Traffic

Cars! The road has far fewer bicycles (and no cows!) today than 20 years ago. But traffic is heavier. The road is jammed with tiny little Maruti Suzuki cars, Hyundai Santros, etc. These subcompacts are a sleek and nimble testament to India's vibrant and growing yuppie population. Of course, driving is still as chaotic and jaw-dropping. There is little regard for traffic lanes, or for that matter even signal lights. Cars, motorbikes, mopeds, and especially our much beloved 3 wheeled autorickshaws weave and dodge in a chaotic manner that defies logic. The hand-eye coordination of the drivers puts to shame the best 8 year old videogamers in the US. Interestingly, in the 4 days we've been here, and despite that traffic behavior, we have not seen a single accident - not even a fender bender. Compare that to the daily accident or two that we used to see in Minneapolis, despite the low traffic density and lane maintenance. What is the secret, we wonder?