Last week we spoke about a rather grim subject, that of disability and how road accidents can be a major cause for it. This week however, our aim is to educate you on the rules to driving safely, so that you are fully aware of what the driver must do, even if you are not doing the driving yourself.
For the driver
Safety always begins with prevention. Hence the first step is to identify some of the things you should definitely raise a red flag for:
Ensure the driver is wearing his or her seat belt before he begins driving and also ensure other passengers, including you are strapped up.
Ensure the driver is not under any medical or alcoholic influence, as this can impact his judgement on the road
Check if the driver is observing the set speed limit
Do not sit in an overloaded car. This may cause distractions for the driver or even cause the car to skid more easily in dangerous situations.
For the passenger
Safety rules that you as a passenger should also know about
The legal speed of a passenger car is about 55 kmph in India. The speed is a little higher on highways and expressways.
Cars in India are allowed to overtake only from the right side of the road. Also the driver should signal the car ahead before overtaking, and wait for the driver in the preceding car to acknowledge this signal.
The driver must use indicator lights while making turns on the road.
The driver must horn or blink the dipper at blind turns and crossing, and must always slow down
The most important thing to remember however is — your safety is your responsibility. So don’t ever feel hesitant to point out to the driver, that he or she maybe making a mistake. Remember it is better to not sit in a car that you think is unsafe, and insist that the driver not drive, if he/she is not fit to do so. You owe it to yourself and to the driver — after all you live once — so live responsibly.
