Chicken!

Indian traffic is an experience you can't ignore whether you're a pedestrian or a passenger - let alone a driver.  We arrived in Bangalore at 4 in the morning so traffic was relatively light driving into the city.  Even so I couldn't fail to notice how close we were to other vehicles - which were whizzing past us on both sides  - and the constant hooting from our driver and others.

The first impression is of utter and terrifying chaos.  But after several days of being driven around in cars and autos, and crossing roads on foot, a pattern starts to emerge.  There are rules after all it seems.

First of all you need to decide what you want to do, and then you must apply all your determination to doing it.  If you are a pedestrian crossing the road this means walking into the road at a steady pace whether there is traffic driving towards you from all directions or not.  It is permissible to join forces with others with a common purpose.  The fainthearted and novices may wish to tag along with more experienced pedestrians.

Pretty much the same rule applies to drivers of cars, autos and two wheelers. Decide where you're going and keep going till you get there, or until someone outmanoeuvres you.  Indicate your intention - and your presence - by frequently sounding your horn.  And always be aware of other vehicles, pedestrians, cows, dogs and potholes.

What I find really interesting about this is that despite the honking, the ruthless cutting up and the terrifying proximity of other road users, there is an almost total lack of aggression.  If you drove like this in London someone would get out of their car and thump you within minutes.  But here people seem to accept being outmanoeuvred with a shrug and move on to the next battle of wills with equanimity.  The constant sounding of horns is functional rather than a protest - it tells people you are there, and that you're coming, ready or not.  It feels like a constant and gigantic game of chicken, involving all other road users.

I think I would have to be here for a while before I would have the nerve to drive myself.