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Amazing video of self-regulated traffic in India

youtube.com — No lights, no Police no problems. Traffic moves on as usual.

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  • anarchocap, on 10/12/2007, -39/+21Wait... You mean to tell me people, like individual people, can figure things out without police or government telling them what to do? Man that's tight.

    This is Digg though, I predict I get -10 and you get about 5 Diggs, sorry. Only if you video wouldn't have implied freedom and liberty, maybe next time.
    • illynova, on 10/12/2007, -24/+10....

      You think traffic lights imfringe on your civil liberties? I'm guessing you wouldn't want police either? Or governent at all?
    • anarchocap, on 10/12/2007, -18/+8Simply an observation that if maybe, just maybe, we can stretch out little minds and apply these conditions to other situations; it may tell us a bit about our potential as humans. I said nothing about liberty or "imfringe"ment.

      Can someone respond with anything other than a question? I have a question? I must admit my prediction skills are a bit rusty.
    • DisposableRob, on 10/12/2007, -6/+41Yeah, let me see that situation when 75% of the traffic isn't scooters moving at 20 mph.
    • breakneckridge, on 10/12/2007, -13/+18This video proves nothing.

      With out knowing the rate of accidents there you can't say from a few minutes of video that their traffic system works fine without lights. Without clear rules as to who has the right of way, when the inevitable accident does happen, a driver could be totally in the wrong and cause an accident that totals your car and then not have to suffer any consequences because there are no enforced rules to who has the right of way. Plus, this is a city street and the uncontrolled flow of traffic has all but eliminated pedestrian traffic there.

      I could go on and on, but lets be real here, having no enforced traffic rules would really suck overall.
    • drawkbox, on 10/12/2007, -5/+38If they tried that here there would be a pile of SUVs, bodies and spent bullets.
    • CaptRR, on 10/12/2007, -7/+13drawkbox, soooo, your trying to tell me it would be like las angeles?
    • blobzorz, on 10/12/2007, -8/+5I bet they got to get their brakes checked once a month. LOL
    • buss, on 10/12/2007, -5/+13Have you ever been in a city without any electricity to work traffic lights? After the intense hurricanes of 2005 in south florida, we were without working traffic lights for about a week. Traffic DOES NOT FLOW SMOOTHLY. It was a huge mess and it led to a few fatal accidents. Traffic lights are an absolute necessity.

      Also, whats to say that this is the case for all intersections in India? In America we also have turn lanes that don't have traffic lights but that is certainly not the case for the majority of intersections.
    • lukes, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6i've seen the traffic lights go out in my city a number of times, and people switch very easily to following the road rules around who gets right of way at intersections. the traffic does flow smoothly, and if anything, it cuts down the traffic jams because there's little time lost waiting during light changes.

      the drawback is of course, for the increase in efficiency comes an increase in the danger of an accident occuring, which is why we really need traffic lights.

      traffic at the intersection in the video was flowing very quickly, but india also has one of they highest mortality rates on their roads.
    • snupples, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2As anecdotal evidence for the danger of the India traffic system I present the disproportionate amount of Indian traffic death submissions on http://www.ogrish.com (not really sfw).

      Go ahead, check it out. And if you think a truck or bus moving at "only" 5mph or so can't kill you, just keep scrolling through the list and check out all the crushed heads.
  • ascott9, on 10/12/2007, -3/+29Hah, I don't know about "no problems" but it's still funny to see. Thats the most unorganized dangerous thing I have ever seen. No way that would ever fly anywhere else. Sorry to say, but having our city's install traffic lights and having laws is a good thing, not a bad thing
    • Habemus, on 10/12/2007, -15/+8Nobody got hit or was even significantly delayed. Smooth. No problems.
    • Habemus, on 10/12/2007, -13/+6>Sorry to say, but having our city's install traffic lights and having laws is a good thing, not a bad thing

      You mean you can't make a simple left turn against traffic unless you have a traffic light to guide you? Do you circle the block to get to streets that aren't controlled by lights off the main road? Seriously. This is just a shot of some traffic making a turn across some traffic to a street that "T"s into the main one. It's not even an intersection. Even my grandmother can make a left turn into another street without a traffic signal.
    • illynova, on 10/12/2007, -10/+5^^ Are even of legal age to drive? HAVE you driven on America's roads? I'm terrified of the thought of people driving without lights... they're bad enough as it is. I cannot even possibly fathom how much worse it could get.

      All it takes is one idiot who isn't paying attention, or someone in a SUV who's in a hurry and decides to go straight through traffic.
    • clokwise, on 10/12/2007, -22/+11>No way that would ever fly anywhere else

      And people wonder what's wrong with america.... sigh. Dude, you are the poster boy for American ignorance and you dont even realize it.

      BTW, I was born and raised in the USA, at 19 I left and travelled the world. Skipped uni entirely. NEVER came back. Absolutely no regrets. I've seen and done ***** in the last 20 years that most people only dream of, and people like YOU fear. In fact I'm now a proud citizen of another country (Australia...go ahead, try to find it on a map), and I presently live in Thailand (50 bucks says you can't find it).

      I escaped the machine - I urge everyone to do the same.

      BTW, this link is a dupe, it was posted here a week ago. http://digg.com/links/A_very_funny_look_at_how_people_drive_in_india.
    • HackJandy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10When I was in india the law (I really think it is a law) is: biggest vehicle has the right of way, always.
    • falcon1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12clokwise, are you kidding? You think we cant find Australia, or Thailand? Did you watch the video? Did you see how many near misses there were? If you are calling America ignorant for having traffic laws, then you might as well go ahead and accuse every other country with traffic lights/laws.

      I'm perfectly happy in "the machine", as you put it. Ever think that maybe leaving at 19 and skipping college might render you unable to fairly make accusations about the status and workings of The States?

      Oh yea, I will take my 50 bucks in cash or check - your call.
    • TwoSlick, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7"Nobody got hit or was even significantly delayed. Smooth. No problems."

      Yes... In a 3 minute video... I'd like to see the other 23 hours and 57 minutes. I'd bet money, there's at least a few accidents per day in that intersection.
    • blakholephysics, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@habmus

      It's called left turn yield on green.
  • nk231, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12This can make it a good video game
  • timmyboywonder, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6Gosh that is why i hate driving in different counties. when i Lived in Lima Peru they always wanted my to drive, but the traffic is similar to this.
  • ShaDoWwork, on 10/12/2007, -15/+1this is how all roads should be if they were there would be a lot more respect traffic lights are one thing and thats control not control of accidents but control of people

    with respect and care for ones self and others all roads can operate like this.

    you see it now and again when the ligh system goes down or on country roads that for one reason or antoher become congested.

    respect is the key to this and if were where all made to respect each other the world would by default be a better place.
  • cripster, on 10/12/2007, -12/+10The reason this will never work in north america is because the people here (drivers) feel they own the road. The mentality is "I am more important and what I have to do is more important than what you have to do, get out of my way". Hence all the "road rage", in either way that you look at it... either you are the jackass for cutting someone off or someone cut you off because they are the jackass.

    And some can't fathom how much worse it can get with no lights? Geeze, we sure are lucky that we have lights at intersections, I mean I can't even remember the last time I heard of an accident on the radio while driving.

    It's the drivers that are the main cause of accidents, not the law and regulations. If you think about it, these laws and procedures were made to combat the bad drivers, if the drivers were good there would be no need to regulate driving.

    IF the government in India (or other places, like Italy for example) recognized that there was a serious problem they would impliment solutions. It's not like they are a primitive version of us and therefore don't know how to do things the "right way".

    Beat with a more concise reply, doh!
    • abstraxion, on 10/12/2007, -8/+16You're right, India isn't more primitive than anyone, what with their "untouchable" caste system and absolutely no social help for the millions of starving people in their biggest cities.
    • mastercheif, on 10/12/2007, -10/+3Its not India's fault most people are Hindu.
  • mortalfunk, on 10/12/2007, -9/+9I think it's amazing how well the system works. Why wouldn't it work in North America? Drivers wouldn't stand for it to only drive 20 km/h... India seems to have a great system that works for them.
    • widgets, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Alright, so whois fault is it if you do get in an accident...

      I don't think 50/50 split would work well for some people.
  • mctk, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10On a busier, faster street, a traffic signal is the safest most efficient way to control traffic.
  • hashkaran, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6This is just the pedestrians, two wheeler, three wheeler, and four wheeler traffic.
    If you add the four legged animals to the mix that would be something..
  • abstraxion, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20This is amazing! People didn't crash into each other during a three minute video of light-to-moderate traffic that consisted mostly of scooters going 15mph! Surely this means Americans are stupid for having traffic lights... right guyz?
  • Negyxo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15Holy *****. Go to about 25% in, there is a woman on the bottom right corner.. she gets squeezed between a car and a motorcyle, and then just moves on casually.
  • onkis, on 10/12/2007, -11/+5LAME -- not tech news
  • golhra, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1It seems like it would be much easier to travel on a motorcycle/scooter. Those don't seem like dangerous speeds if you are hit, plus the better maneuverability would make it much easier. The cars where a lot of near-misses, but the bikes were just zipping around.
  • alex.will, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14Nice title!

    http://digg.com/technology/_Amazing_,_digg_,_revealed_:_Top_422_digg.com_attention_grabbing_words
    • CaptRR, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4hehe, I was just thinking the same thing.
  • drbroccoli, on 10/12/2007, -13/+7Americans are too stupid and selfish for that to work here.
    • phuibonhoa, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Yeah because that's really a much better system than having traffic lights, signs and laws...
  • imightbewrong, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5this is chaos!! i wouldn't wanna drive in that ! there must be so many dumb accidents all the time. There is nothing model about any of this.
  • kshag, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Their stupid horns. Not willing to slow down. Bunching up together. this is way too funny.
  • mxpxpx, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2half way through i couldnt stop thinking man this is boring i should turn it off
  • imightbewrong, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4Now throw cellphones into the mix........................CRASH!!!!
  • aggieandrew, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4umm, I really don't get it. There are plenty of intersections like that in my town without lights.

    But yeah, 60% of drivers were are assholes when they drive, and not as many people ride bikes. Put all those scooter-drivers in SUVs and you don't got the same situation.
  • ksiscel, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2This is interesting, although I was in the Dominican Republic earlier this year and they drive like this too. They even have stoplights and signs, but they just ignore them. I don't know if this happens in the tourist areas of the DR, but it was certainly crazy driving in the inner city!
  • Yankees368, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Yeah, just try that in NYC...youl see how well it works
    • fatalea1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Looks just like the idiots trying to make left hand turns off of Park Ave. in Midtown.
  • ramibotros, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8u should come watch the streets in Egypt .. it's similar
  • sfacets, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6The only reason this works in India is because if you get caught you can offer a bribe (Baksheesh) to the police and get off scott-free. There are actually road laws, the fact that everyone infrindges them though means that they can't actually book anyone for driving like a lunatic (unless the police want to make a quick buck.)

    Also, in India, the speeds people drive are far inferior to those in the west.
  • isewise, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7How did this story end up in the "mods" category, that's what I want to know, or even better how did this make the front page.
  • cliffzdude, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Two minutes and we just saw 4 or 5 near misses, closely calculated and slow moving but still very close near misses. Watch the same intersection for two years and see if it still appears safe. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is dangerous but a tiny snippet of video showing no wrecks is being taken as proof that it is safe. Talk about an overly small sample size. Geeze...
    • clokwise, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1'wrecks' don't happen at that speed.
  • timbudtwo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4about 1/3 the way in, watch the right hand side, a pedestrian gets cought between a scooter and a car and doesnt even get phased.
  • sleepless, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3That doesn't look bad at all. You should what happens in Taiwan when they even have traffic lights no one "really" obeys them.
    • clokwise, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Quite agree. Some Taiwanese drivers are frickin insane. And I mean drivers IN Taiwan, not as some sort of general slur. .. I lived in Taiwan over 10 years.
  • vonskippy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Looks like FOX has a new reality show on it's hands.
  • dominowrecker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7lol I love how many people here think that this system "works"
    do you honestly think that there isnt an insane amount of accidents from intersections like that?
    you watch FIVE minutes of any given day, and you believe "yeah..thats the way to go...look no one even got hurt!"

    Believe me if they had the funding and resources, they would have lights just like here. Why? cause YOU NEED THEM. Now I know how advertisers can sell a product from a 30 second commercial....people believe everything they see, no matter what the context. WOW!
  • TheJash, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7I've been there. It isnt safe. People get hit, things die.

    This is retarded. (No, I didnt watch the video)
  • anarchocap, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Are you not dynamic because your in IT or in IT because your not dynamic?

    Digg is in a downward spiral, and I'm loving it.
  • phileplanet, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Check out the Digg Spy; this story's getting reported like mad.
  • adamcrown, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I lived in Nepal for about 4 months and I can honestly tell you that this is not at all unusual. The driving there is INSANE!

    And what's even more crazy is that somehow they can fix virtually any mechanical problem with a hammer :)
  • Halgy, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0While the video shows it does work in Inda, it would not in most US cities. The video has only two lanes of traffic, and even small towns have streets with much more than that. Things would come to a standstill the way we currently have it set up (and the way most of us drive).

    *H
    • dominowrecker, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5could you explain to me how a 5 minute video shows how "it works" in India?
  • bigpeeler, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Looks like my arteries after I go to Pizza Hut.
  • anjang86, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3Lets get some facts straight here:

    1. I was born in and am a citizen of Nepal. I didn't live there that long but I have gone back to visit before and know what the traffic is like. It is pretty much what you see in the video above. It's complete chaos but there are NOT as many accidents as you think. The accidents are caused by bad drivers rather than a lack of regulation.

    2. read this article http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/traffic.html it's a different take on traffic laws

    3. This is in reply to a previous comment that is probably buried by now: This has NOTHING to do with India being a "primitive" country. I'm not even sure how the "untouchables" even got into this arguement... I lived in a predominately Hindu country and what you learned in 9th grade World History class isn't as accurate as you may think.
    • dominowrecker, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4well just cause you are used to it...does not mean that its ok.

      what you may think is "not that many accidents" is probably more than they should have.

      We have intersections here without lights as well.....when people die, guess what the first thing they do is?
      yep put a damn light up. why? cause it works.

    • johndi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Funny, we posted that link at the same time, but instead of reading the article to find out why different ways can be better they condemn different without even thinking.
    • anjang86, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Does the traffic light work? The article I posted talks about slowing down traffic flow (not necessairly slowing down cars with traffic lights).

      I'm not sure what you mean by me being used to it, I've never driven in Nepal or India before but from what I observe there is nothing wrong with it.
    • dominowrecker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3well in that case I suggest you read up on how many deaths there are in India due to traffic accidents. (I believe its still number 1 in the world)

      And for the other poster...I saw the video, and from watching it there is not a doubt in my mind that it does NOT work.
    • johndi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I can see where you are coming from, but if you take the time to read the article you'll find out it is quite a bit different than the chaos in the video.

      His ideas are showing up in many countries including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the US.
  • johndi, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4"No street signs. No crosswalks. No accidents. Surprise: Making driving seem more dangerous could make it safer."

    Everything you think you know about traffic safety is wrong. Check out this article on how one man is
    making things safer in Holland. There are making similar changes in Florida.

    http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/traffic.html




  • mtrip, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6That isn't some traffic utopia we should try and emulate; that is a freaking nightmare. I would be terrified if I found myself driving in that, or even trying to cross the street. People must die in droves over there in traffic related accidents.
  • RubixCube, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4When I went to the Philippines traffic is like this too. People there can drive inches from oncoming vehicles and it won't be brought up at the dinner table. It's just the norm there. When I drove down there, a double honk means, in a nice way, I'm gonna pass you and U-turns can be made from the the outside lane. There are few traffic lights there but that's usually where all the congestion is. I brought some of those habits back here in the states. I forget people curse you out and follow you home if you honk at them or cut them off here.
  • majorbabu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4yep its pretty bad in those parts of the world alright. apparentely its the worst in iran. there was a segment on top gear about it a while ago that quoted iran as having the highest accident rate in the world.

    pedestrians over there are advised to walk in groups to avoid getting run over.
  • sspooner, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I've been to india on many occasions and I can tell you this is not typical. Delhi has awful traffic, people seem to do just as they please. It's a horrific mess. Just like L.A.
  • matt0ne, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4There was actually an article in Wired a number of months ago about a junction (intersection) in holland where they got rid of all road markings, sidewalks, lights, signs etc. All we had left was a fountain in the middle of the road, and a suggestion of a round-about.

    http://wired-vig.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/traffic.html?pg=1&topic=traffic&topic_set=

    The theory behind it is that people drive less carefully when they are inundated with "controlling" elements such as signs and lights - they tend to depend on those signs and neglect to observe the conditions of the road. Apparently, without signs drivers must, by default, be more cautious and feel out the road. They must become more aware of what is going on around them, paying heed to traffic from multiple directions and hence drive more carefully, reducing accidents, rather then multiplying them.

    That's how I feel about STOP signs here in the states, and don't get me going about 4-way stops - roundabouts are the way to go.
  • da_bradler, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2lol that video was pretty damn funny I mean that would be the most stressful thing in the world driving threw that, I love how it's like traffic just builds up to a point then the guy at the front gets tired of waiting so he just cuts traffic off coming in the other direction. be fun to just sit and watch that all day laughing your ass off.

    Man though you try some of those things in western society I think even if the other person was going 20 km/h he would still hit you just out of principle
  • adamcrown, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6If you're wondering about all the honking, in places like India they actually want you to honk. They paint it all over their trucks. http://flickr.com/photos/36933536@N00/115977145/
  • shooby, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4this is when traffic is light in india people....
    driving around in india is a BITCH
    and honking is a rule of life...people tend to honk ALL THE TIME...no matter what the situation is. It seems that people do it for the hell of it.

    this is how most traffic works in india anyways
    it's commonplace people =)
  • Thumper13, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4I can't believe how many freaking idiots there are here! You so called "world travelers" seem to leave a few details out. I've seen this kind of traffic, and just about every car has a dent in it. Accidents aren't reported, cars don't get repaired, it's chaos. I love you morons who think that just because it's different it's automatically better than what we have in America, or Great Britain, or freaking Australia (which I can find on a map).
    If someone hits my car, I want them repairing it. I certainly do not like insurance companies, but I'll take our system of ordered roads, managed intersections, and financial responsibility for your vehicle.
    It's hard enough getting home on a Friday night in traffic.
    Wouldn't that mess be fun after a hard day of work.
    • johndi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Read the Wired article that was linked to. They are making these changes in the good Ole US of A and in Holland. I guess you better hide in closet, soon it won't be safe anywhere.
    • RubixCube, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's a third world country they can't make enough for insurance let alone a new car. Most of those cars are older models and already have dings in them.
  • jefffm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1this isn't exactly the best solution... but traffic circles work pretty well and they're kinda the same concept (no lights, just a circle thing)...

    maybe we should just hurry up with the damn hydrogen-powered 100% automated cars...

    wasn't there a digg somewhere of some pbs series on automated cars with optical sensors and stuff?
  • phileplanet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Why do these cool stories get buried all the time?
    • johndi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Most of them get submitted wrong, for example this one isn't a mod. I doubt that's why this one got buried.

      In this case I think it's too many people with closed minds who can't imagine a different way than they are used to could possibly be valid. That kind of driving only works where people pay attention and they want to fiddle with their Ipods and Cellphones. It also doesn't work as well with Americans because we are notorious for forcing the right of way if traffic. I'm right damn it! Hell no I won't yield sort of thing and many are willing to die for being "right"
  • JohnnySoftware, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I would not say they have _no_ problems on their roads; every country does.

    Here is an example. On October 26, a bus in India went off a mountain road, down a steep gorge, and killed at least 27 people aboard it that were returning from a religious festival. The driver had swerved off the road to avoid a single cow that had wandered onto it. Apparently, cows can stray onto the roads and vehicles are expected to give them the right of way. I read a year or two ago there was a move to try to change this - a move by the government. The cows were causing problems by interfering with the growing traffic as India industrializes.

    http://users.lmi.net/tcs55/note2.html

    Just above that article on the same page you will see an article about a disasterous bus crash in El Salvador. The probable cause cited in the article was mechanical problems - the busses are not strictly regulated there like they are here in the U.S.

    Worst road accident in the U.S. in recent years was in Texas (as in "don't mess with Texas"). The state government had temporarily suspended some rules about what busses could be driven. Sounds like the brake system malfunctioned and caused some oxygen cylinders to explode. There were 45 people on board, and 24 of them were killed.

    http://www.mapreport.com/subtopics/d/c.html

    Just a few years ago India was suffering from an outbreak of bus crashes. The bus drivers were speeding to get from stop to stop. More and more often they were getting into accidents between the stops. I have not heard much about it in the past couple of years so somebody probably stepped in and did something about it.

    Countries that have lax government enforcement of building codes often have earthquakes wreak far more havoc on their buildings than we experience in the U.S. I think I have read of cases where they rebuilt after a big quake that revealed code violations, and when a subsequent quake hit the same area - it happened again.

    When lax regulations in UK allowed their meat industry to feed slaughtered cows remains to other cows on farms, in a surprisingly short time they caused an epidemic. A rare prion infection was spread by the bovine cannibalism that resulted in a staggering number of British cows having to be slaughtered. In nature, cows just don't eat cows - so it was something the industry did to itself because no regulation stopped them.

    There are cases of deadly brain disorders being spread by cannibalism in humans that are so well known, they are documented in the Guinness book of world records! So, the industry could have recognized the practice was risky.

    Not all regulation is bad. Everybody makes mistakes. Most regulations are not to keep something that has never happened before, and probably never will, from happening. They are to keep something bad that has happened from happening over and over again.
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