• Ready to Drive
  • Know your vehicle
  • Insurance
• Driving
  • Driving Along
  • Use Indicators/signals
  • Hand Signals by Drivers
  • Obey Speed Limits
  • Safe Distance
  • Stopping
  • Sharing the Road
• Right of Way Rules
• Other Driving Maneuvers
  • Change Lane
  • Changing Directions
  • Joining/Leaving Highway
  • Parking
  • Dealing with Particular Situation
  • Night & Bad Weather
  • Emergency Situation
• Road Safety Guidelines
• Safety Devices

Getting ready to drive

Before Driving

• Ensure that you are comfortable with your mental and physical condition.
• Inspect your vehicle and observe the driving conditions.
• While driving you should carry your driving license, registration certificate, insurance certificate and pollution control certificate. Transport and commercial vehicle drivers should carry permits and vehicle fitness certificates also. These documents can be shown digitally to law enforcement authorities on demand using authorised mobile apps such as DigiLocker and mParivahan.

Safe driving require a combination of knowledge, skill and attitude for reasons given below:-

Knowledge of traffic rules and driving practices that help traffic move safely.

Skill to care about the safety of others on the road especially the vulnerable road users such as differently abled, pedestrians, cyclists, children and elderly. We all are responsible for avoiding crashes.

Attitudeto co-operate with other drivers to keep traffic moving safely. We must be courteous, giving other drivers space to change lanes, not cutting them off and signalling before turning. Mindless honking should be given up.

Physical and Mental Alertness

Be in good physical and mental condition before driving. DON'T DRIVE IF YOU

• have consumed alcohol.
• taking any medicine or drug that affects your responses.
• are tired as tiredness affects your driving skills and reaction time.
• are sick or injured.
• are angry or upset.

Know Your Vehicle

Go through the vehicle owner's manual. You should know the features of the vehicle you are going to drive. Example - Anti-lock brakes, 4-wheel drive. Ensure you know where the controls and instruments are and what they do. Check that all emergency signals and instruments work. You should be able to turn on wipers, washers, headlights, indicators, etc. without having to look at them and without taking your eyes off the road. Know how your vehicles works.

You could be risking your life or lives of others on the road.

Seating Position

Proper upright position gives more stability while driving. Make sure you can see over the steering wheel and hood. You should be able to see the ground at least 4-5 feet in front of your vehicle for proper judgment. Sit straight upright in the seat with your elbows slightly bent. Adjust your position so that your feet reach the pedals comfortably. Place your left foot on the floor near the brake pedal. You are appropriately seated if you can do this. Adjust the headrest to the proper height. It protects in case of a collision. Vehicles with airbags: Airbag can cause injuries if the seating position is incorrect.

Have a Clear View

You should have a clear view while driving. Make sure nothing blocks your view. The windows of your vehicle should not be coated/affixed with any material that blocks your view.

Know your Blind Spots

Blind spot is an area on each side of the vehicle that you cannot see through the mirrors. Mostly, blind spots are to the back left and back right of the vehicles. In the graphic below, the red car is in the blind spot area of the silver car. The green spaces in the high graphic show the blind spots of the silver car. Adjust the mirrors to get the maximum view and identify your blind spots. You may not see vehicles when they are in these spots. Position the interior mirror so that the centre of the mirror shows the centre of the rear window. When the interior mirror is appropriately adjusted, you would be able to see directly behind your vehicle.

The exterior (wing) mirror adjustment should be suitable while seated usually for driving. Do not set the right-hand exterior mirror by placing your head against the glass of the driver's door window. Do not adjust the left-hand exterior mirror by leaning to the centre of the vehicle. Side mirrors show only narrow angles of view so you have to turn your head to make sure there is nothing in your blind spots.

Fasten your Seat Belt

Fasten your seat belt before you start. Seat belts are for your safety not just for avoiding challans. Seat belts should be worn in a way that should be comfortable enough to keep you in your seat if there is a collision. Put the shoulder strap over your shoulder, never under your arm. The lap belt should be put low over the hips, not over the stomach.SEAT BELT SAVES LIFE

• Seat belt keeps you behind the wheel and in control of the vehicle in case of a collision.
• Seat belt keeps your head and body from hitting the inside of the vehicle
• Seat belt keeps you inside the vehicle in a collision. A person who is thrown out of the vehicle during the collision has a higher chance of getting a serious injury.

Know How Seat Belt Works

Turn on headlights at night and in poor light conditions

Turn on headlights around 30 minutes after sunset and keep them on until 30 minutes before sunrise. Turn on your lights when fog or rain reduces your visibility to less than 100 meters.

Keep your headlights clean and get them adjusted regularly so that they aim properly. In dim light, use your headlights, not parking lights. Parking lights are only for parking.

You do not need to use highbeams on Chandigarh roads. If you are travelling on a highway and using highbeam headlights, switch to low beams within 150 meters of an oncoming vehicle. Switch to your lowbeams when you are less than 60 meters behind another vehicle.