SHIVANI SINGH

Driving on clogged roads is one of the most demanding tasks a Delhi resident undertakes daily. But is it really the volume of vehicles that makes driving on city roads so stressful?

It is true that the sheer number of private vehicles has cut the traffic speeds by half, making it impossible to time your journey even during non-rush hours. But slow traffic and perpetual jams are not the only stress factors on Delhi roads. There is also bad driving.

Delhi roads are the ultimate testing ground for your reflexes.

A car suddenly halting or turning without an indicator is common. Even if you are among the few who tamely maintain a minimum following distance, you can never underestimate the car behind you. Such tight-spacing of vehicles is, in fact, considered a road-maximising technique. That is how Delhi has driven for generations.

In his book, “Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do”, written more than a decade ago, American journalist Tom Vanderbilt devoted almost a chapter chronicling the “maelstrom of Delhi traffic”, where driving was essentially about “good brakes, good horn, and good luck”.

What he found alarming was Delhi drivers’ chronic tendency to stray between lanes, particularly those flowing in the opposition direction. When changing lanes, drivers seemed to rely not on mirrors but rather on the fact that the person behind them will honk if there is a danger. Not much has changed since.

Delhi’s drivers, Vanderbilt