Driver Education DVD for Indians: FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about - Driving a Cultural Change Project Download Print Version

These videos are made in West (UK), why is that the case?

These videos are filmed in UK for various reasons.

• I am not aware of any place in India where I could get a chance to film vehicle drivers following all the rules. Hence the videos had to be filmed in UK.
• UK is ideal because the road rules are exactly the same as in India
• Also vehicles in UK are driven on the same side as in India (left of the road) and cars have a right hand drive as well.
• ''We have copied the West: Replaced the dhoti with denim, high rise buildings for Indian cottages, burgers and coke instead of Indian breads and perhaps sugarcane juice. Surely we can copy the Western ways of traveling too''.

The Western / UK drivers can follow rules more easily as the roads are bigger and number of vehicles very few.

• For practical reasons the videos had to be shot on a weekend (the only time I had). This has turned out to be advantageous as many things seen may not have been captured on film in typical rush hour traffic - most people are aware or can easily be shown pictures of what a rush hour in London looks like. Peak hour traffic moves at only 05-10 miles per hour - the roads are packed, yet no one breaks the law (in fact I have regularly been in ‘mile long queues’ without hearing the sound of a horn).
• Many Western cities have population densities similar to ours. In the Western world 80% use personal vehicles, this means car densities may be even higher than those seen on Indian roads.
• I can only try to assure you that most roads in UK are narrow/ narrower as they are in India. The only videos where you see 3 lanes are the ones on overtaking and speed limits (in the latter, there are many clips of narrow roads too). Overtaking footage needed me to have the angle of standing on a footbridge to catch the action on my camera; this does not mean overtaking on narrow roads happens without discipline. In fact video 2 has a bus at a bus stop and cars’ overtaking it - that road is one lane on each side with a central reserve.

Are these videos applicable to two / three wheel drives (bikes / rickshaws)?

The videos are applicable to all types of vehicles. It just happens that vehicles in UK (West) are largely cars. The videos are even more relevant to 2/3 wheel drivers. Often these vehicles do not have mirrors (definitely there is no rear view). This then makes checking blind spot more important for such drivers. The principle of MSM (video 2), dealing with traffic lights, dealing with junctions (giving way), dealing with roundabouts, speed limits, keeping safe distance (far more important for 2 wheelers which take longer to stop than cars), tailgating and the biggest of all - showing courtesy - everything applies to all types of vehicles, cyclists included.

Western Roads have very good signage; Indian roads have virtually no signage. How can one then expect Indian traffic to be disciplined?

That good road surfaces, quality signage, road markings, signals, etc are needed for traffic to be disciplined is a ‘myth’.

Concepts such as blind spots, principles such as Mirrors Signal & Manoeuvre, showing courtesy on roads, keeping to speed limits and safe distances (2 second rule) and much more has nothing to do with quality of roads or signage.

In fact in many towns and cities in India where signage is present people are seen regularly ignoring them – not stopping at red lights, not giving way to pedestrians (including the old and young children) at zebra crossings, passing in front (rather than around) the roundabouts as well driving on wrong side of the roads is very common.

Traffic problems has its roots elsewhere - not narrow roads which are poorly designed, not the multiplicity of different vehicles on our roads, not the lack of education as some want us to believe, not poor signage nor the fact that we are population of economically poor people.

The core is - where / when did we loose our civilised ways of living (most people rant about India and its grand civilisation) - the mutual respect for the other, value attached to life, the non-material and non-hedonistic values of our fore fathers. Where / Why have we lost our ability to be rational / use our common sense - We must be asking ourselves why we are in such a hurry that almost habitually most drivers start honking as signals turn from Orange to Green or how much time would be saved by stopping at signals well beyond the stop lines (on signal controlled zebras)?

Will these videos help bring about change in India’s road culture?

• As a Psychiatrist, I am constantly working at getting people to look at alternatives to the habitual (often problematic) ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. I often have to role model this to them. The videos provide an alternative model to people who until now have not been exposed to it. Hence I believe a lot can be achieved just by seeing them.
• There is always resistance to (change) any suggestion where ones core beliefs have to be set aside, its such a lot of hard work, that it is much easier to stay put with the old habits (no wonder the smoker smokes and an alcoholic drinks even more). It hence not going to be common for people in our shoes to be told ''some one else needs to change''. The educated will say the rickshaw drivers / lorry drivers need changing and I am sure the latter will say the so called educated classes have no clue about how to drive.
• Important question is – when and how soon will you start following the alternative model provided by the Driving a Cultural Change Project.

When we can copy the West and build multiplexes and shopping malls, use mobile phones and computers……surely we can copy their driving habits too.So give it a shot, use the videos. Check how well you do without honking for one day!!

Feel free to write to me with your thoughts or additional questions. I will do my best to get back to you.

Regards,

Dr Adhiraj Joglekar