lastly enjoy your drive. Don't get angry or frustrated for other people's mistakes as that will spoil your day. You are on the road to have a great time enjoy the drive what you like most. Don't let another put you in a bad mood.

If any of my information is wrong, please feel free to correct me and share your thoughts and inputs.

Cheers

[Vikash Kumawat]

I have seen some stupids/legends using hazard lights while driving the car, even there are some YouTubers who have millions of subscribers use hazard lights while raining and fog, these things mislead the people, hazard lights are to be used while in any breakdown or your car parked just near the road.

[vidyanand]

Great post in my opinion, was pleasantly surprised that some checks we do as part of driving, without calling it out, is listed as well. Kudos!

My quick advice I give to my friends driving in India (compared to say USA) is that "even if you see a stone on ground while driving, just be prepared that it will make a sudden motion and come in your path". Now if they can take care of it at 30kmph or 130kmph is entirely their call and their vehicle's capacity .
I myself drive by this rule.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by Vikash Kumawat

I have seen some stupids/legends using hazard lights while driving the car, even there are some YouTubers who have millions of subscribers use hazard lights while raining and fog, these things mislead the people, hazard lights are to be used while in any breakdown or your car parked just near the road.

My experience of hazard lights is totally different and how it has been effective for me, here the car speeds are way high, so when a car is ahead of you say around 400m, human brain won’t be able to perceive its true speed, now if this distance is longer than this, it’s bit more difficult for you to comprehend the actual speed.

So if the lead car 400m ahead switches the hazard light, I get aware in time for the some oncoming hazard in time, doesn’t matter if it’s stopped or broken down and I can slow down the vehicle in time rather than hard braking at the fag end. This feature is very very common here and everyone uses it when rapidly deaccelrating from high speeds. Have saved me zillion times. So I’m happy among the stupids if it saves me and appreciate the stupids who give that signal well in time irrespective of what the law/rule says.

[Vikash Kumawat]

Originally Posted by NomadSK

This feature is very very common here and everyone uses it when rapidly deaccelrating from high speeds. Have saved me zillion times. So I’m happy among the stupids if it saves me and appreciate the stupids who give that signal well in time irrespective of what the law/rule says.

Yes, exactly use hazards only when you see any emergency or hazardous situation in front of you, but I am targeting those who use these lights in rain and fog, even in some rural areas I have seen such people who riding Splendor or a Mahindra Pick up using hazards just to show off. Infact people remove the indicators and use police lights instead

[arjunsatheesh]

A tip given to me by a friend who spends a lot of time on the highways is that to clear toll booths faster, keep to the left side counters. We tend to go toward the toll counters on the right side. The left-side ones usually(not always) don't have much rush. Has worked for me a lot of times.

[RunGaDa]

Very good points. Will add a few as I found helpful.
1. Always keep a two liter used soft drink bottle filled with water for windshield and rear glass cleaning. Keep a cleaning cloth handy too. A clean and noticeable car always is a safe car.
2. When entering a village stretch passing through a highway be very careful as tendency is to drive and get through fast. Most speed breakers are unmarked in such places, plus chances of villagers crossing the road.
3. Use tilt and telescopic options of the steering wheel to your comfort and benefit in long drives. It reduces fatigue to some extent.
4. Keep sunglasses handy and generally have light weight sunglasses for driving. This helps in reducing tiredness of the eyes.
5. Be compassionate to older folks and animals when they tend to block or walk by the side of the road. We can do so much for someone who may not be able to afford a car but needs to use the road for daily chores.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by NomadSK

This feature is very very common here and everyone uses it when rapidly deaccelrating from high speeds. Have saved me zillion times. So I’m happy among the stupids if it saves me and appreciate the stupids who give that signal well in time irrespective of what the law/rule says.

I agree that in Europe / western countries where the traffic moves at very high speeds, Hazard lights flash in the event of braking / rapid decelaration owing to slow moving vehicle or an obstacle ahead. I just read on internet the following in this regard and I believe you are refering to this ESS function.

Emergency stop signalling is a lighting function wherein the vehicle's stop (brake) lights and/or hazard/turn indicators flash in phase at 3 to 5 Hz under heavy or urgent braking. The emergency stop signal is automatically activated if the vehicle speed is greater than 50 km/h (31 mph) and the emergency braking logic defined by regulation No. 13 (heavy vehicles), 13H (light vehicles), or 78 (motorcycles) is activated; the ESS may be displayed when a light vehicle's deceleration is greater than 6 m/s2 (20 ft/s2) or a heavy vehicle's deceleration is greater than 4 m/s2 (13 ft/s2), and the ESS must be discontinued once the vehicle's deceleration drops below 2.5 m/s2 (8.2 ft/s2)

So, there are a set of guidelines when and under what circumstances the harzard light could be used when a vehicle in front of you slows down or there is an obstacle is on the road. The ESS also mandates the circumstances when it must be engaged and when it must be discontinued.

As they say, be a Roman in Rome and I believe for some one driving in Europe/ Western country/USA the hazard lights are used in a way that is conducive to those driving / road environments.

However, in India, I agree with Vikash Kumavat regarding the usage of hazard lights. In India, we don't have the ESS nor the vehicle speeds are as high as in western countries. With the given road conditions, traffic density, the vehicle speeds are much lower here.

Now, coming to the rear lights on a car, every car has a multitude of rear lights, each with it's own function.
1. Tail lights or rear position lights: These lights switch on when the headlight is switched on.
2. Turn signal lights: These lights are used during changing lanes or taking a turn.
3. Brake lights: These lights illuminate when the driver presses the brake and the car slows down. They function irrespective of the other lights being ON (That is even if the headlights are OFF and either turn signal lights are ON or OFF)
4. Hazard lights: These lights are usually used as indicators and are used when your vehicle is stationary or there is an obstruction on a motorway.
5. Reversing light: These lights illuminate when the reverse gear is engaged and assist in reversing the vehicle.

So, we see that there are various lights for particular scenarios. Brake lights for braking, reversing lights for reversing, tail lights, turn signal lights and the hazard lights.

On Indian roads, when there is a perceived obstacle ahead, say a slow moving truck or a cyclist jovially riding without a care or a police barricade, the driver presses the brake and the brake lights illuminate. Brake lights are quite bright and very conspicuos and that should alert any vehicle coming behing it to slow down. Now if some one says the hazard light should be switched ON because the vehicle in front slowed down for whatever reason, then,
1. what is the whole point of having the brake light?
2. what about the distraction for switching ON the hazard lights as that switch is different and has to be manually switched ON
3. Why doesn't the manufacturer integrate the Hazard light with the brake light so that everytime the brakes are applied, the brake light and the Hazard light both illuminate / flash simultaneously.
4. Why does the manufacturer think that they should have separate brake light and hazard lights if they are meant to be used together?
5. What exactly is the definition of Hazard? A slow moving vehicle or rain or fog or breakdown / disabled vehicle or police barricade or village traffic or some stone or animal loitering on the road?

If one considers a slow moving vehicle or rain or fog as hazard then I may not fully agree with their view. Rain or Fog or driving in a tunnel are not hazards but an inconvenience as driving conditions are a bit demanding. However these situations are not life threatening and the car is provided with rain wipers, fog lamps and head lamps for these very purpose.

Once, I was with a friend driving in rain and he switched ON the hazard light. I asked him, why did he do that? he replied that, it's raining and he wants to warn others about his presence. I pointed him to all the other cars that were moving on the road without the hazard light ON. I asked him, could you see that? He said, Yes. My question was, if you could see the cars without Hazard lights ON, what makes you think that they cannot see you with your Hazard lights OFF? To which, he replied, I don't feel comfortable driving in rain as visibility is low and hence I use the hazard light. I said, Fine enough, valid argument. If you are not comfortable driving in rain because the rain makes the visibility low, then you shouldn't be driving the car in the first place as you are an Hazard to other drivers. you should get off the road and stop driving till the condition improves. You shouldn't drive if you feel that driving conditions are not conducive to you. I again asked him, 'If you haven't slept for the last 24 hours and driving and feeling sleepy on the wheels, what would you do? Switch ON the hazard light and drive or get off the road and take a nap for a couple of hours? . The reply was ' I would get off the road and take a nap for an hour or two, till I feel better and fresh'.

So, there's a difference between a hazardous situation and an irritant situation. A broken down car in the middle of the road is hazardous and so we have hazard lights, driving in rain is not hazardous and we have rain wipers for the same.

Letus say, we switch ON the Hazard light when we drive in rain, fog, tunnel, when the vehicle in front slows down, when there is a police barricade or passing through a village. So for every perceived obstacle we switch ON the hazard light. Good enough. Now let us say, it is night and my car has broken down on the road and I switch ON the hazard light. What are the chances that some one driving, sees the hazard lights of my car ON and thinks that it is a moving car instead of a stationary car and continues to drive ( say albeit a little slowly) and when he realises that the car is stationary and not moving, it will already be late and he will ram into the stationary car. Why? because he was expecting a moving vehicle and a stationary car is a surprise to him.

Let us say, every one switches ON their hazard lights ONLY when there is a real emergency or hazard such as break down/ disabled car. Now when any one sees the hazard lights ON, they immediately know that there is a real emergency / hazard, perhaps a disabled / broken down car or an accident and that the vehicle is stationary or a disabled vehicle being towed. Every one is on the same page.

I have many times mistaken a stationary / disabled car on the road with hazard lights ON to be a moving car and surprised when I came closer.

There's one more hazard with using hazard lights that is when you use the turning lights. WHen hazard lights are ON and you want to change lane or take a turn and use your turn indicators ON, I am not sure if the vehicle behind will know your intentions to turn or change lane as hazard lights flashes both rear indicator lights simultaneously. Recipe for a mishap? maybe.

I have no issues with people using Hazard lights for everything from rain, fog, tunnel, police barricade, slow moving truck, village crossing etc. In such an event, I wonder what will they use to indicate an actual hazard such as a breakdown of their vehicle that is stationary on the road? what is the differentiator between a hazard and inconvenience and driving hassle or irritant? If everything is same, then why bother, why not club the brake lights with hazard lights so that both illuminate / flash when the brakes are applied or even keep hazard lights permamently flashing ( some bikers have it on their motorcycles) because in India, there is an obstacle on the road, every kilometer or every 2 minutes.

To conclude, I know that people will do what they have been doing all the while. drivers who use the hazard light in rain and fog will continue to do so. Some other drivers ( neo drivers) think that's the right thing to do and blindly adopt it in their driving habit without questioning or critical thinking. This habit will continue. Then there will be accidents on the road when cars hit the stationary vehicles and there are fatalities. In fact if you notice, there are a hell lot of accidents happening on Indian roads where a moving vehicle collides with a stationay vehicle resulting in fatalities. These type of accidents are in the news on daily basis. Did many of these drivers see the hazard lights of stationay vehicles and concluded that they are moving vehicles only to be proven wrong and giving up their life in the process?

As a person who has been driving for over 4 decades now, I use the Hazard lights only when my car had broken down / disabled / met with an accident and is an obstacle to the other moving vehicles on the road OR if my car is being towed. Other than these 2 situations, I have never used the hazard lights. I don't think I ever will use it while driving in the rain or fog or in a tunnel. Those are not hazards, they are normal driving irritants requiring more mindful driving and alertness from our end.

Again guys, I could be totally wrong here. These topics are highly debatable and each one of us have their own experience to prove a point eitherway. So, if you think you are safe and right in using Hazard lights under various circumstances, please feel free to continue. But as we all learn more about hazard lights and their usage, please be alert and careful in this matter. Drive carefully.