Honk... Honk... (Part 2)

As mentioned in my previous blog post expressways may have made the travel time shortened due its exaggerated speed limits so becomes the responsibility of the road users to become responsible drivers and making the roads safer for everyone using the same.

Another annoying thing about road safety is overtaking on the wrong side. There are some rules prescribed while overtaking the vehicle in front of you and they are as listed below:

• Don't overtake when you can't see the road ahead, at a corner, or around a bend
• Only overtake when there's no oncoming vehicle and enough space ahead
• Be extra careful when overtaking at night 
• Don't overtake if you're likely to impede oncoming traffic
• Use your indicator to signal when you're about to turn

Driving through wildlife protected area is another area of interest. A sample statistics says that a total of 31 spotted deer and one elephant were among the 34 wild animals killed in road crashes on the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway near Berandapalli in Hosur forest range in five years from 2019 to 2024. (Source: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2024/Jul/29/34-animals-of-hosur-forest-range-die-in-roadkill-in-five-years )

There are some do's and don't for driving through the wildlife protected area and they are listed as below:

• Get a permit: You need a valid permit and ID to enter a protected area
• Take a guide: You need to take an authorized park guide with your vehicle.
• Drive slowly: Drive slowly and easily in the forest.
• Be quiet: Make as little noise as possible, especially when watching wildlife
• Don't disturb wildlife: Don't tease, feed, or chase wild animals.
• Don't litter: Littering is prohibited and heavily fined
•  Don't use your phone: Use of mobile phones is prohibited.
•  Don't take forest produce: Lifting of any forest produce plants or animal articles is prohibited. 
• Don't drive off-road: Off-road and fast driving is illegal in the parks. 
• Look for signboards: Look for signboards that indicate animal movement
• Be aware of underpasses: Underpasses can be used by animals to cross roads and bridges.