Traffic rules should be followed for the no-nonsense reason of avoiding accidents. Here are the basic traffic rules a car driver should be aware of.
Keep Left – The basic rule of all. Because you cannot be confused or confuse others about which side of the road you are travelling on.
Entering and exiting the road – You park your car on the side of the road, right? Because most people do. When entering the road, put the indicator towards the side you are entering and make sure there is no oncoming vehicle. When exiting the road, slow down gradually, put the indicator towards the left or whichever side you are exiting to.
Never hesitate to slow down – We all like to drive at our own pace. But it is important that we slow down our vehicles where visibility is low and where there is a greater chance of pedestrian crossing or when we reach slower moving traffic.
Park wisely – When parking your car, check whether parking is prohibited in the area. Do not park on footpaths, or on the side of pedestrian crossings. Also refrain from parking where the road is too narrow.
Be wary of the lines – We have single, two, three, four and multiple, lane systems. Always drive completely within your lane. In case of a lane change, check the rear view mirror and indicate towards the side you are changing the lane. Also, do not cross the yellow line and continuous white line to overtake on a single lane road.
Use horn judiciously – Incessant honking can create sound pollution and create unnecessary stress for the drivers.
Keep distance – Maintain an adequate distance from the vehicle ahead of you to avoid collision if that vehicle happens to slow down or stop.
Do not brake suddenly – Do not brake suddenly in the middle of the road unless it is absolutely necessary for safety reasons.
Visibility is the key – Slow down when you cannot see the road ahead properly because of a curve, rain, fog, smoke, etc. Visibility during the night is often low. Therefore, drive extra-cautious.
Dip your lights for oncoming traffic – When considering the matter of visibility, it is important to note that night visibility is often compromised by the high beam light of the vehicles. Therefore, give consideration to the oncoming traffic and dip your lights for the safety of everyone.
Practise safe overtaking – Avoid overtaking if your visibility is limited to less than 150 metres due to a hill, curve, or narrowing road, or if the road conditions make it difficult to see ahead. If you see a vehicle behind you beginning to overtake or if the driver ahead has not given a signal to pass, do not attempt to overtake. Do not overtake a vehicle that has stopped at a pedestrian crossing, intersection, or railway crossing.
Switch off your ego while being overtaken – When a faster driver attempts to overtake your vehicle, slow down and give way.
Give way to pedestrians – Prioritise pedestrians at Zebra crossings. Also, be wary of pedestrians at places like shopping centres, busy intersections, schools, parks and residential areas where children and others have a greater need of crossing the road.
Wishing you happy roads ahead!
