#BeTheBetterGuy - Lane Discipline and Over-Speeding

In this final part of the three part series, we urge you to be the #bethebetterguy by considering sticking to your lane as we give you all the reasons why you should and the importance of lane division. There's also the bane that is over-speeding and it's disastrous consequences that we remind you of and share a few nifty tips on avoiding it.

This is the most common violation on Indian roads. People end up sneaking into the wrong lane all in a bid to save some time or even fuel considering the guided U-turn is a few meters away. The amount of time you spend idling to find the right time to pounce on oncoming traffic is far more than going a few meters and taking a turn safely. Then there is the fear of getting caught or getting involved in an accident. Wrong way driving will never save your time or fuel! It will add to your woes most often.

We must also add here that the government is working towards safer roads and a common sight these days are the guided U-turns. They have barricades on both sides and this makes merging into traffic far safer. But here too people are often seen going the wrong way. Please note that these turns are nothing short of being blind corners and the driver coming from the opposite direction will not be able to see you. Please do not delve into this sort of an antic.

The most astonishing thing though is the fact that a lot of people tend to use the fast lane as their choice while on the wrong side. Please note that India works on a RHD format, but that does not change just because you chose to go the wrong way. You might be on the slowest lane as per your position, but in reality it is the fastest or the overtaking lane for oncoming traffic. It is also to be noted that most insurance companies will not consider giving you the claim if caught breaking a rule. So avoid being on the wrong lane and go further.

Every time we venture out on the road, there is a barrage of markings we see. Every motor vehicles department across the world have worked hard to create these basics of the road and they are there to guide us and keep us safe. But have you ever thought about them or wondered what they actually mean? In this section we will talk all about them and tell you their functions.

The broken white line gives us the permission to change lanes, overtake and take U-turns. However it must be taken into consideration that before we execute any of these manoeuvres, we have to check our surroundings, oncoming traffic and the traffic behind.

On this road, we are not allowed to overtake other vehicles or take U-turns. This is mostly the case when the road is narrow and because traffic is generally heavy. At the same time, these are seen on hilly roads where there are frequent blind corners. Top tip; never attempt an overtake around a corner.

A continuous yellow line means that we need to stay within the yellow line. On the upside, it allows us to overtake as long as we stay within the yellow line. These roads are usually seen in areas with low visibility to establish that we need to stay on our side of the road.