Cops: “Where are you going?”
Me: “I am traveling with my wife, driving back to bangalore from Pondichery”..
Cops (pointing at my wife): “Then who is this?”

What really can one say to that!

On any given day in Bangalore, or for that matter, any city, you will see a lot of drivers using their high beams to drive in traffic. Legally, this is not allowed by traffic regulations. But if one sees closely, many use it more out of compulsion or need rather than intension.

A factory fitted High Beam Throw

Using High Beams to avoid eminent danger

Here’s a list of situations where it is legal to use the high beams or brights.

1. When there is little or no illumination on the road. Like an empty stretch of highway with no illumination and higher speed limits. Use of High Beams are necessary here to ensure safe driving. Lower your beams to let oncoming traffic pass without blinding them.
2. To alert oncoming traffic to lower their beams, only once or twice. This is a nuisance that we face almost on a regular basis. Most under maintained vehicles like Cabs, Buses have inadequate Low Beams compelling their driver to use the High Beams to view the road ahead. You can blink at them with your high beams to ask them to lower theirs.
3. Signaling a slow moving vehicle in front of you to give you way so that you can overtake. This can be done only once or twice and not repeatedly. If the vehicle still does not move, you can conclude that the driver of the vehicle is not alert and can use the Horn to alert them. Large and heavy vehicles, with well sealed cabins can only be alerted by the use of high beams to blink once or twice.
4. When traveling on a high speed limit highway with clearly divided lanes for oncoming traffic. Higher speeds translates to crossing longer distances in lesser time. You need longer reaching lamps to see the road ahead and ensure safety.

Newer technology has brighter lamps that does not blind the oncoming traffic.

Many modern cars are fitted with HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamps and lenses to ensure that the driver gets to see the road without blinding the oncoming traffic. However, use of HID lamps without lenses results in lesser illumination than their Halogen counterparts and just provides white light with very bad throw. Car headlamps are designed to be used with a specific type of bulb, and changing that to a higher wattage, brighter bulb does not always result in better illumination. Such modifications should be avoided or carried out under expert supervision.

A set of projector headlamps

HID high + lo beam in action

In India, the wattage allowed for headlamps are a standard 55 W (known as a 55/60 in open market).

Anything higher that this is subject to scrutiny by traffic police. Though many people upgrade their headlamps to 90/100 or 130/100, these are not legal to be used on paved roads. These lamps are specifically created for extreme condition use only, like forests, muddy terrains, etc. (although many of our Highways qualify in these categories). Use of higher wattage lamps blind the oncoming traffic, and increases chances of traffic accidents.

More details are here if one is interested.

Don’t.

I know this sounds funny, but for the person who is new to Indian Highways, this is one suggestion he should follow. This would help is conserving fuel and energy for the trip.

Put down your foot on the gas only when you know that you don’t have to take it off.

This is a normal (also nominal) distribution of traffic on Indian Highways. Cars on the right. Trucks on the left. Two wheelers that are not too fast on the extreme left shoulder. But it's equally possible to have someone come right at you on the wrong side of the road in a Tractor.

What about trucks and buses?

Overtake them, in all likelihood, they will be on the outer lane and the inner lane will be free for you. If its not free, just signal with your high beams and you will be given way. It’s the other variety, the private cars and cabs that you do not overtake.

Why?

Simple. A cab runs these routes more often than you or I would. As a result, they will be more accustomed to the twists and turns and hidden speed-breakers and bad patches. Get tucked in behind such a vehicle doing speeds that you probably would like to maintain. Follow this fellow from a safe distance and you will suddenly see that you are more relaxed, and you are doing better time. The brunt of road traffic get sliced through this ‘Pilot Car’ which you are following, including people and animal traffic. If you are traveling at night, only follow the vehicle if it has all its tail lamps and braking lights in place.

This is a nightmare for for people with longer cars which have very little Ground Clearance. What is exactly “Ground Clearance”?

No, its not the available ground in front of your car to cruise on. It’s much more complicated, and I must say important than that.An average road car has the wheels, which touch the ground, and then the rest of the stuff that do not touch the ground. Its the minimum difference between this ‘rest of the stuff’ and the ground is what is called “Ground Clearance”.

As illustrated in the diagram.

The actual ground clearance that is available to a vehicle.

The perceived ground clearance. Although it's not the actual GC, it is the part that is important in crossing over a Bump. The higher the height, the better are your chances

The first figure shows the actual distance between the things hanging from under the car and the road that it is on. The lowest point of any car is always between the wheels. This is the part where a numerous protruding components jut out (called suspension arms) to give you a comfortable ride.

The second figure is an illustration of the perceived idea of ground clearance that we get when we see a car. This is not very important while going over large objects but it is very important while going over speed breakers. If the height available to your car is less than the height of the speed breaker, chances are you will scrape the bottom of your car, and that’s not good.

So what do you do?

Simple. You avoid this by minimizing the chances of this happening.

Approaching the speed bump head on increases the distance that your car's suspended body travels over the bump

The angular approach to a speed bump reduces the distance that your car's body actually travels over the bump.

The two figures above do the explaining themselves. In the first, you approach the speed breaker head on and hence increase the distance your car travels suspended over the Bump increasing the chances of a scrape happening.

In the second figure, given traffic situation, you can approach the bump at an angle so that the distance your car travels suspended over the Bump is reduced to a bare minimum. In fact, if you have a shorter car, you can manage to have one wheel on the bump at all times negating any chances of a scrape.

Speed breakers on Indian highways are mostly unmarked and appear suddenly. Caution is needed while driving at night and even in daytime. It is tough to spot a moderately high speed breaker if the road is partially shaded with trees. These speed breakers (or Humps as the locals would call it) are made for truck traffic and sometimes can be as high as 30 cm.

Going over them at high speeds can be catastrophic.

Carry your own food

The answer is not that simple. If you are blessed with a weak stomach, it is best to avoid roadside food and carry your own. But what can you carry?

Do note the fact that you will be driving and eating even though you would like to avoid that. Do also note that anything you carry should require minimal water usage to wash your hands after the meal. This brings us to easy consumables like Cake, Potato Wafers, Samosas, Kachodi etc.. these are food items that are primarily dry, devoid of any greasy watery content and easy to wash off after a meal. The next set would consist of Frankies, Patties, and other such fried stuff with stuffing in them. They also require minimal water usage to wash your hands.

A road side shop serving Aloo Bhajji and Mirchi Bhajji few Kilometers outside Vishakhapatnam

Duration of travel

The food you carry should last you the complete duration of travel without requiring refrigeration (unless you are fitted with a small fridge in your car). Avoid anything too oily as they tend to go stale very fast, very soon. Apart from going stale, they also emanate smell and in closed quarters of a vehicle that can get very annoying. So divide your food in parts that will last longer and those that will last shorter. Start with the ones that are more likely to go stale, and remainder to consume later.

Making a sandwitch

This requires time, and patience while traveling. Not to mention the ‘good parking space’ without any disturbance or danger from other traffic. Carrying Tuna, Cucumber, and other such ‘Sandwitchy’ ingredients is a good idea for the first day. Boiled eggs are great as well. They can last upto 2 days complete if left undisturbed in a cool dark place. Once you stop, chop some, fill in the bread slices and munch on. You can carry mustard and mayonnaise but they have the spill risk.

The roadside guy

If you do not have a weak stomach, then the roadside guy is ideal. Most arterial roads will have the regular supply of Aloo Bhajji (A fry made with stuffed potato), Mirchi Bhajji (same with mirchi or chilli), Aloo Puri (A curry made out of potato with Puri) and in Southern India you get ample supply of Idli and Vada Sambar. Not all are going to be tasty, but chances are 70% of them will be worth it, you will have to try your luck. Keep a bottled mineral water handy after the meal as it is likely to be spicy as well. In case you experience an unrest in your stomach after the food, have lots of water.. chances are, you will be ok.

The Punjabi Dhaba

A Dhaba is a roadside shack that serves food. A Punjabi Dhaba is one that serves North Indian food, like Butter Chicken and Roti with Dal. 90% of these are good targets for affordable food. If you happen to spot one, turn around and go back, it will be worth a shot. In extreme situations where bottled water is not available, go for a Cola or a Lime drink. It will help tone down the spicy nature of the food. The food will be served with a healthy helping of Onions, don’t worry about bad breath, have them.. they will help ward of the heat in summer (which we have 3 seasons of).

Eat well, drink lots of water!!