Observations on traffic behaviour on Indian highways

These trucks are lane squatters and it looks like there's nothing that can be done to change this driving behaviour.

BHPian Early_Adopter recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Yesterday, I was driving on a 2 x 2 Lane National Highway between Hyderabad and Vijayawada and came up with this interesting observation.

The highway traffic reconfigures itself around the trucks!

Let me try and elaborate: When there are only 2 lanes, the slow-moving heavy truck drivers end up occupying both the lanes at their own whim. They just wouldn't move from whichever lane they are in, for the other vehicles to pass. This way, the people that drive cars and other vehicles end up weaving in and out of the lanes around the trucks resulting in dangerous manoeuvring at high speeds.

If there are 2 slow-moving trucks on both the two lanes in parallel, then, the entire traffic at that moment completely slows down, until one of them barely passes the other and then the charade starts - each car tries to squeeze in between the narrow space of the two trucks across two lanes and then there's this slow-moving truck ahead and the saga continues

In summary, the entire traffic system consisting of a multitude of vehicles reconfigures itself around the trucks. So, it is not the traffic rules, the road designs, the regulations that dictate highway driving - it is just the truck drivers that decide how the others drive on the highways.

I find it annoying yet am amused at the whole thing.

A quick disclaimer though: I have not been driving on Indian highways for long. Having driven for many years abroad, I certainly find it strange that one particular type of road user decides on how all the other road users should drive on highways.

These trucks are lane squatters and it looks like there's nothing that can be done to change this driving behaviour. The collateral damages are unwarranted accidents due to weaving and weaving out of lanes by the other vehicles, slowing down the entire traffic at various points along the highway.

I look forward to hearing diverse views from others.

Cheers

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

Looking at this from the point-of-view of the trucks:

Unlike cars, it is not easy for them to regain speed. It is important for them to conserve whatever momentum they have. Therefore, when a truck is moving in one lane and another has more momentum, the driver takes another lane so as to overtake. If the difference in speed is marginal, it seems to take forever for the other vehicles behind them. The trucks generally don't occupy all lanes with an express intent of slowing down other vehicles. And once they have passed the slower truck, they stick to their current lane till the traffic behind allows them to safely switch to a lane of their choice. Unlike smaller vehicles, they cannot and do not suddenly change lanes.

Regarding cars manoeuvering at dangerous speeds: the reluctance to drop speed is a major cause of mishaps. Cars can easily pick up speed, and unlike trucks, there is no pressing need to conserve as much momentum as possible.

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

Trucks in India are not just lane squatters, but they are fast lane squatters. And in general, I don't agree with the sentiment that trucks need to maintain momentum and therefore, they will overtake at a snail's pace blocking the entire highway. That is just not fair.

Limit their speed to 40kmph and restrict them to the left-most lane. They would hardly gain a few seconds with their shenanigans and by squatting the fast lane and forcing other vehicles to overtake from the left, they are causing more danger on highways.

I find it funny that truckers in the US are considered to be the ones who enforce safety on highways whereas in India they almost definitely force us to make unsafe moves.

I do not want to overtake from the left side. But 7/10 times that's what I end up doing because the truck is squatting the fast lane.

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

Such a rule exists, and every country has it.

As per AIS standards on gradability, a truck loaded to gross weight has to be able to start from a dead stop and gain a particular speed within 25 m on a 1:7 gradient.

This speed and standard differ country to country:

In Indian conditions it is 8 km/h, other countries like Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina etc follow the same.

For Eastern Europe, Russia, CIS countries it is 10 km/h

Mexico, Canada and USA have 16 km/h whereas Western Europe has 19 km/h.

Another measure is Ramp merging which is not applicable in India, where the vehicle has to gain a particular speed in a particular distance on a mild incline while merging onto an elevated highway.

There is a third measure called incline break, where they gauge how much the speed of a vehicle will fall on a 1:50 gradient. India and other countries in the same group allow 40kph here, whereas it is 45 mph (72 km/h) in the US and 80 km/h in Europe.

Rules are rules if they apply to all, including road construction. Roads are also built as per rules. We have ghats with gradients steeper than 1:7 even on E-ways. We also have speed breakers at the beginning of flyover ramps where the loaded vehicles will have to slow to 20 kph and again start accelerating.

Lastly, do we think of local commuters residing near highways, as and when police implement the rules and force trucks to LH lane on 4 lane stretches, accidents involving local bikers increase in numbers, police know this and implement these rules for a few days after festive seasons when a lot of car users complain, and then stop it?

Lastly when one truck running at say 60 overtakes another running at say 50, how many people have the patience to let the overtaking truck change his lane again, truckers drive maintaining distance ahead of them, and this truck is not going to change lane until he has about 50 M Gap, and suppose there is another slow truck ahead of the first slow truck, this truck has no option but to overtake the second one too before changing lanes, but cars are not going to wait, but overtake Truck 1 from RH then Truck 2 on LH and again truck 3 from RH again saying that truck 2 is occupying the fast lane.

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

I have been driving on the highways for over 1 lakh km now. I have had close calls with moronic car drivers with their blind overtakes, lane cutting, tail gating what not. Never, I repeat, never have I had any issues with long haul truck drivers. They are the most disciplined. I totally don't mind if they are on the right most lane or running a slow manoeuvre, I will wait.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.