Merging onto/off a highway in India: Who has the right of way?

Rules seldom matter on our roads sadly and common sense is tossed out of the window like a piece of candy wrapper fluttering away.

BHPian Ayson recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi, I'm looking for information along with the rule/ law/ act that I can refer regarding this situation.

I'd like to know the rules of the road, regarding 'right of way' on Indian roads. When a vehicle enters a bigger road from a smaller road, they have to wait for the bigger road to clear. Similarly, a vehicle exiting a highway onto a service road, has to be allowed in, by the service road vehicles, for the obvious reason that the vehicles behind on the highway are approaching at high speeds. If the vehicle on the highway waits for the service road to clear, they will be rear ended. I'm looking for what document I have to refer to know such right of way rules. I'm not talking about vehicles vs pedestrians or vs emergency vehicles, or intersections.

Any help is appreciated, thank you.

Here's what BHPian deathwlkr had to say on the matter:

Sadly we see a lot of accidents because of this carelessness by drivers. When you are merging onto the highway, you wait for a clear path before merging on.

When you are on the highway please keep an eye out and be prepared to avoid numbnuts who merge onto the highway without looking.

Rules seldom matter on our roads sadly and common sense is tossed out of the window like a piece of candy wrapper fluttering away.

Had a major accident scenario in my wife's extended family side with multiple deaths because a bus merged onto the highway without even slowing down and t-boning their car.

Here's what BHPian Mystic had to say on the matter:

I see Yield sign all over USA roads but never have seen it in India.

As per wiki:

In road transport, a yield or give way sign indicates that merging drivers must prepare to stop if necessary to let a driver on another approach proceed. A driver who stops or slows down to let another vehicle through has yielded the right of way to that vehicle.

Under the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, the international standard for the modern sign is an inverted equilateral triangle with a red border and either a white or yellow background.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say on the matter:

Motor vehicle rules .

Do note one thing - there is not one rule that would apply to a given scenario, there maybe multiple. However having the right of way does not ultimately make you a victim.

So that is why there is a difference between Law and Justice.

Always practice safe driving , slow down , observe and proceed only when it's safe for yourself and other motorists on the road.

Here's what BHPian chaitanyakrish had to say on the matter:

Ideally there will be deceleration lanes which are available near the exits which are separated from the main carriageway.
These deceleration lanes are sometimes created as a big cloverleaf to add more capacity to the exit lane without blocking the deceleration lane with traffic. Traffic exits slowly on the cloverleaf and reduces bottlenecks. We can find cloverleaf exits on NICE Road, Near Airport at Bengaluru and in many other cities as well.

This is the Bannerghatta Road exit on NICE Road, on the exit slip lane, the speed limit is 50kmph, so we need to drop speed even before we reach the spot.

This exit slip road has 2 lanes and if both of them are full in a hypothetical case, I will take the next exit as we shouldn't stop on the highway.

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