In the US, we drive in lanes. You "own" the lane space in front of you and behind you in the sense that anyone shifting over to your lane in your vicinity has to (in theory) defer to you. If he is ahead of you, he has to check for your speed and position before he can shift over. If you don't "give way", then he has to wait (I'm going to assume a male driver) till you move back or ahead. In that sense, driving is a "vertical" system here, you dictate the traffic depending on which lane you occupy.
In India however, I am realizing that it's a "horizontal" system. You dictate the traffic based on how much ahead you are. Once you're ahead, you can cut left and right with impunity. Especially if you're on a two-wheeler. Did a gap just open up in front of me? Doesn't matter, because the guy to my left but a few inches ahead of me feels entitled to that spot and will take it. You don't really have a choice. So as a response I now try to position myself a little ahead of the guy driving next to me, particularly in traffic jams. It feels very barbaric to my American sensibilities but worse, I am worried about driving like that when it's time to drive in the US again.
In India however, I am realizing that it's a "horizontal" system. You dictate the traffic based on how much ahead you are. Once you're ahead, you can cut left and right with impunity. Especially if you're on a two-wheeler. Did a gap just open up in front of me? Doesn't matter, because the guy to my left but a few inches ahead of me feels entitled to that spot and will take it. You don't really have a choice. So as a response I now try to position myself a little ahead of the guy driving next to me, particularly in traffic jams. It feels very barbaric to my American sensibilities but worse, I am worried about driving like that when it's time to drive in the US again.
No comments:
Post a Comment