N.B. This isn't meant to attack anyone specifically, and may not even apply in some areas of India. However, I have to say something as these things drive me crazy, and probably others as well, for a number of reasons, and in the interest of developing better riding habits for all.

I've been here over a year now after living my whole life in the US, and while I realize that there is a huge cultural difference between India and the US, the "rules of the road" are supposed to work pretty much the same the world over, regardless of which side of the road one drives on. There are a few things, however, that drive me up the wall concerning the motorcycle culture in India. Motorcycles are wonderful machines, and are a terrific solution to traffic congestion *when ridden properly*. Due to their small size, far more motorcycles can fit on a given stretch of road compared to even the small cars here. But, and this is a big But, only if everyone follows the rules.

One of the biggest hazards I see, to both the motorcyclist and other drivers, is the utter lack of discipline for observing lanes of traffic. Here in Bhubaneswar, and probably in many other parts of India as well (I know I've seen this happen in Delhi too to a lesser extent), although the lane markings on the road are fairly clear in most places, nearly all vehicle operators completely ignore the marked lanes and the "rules of the road" concerning them. For cars, trucks, and buses, this is usually limited to an inability to stay within the lane. I can't even count the number of times I've seen vehicles ostensibly in the rightmost lane drifting as much as a meter across the lane markings to the left. For motorcycles, it's worse, since not only do many riders ignore the lanes, they ride wherever they feel like on the road, regardless of how slow they're moving. If you're going to ride out in the main traffic lanes, go as fast as (really, slightly faster than) the rest of traffic. Don't ride 25kmh in the right lane. If you're going to ride that slow, stay to the left, as close to the shoulder as possible. Slower traffic in general should always stay towards the shoulder, leaving the middle and inside lanes for faster traffic. If the cars and the bikes can get this sorted out, we can all gang up on the autorickshaws and get them squared away

Another big hazard is the obliviousness of drivers of all vehicles to their side mirrors and their uses, and the general "rules of the road" pertaining to pulling out into traffic, changing lanes, and entering a road from a side street/driveway/u-turn. Once again, many drivers here are guilty of this; autorickshaw drivers in particular seem to believe they're the only one on the road, and I see even expensive cars with both side mirrors folded in. However, once again motorcyclists seem to be the worst of the lot, since many bikers completely remove their mirrors (sometimes leaving one for a convenient helmet hanger, a topic for a separate thread). Always always always use your mirrors, especially when changing lanes, and check over your shoulder first as well. Also, wait the extra few seconds for an opening in traffic. I can't count the number of times I've been the last car in a raft of traffic, with nothing behind me, and yet people insist on pulling out right in front of me instead of waiting the 5 seconds for me to pass. Bikes are small and hard to see on the road, so it's incumbent on the rider to ensure their own safety. While the custom in India seems to be that the larger vehicle is always at fault, that won't do you much good when you're squashed flat by the bus you just pulled out in front of; said custom does not give riders license to ride as though the world must yield to them.

Another bad habit is the slow speed at which many bikers here ride. It's kind of a subset of the first one I mentioned, but deserves its own section. Long gone are the days when the Hindustan Ambassador was the fastest thing on the road, and a cruising speed of 30kmh had you running with the rest of traffic. The vast majority of the cars on the road in India today are easily capable of outrunning and out-accelerating any Desi bike, even the Pulsar 220. Yet so many riders crowd up to the front of traffic queues as though they've been held up by the "slower" cars, which then creates a huge logjam and a cacophony of honking horns when all the actually-faster vehicles behind them try to thread through once everyone starts moving again. To further the problem, whenever there's any kind of hitch in traffic flow, such as a pothole or errant autorickshaw, a stream of bikers pours around both sides of all the cars, as if once again it's the cars' fault for the delay. This is horribly unsafe for everyone, and countless times, I've seen some biker with an overdeveloped sense of entitlement try to push past my temporarily-slowed car or bike, only to run out of room in the face of oncoming traffic, risking getting smeared between me and the bus/tractor/truck/car coming the other way like jam on bread. For heavens' sake, ride with the rest of traffic. If you're at least maintaining the speed that all the cars are, you could conceivably get away with cutting to the front of a traffic queue since you'll stay ahead of them, however, even that doesn't apply if you're riding your bike 20kmh slower than the cars around you. There's no excuse for swerving around much faster cars due to a road obstacle though, since there's a legitimate reason for traffic to slow temporarily and everyone's going to speed up again once past it. Stay in the traffic queue and wait your turn through the intersection or past the obstacle like everyone else.

One last one, and this may not apply in some of the more urban areas, is the constant flow of bikes I see (and some cars) going the wrong way on a divided road to get to some establishment or side road. You don't really save much time, and you cause a huge risk in traffic by going against the flow, even on the shoulder. It only takes a minute or two at most to find a u-turn spot past your destination and to come back to it going with traffic.

Now, I'm not going to just complain without offering solutions; that would be irresponsible and immature. As good riders, we have the obligation to set the example. Ride in your lane, and know where the lane markings are, even if they're not clearly marked on the road surface. Don't wander in the lane; a helpful trick is to look 300-500m down the road (or as far as feasible for hilly/curvy roads). This will keep you riding in a straighter line. If you must ride slower, stay to the left lane (or center lane for 3-lane roads). If you must ride *a lot* slower, keep to the shoulder (and get a scooter; riding that slow you don't need the extra power and cost of a bike). Always always always use your mirrors, and look over your shoulder as well, when you're pulling out into traffic or changing lanes, and wait for an opening in traffic before you start moving.

Something done in several other Asian countries to address the slower speed of two-wheel riders is to have a separate lane just for scooters and bikes. For the time being here in India, until more bikes can keep up with the cars, it might be a good project for xBHP to band together to petition the state governments to re-paint the roads so there are bike lanes here (and then beat everyone over the head with them until they use them).

Lastly, don't be lazy. Ride down past your destination and do a u-turn. It's not worth your life to save a couple ml of fuel and 10 seconds.