Driving in Delhi
Sunday, October 31, 2010 at 1:30 PM 
Photograph courtesy of Sarah Mellor
I'm in India! In Delhi, for the time being.
This is a city where a simple taxi ride is a hair-raising, death-defying adventure in itself. Over the years, we've laughingly told stories about the hairy way people drive in, say, Italy or Ireland. Forget it! The worst of European driving now seems positively pedestrian and oh so staid in comparison.
In Delhi, lanes appear to be painted on the roads purely for decorative purposes - not as an actual guide for where you might drive. Any kind of 'vehicle' seems permitted on any kind of road. After all, wobbling a bicycle, laden with a man, three washing-machines and two fridges, along a motorway is a brilliant idea. Isn't it?
Keeping your distance is a totally alien concept here. The most vital part of a car is its horn. And seat belts - what are those? As for the perfectly good pavements and sidewalks....why use them when you can take your life in your hands and wander carelessly down the middle of a road thick with fast-moving traffic instead?
A cousin of ours tells us that drivers in this city have lightning reflexes and a telepathic road awareness. They must have.
I'm steadfastly refusing to google the number of accidents on Delhi's roads each day. I've better things to do.
Reader Comments (3)
Oooh, a scary post for Halloween! Stay safe, Helen!
helen! i've been thinking of you, wondering when you'd be off on your trip! funny thing, i've been thinking of india all day long. just posted a long one about my time in india 20 years ago: http://www.eyechai.com/blog/2010/11/1/monday-memories-desperately-seeking-india.html
enjoy yourself in that amazing country. will look so forward to all your tales and images.
xh
Ah... Relax and enjoy the beautifully chaotic aliveness of it all!
Hope you get to Old Dehli. The sights, sounds, smells, the swirling humanity are just beyond words - although I know you would find wonderful words to convey that!