Munich to Madhubani - The Priority Crossing

I overestimated the brilliance of my idea, now I realize. In my mind, it felt like something that could genuinely change the common driving behavior and etiquette on Indian roads.

- Kranti Sambhav

As I sit at my desk, the cursor dancing between the lines suggests otherwise. However, since I'm not exactly known for pathbreaking or earth-shattering ideas, I'll proceed anyway. So what if it isn’t a magic bullet? It can certainly be a reasonably sized pellet.

The idea is simple: the diamond-shaped yellow road sign I see on German roads. What does it signify? That you are on, or about to approach, a priority road. This grants you the right of way at all crossings; vehicles approaching from surrounding roads will yield. It looks like one of many traffic signs, moderately important, easy to follow, yet, it takes time to adjust to this setup. It always does, not while approaching, but while driving on one.

Adapting to the “wrong side” (or the “right side”) of the road is an objective exercise. You get clear instructions, follow them, and your vision and spatial awareness flip in a couple of minutes. We Indians are, after all, notorious for driving in the center and overtaking from the left, so that helps.