Traffic rules are the first thing that people are made aware of while learning how to drive. However, one of the biggest reasons that there are so many road accidents happening in the country is the lack of compliance to traffic rules. This means that traffic rules are not followed as religiously as they are supposed to. As people tend to forget these traffic rules, it leads to accidents, the reason we at ICICI Lombard recommend to get yourself a bike insurance which will safeguard you against any such unfortunate scenarios.
These regulations and guidelines are designed to make riding a bike simpler. It makes easier for you and other drivers on the road to predict where other vehicles will go and what things they should avoid. Hence, not following these rules means you endanger yourself and other people. For this reason, there are hefty fines that bike owners are liable to pay if they break these rules.
However, due to the lack of awareness, many individuals often find themselves having to pay a fine for a traffic violation that they did not intentionally commit. Hence, awareness and vigilance are both an issue with the compliance of traffic rules and regulations. Here is a list of traffic rules and regulation in India that you should be aware of:
Traffic Rules and Regulations in India
The first step towards not breaking traffic rules is to know what they are and how they help you. Here is a list of all the rules you should follow:
- Ride your bike on the left side of the road so that other vehicles have enough space to overtake from your right side.
- Before turning your bike left, make sure you enter the left lane of the road. The same applies for when you must take a right turn.
- Indicate your turns to the vehicles behind you.
- When overtaking vehicles, make sure you do it from their right side, especially when passing cars. This works well with the regulation of allowing vehicles to overtake you from the right by riding on the left.
- Maintain the same speed while a vehicle is overtaking you.
- Proceed with caution and follow lane discipline on intersections. With vehicles from different directions, rash bike riding has a higher chance of accident. Following this rule makes sure that you are safe and cause no inconvenience to others.
- Make sure that you allow emergency vehicles like fire trucks, ambulances, etc. enough to pass. Moreover, do not overtake these vehicles. Any accident in this situation could lead to far more damage than to your vehicle or to you.
- Do not stop your bike over a zebra crossing. The zebra crossing is designed for pedestrians to crossroads when the traffic signal is red. Stopping your bike at the zebra crossing causes inconvenience to pedestrians.
- Before making any turn, make sure there are no traffic signs that restrict you from doing so. This is most common in the case of making U-turns.
- When you park your bike, make sure it does not obstruct any other people from moving ahead. There are often no parking zones assigned to such spots.
- Your bike’s registration number plate should be clearly visible.
- Make sure you do not drive the opposite way into a one-way street.
- Make sure you stop before the stop line at a red light.
- Make sure you don’t use your horn in a no-honking zone like a hospital, school, etc.
- When there is a traffic police personnel present, make sure you follow his/her every instruction.
- When stopping, make sure that your bike is at a safe distance from other vehicles on the road.
- Do not seat more people on your bike than are allowed. A bike only allows for a rider and pillion rider, any more people are not allowed due to traffic regulation.
- Make sure you have all your documents with you while riding your bike. These include driving license, vehicle registration certificate, two wheeler insurance, PUC, etc.
