How to communicate with other drivers on the road & why?

The horn is perhaps the most abused component of a car in India.

BHPian SS-Traveller recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Aristotle the legendary Greek philosopher said, “Man is by nature a social animal.” Man cannot live alone. He must satisfy certain natural basic needs in order to survive. He has to enter into relationships with his fellow men to live a life. No man can break the shackles of mutual dependence. (Link)

Driving safely is dependent on establishing relationships and communicating with your fellow road users as well. But the modern car only allows limited means of communication with others, using two basic modes:

• Lights
• Sound

In addition, we in India have improvised a few other communication methods that are not in use in the rest of the world, and I shall describe those at the end.

So how do we go about using these communication tools, as well as recognize when others are using them? And why do we need to communicate at all?

A vehicle is expected to go straight and follow its lane. Any deviation from that course needs to be communicated to others behind and ahead of the vehicle. The only means available to do so is the indicators on each side (and no, turning on the indicators on both sides, i.e. the hazard lights, does not mean you are going straight!).

Indicators should compulsorily be used both to execute a turn and when changing lanes.

The minimum time gap between turning on your indicator in a particular direction to alert others in the vicinity, and actually changing direction should be at least 3 seconds or 3-5 flashes of the indicator light.

Why indicate? It is necessary to announce your intention to turn or deviate from your path well in advance so that others can take avoidance measures to avoid crashing into you. This does not mean that you ignore the necessity of checking your surroundings visually, including mirror checks and shoulder checks.

Continue reading BHPian SS-Traveller's communication methods for more insights and information.