Lane discipline: What is it and why it needs to be followed while driving or riding

All-in-all, people should be able to reach their respective destinations on time if the lane and speed limits are followed by everyone on the road. There are also lesser chances of attracting a challan in this fashion.

We’ve often seen signboards on our roads – stick to your lane. Fast-moving cars on the right, trucks and heavy vehicles on the left. Have we ever wondered why is this? Much worse, have you ever seen any vehicle or driver following these rules? For one, we need to understand first why lane discipline exists. The rule has been made to ensure there are a lower number of accidents and the faster vehicle gets the right of the way. In India, faster cars or those who want to execute an overtake need to do it from the right lane. It is expected that in a right-hand drive country like ours, people tend to check their right-side mirror more often. This way, the vehicle coming from behind can easily be spotted and a collision averted.

If you end up in the right lane and are driving much below the speed limit, it is fair that you let the faster driver behind overtake. For this, look at your left side mirror and keeping an eye on the approaching traffic, put in the turn indicator. It is also imperative that you also turn your neck if possible to check for blind spots that might not be visible in the mirror. Merge with the traffic and let the one behind you overtake. This ensures the harmony of coordinated driving.

In foreign countries, the rightmost lane is dedicated to emergency services like an ambulance or fire truck. Bottlenecks can also be prevented if every car or bike is in its dedicated lane. Heavy vehicles like a truck or tempo have a larger turning radius and hence need more space to change lanes. They are inherently slower now due to the 80kmph speed limiting device in newer BS6 heavy vehicles. If there is an ambulance or fire truck behind it and needs to overtake, the truck will have to disrupt the entire next lane’s traffic to be able to allow the car behind to pass.

Doing all this in India is mighty possible. The road infrastructure is improving and lanes are being clearly marked. Moreover, if lane discipline is followed it will help the associated driver keep cool on the road. All-in-all, people should be able to reach their respective destinations on time if the lane and speed limit is followed by one and all. Did we mention that there will also be less chances of getting a challan if one observes lane discipline?

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