The Roads

A quiet road in Delhi

As if driving vehicles with the engine power of a lawn mower, 3500km with no fixed route and no mechanical experience amongst ourselves isn't already challenging enough, the roads we will be driving on are amongst some of the most dangerous in the world. On average, 22 people are killed an hour on the roads in India (source: Top Gear). Put simply, the roads in India are complete chaos; road rules are virtually non-existent.


People drive on whatever side of the road they feel like, lane lines are completely pointless, indicating is non-existent and traffic lights serve as a mere guideline as to when you should stop. Having "right of way" in India is a myth. Use of the horn is the common language of the Indian roads- it can signal anything from turning or overtaking, telling people to drive faster, to move out of the way, because you're pissed off, or simply because every other vehicle around you is using their horn. The louder the horn the better.


Cows, cars, carts, camels, goats, trucks, buses, bikes and pedestrians all share the same road and the road hierarchy is based pretty much on how big your vehicle is. So that puts us pretty much bottom of the heap. The one exception to this is cows. Cows are top of the totem pole of the Indian road hierarchy.  If it's one rule we need to stick by it's this- do not hit the sacred cows. Whether they're sleeping, eating or just ambling along the roads, the cows must be avoided at all costs. And they're everywhere.


Our journey will see us travelling through cities, desert and rural villages, traversing highways, dirt tracks, mountain climbs, coastal roads and god knows what else. For a succinct, and far wittier description of what we face on the Indian roads, see the Top Gear video below!