Have you noticed some white or yellow lines along the road as you drive? Ever wondered why some lines are broken and others continuous? Why are somacce lines yellow and some white?
The colored lines you see on roads are known as road markings. Road markings play a very important role in road safety.
The Importance of Road Marking
Road markings provide information
A well-designed road should “speak” to the drivers and guide them. This reduces both the decision-making time and the likelihood of a crash. However, as a driver, you should know the language that the road is speaking. Road markings bridge this gap.
Road markings are designed for safety
Each road marking has a specific purpose: Your safety. This will be clear through some examples:
- Solid white lines are used along sharp curves to indicate drivers to slow down. A speeding vehicle might leave the lane at curves.
- Solid lines are also used to mark the road edge. This is done to prevent vehicles from going off-road.
- Wide roads with multiple lanes on both sides and no physical dividers have double solid lines. This is because wide roads usually encourage drivers to drive at a higher speed. And any vehicle that crosses onto the opposite side at high speed is going to increase the likelihood of a crash. The double white lines indicate that crossing to the other side is strictly prohibited.
- Intersections create a scenario for multiple conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. Road markings such as STOP signs or Pedestrian (Zebra) Crossings are specifically designed to warn drivers of impending danger.
- Glowing road markings provide directions and improve safety at night.
- Research indicates that road markings can also reduce vehicle speeds. The Zig-zag lines in the UK have proven to be effective.
The different road marking in India
The road marking on Indian roads is made as per the Indian Road Congress (IRC), a body that develops road design standards.
Road marking can be broadly categorized into two parts:
- Longitudinal markings along the road.
- Road markings for special road structures such as intersections, bus stops, etc.
Let us look at each category in detail.
Longitudinal Marking
These are the road markings you see along the road.
Broken White/Yellow Lines
Broken lines are generally used as lane separators. A broken line on the road indicates that:
- You are permitted to change lanes on a multi-lane road.
- You can cross over the line to overtake on an undivided road.
- You can take a U-turn.
The broken white line is the most liberal marking. However, this does not mean you can drive however you want. Always be aware of your surrounding. Leave your lane only when it is safe to do so.
Solid/Continuous White or Yellow Lines
The solid line is much stricter than the broken white line. When you see a solid white line you need to know that:
- You are not allowed to change lanes.
- You are allowed to overtake as long as you are not crossing the line.
- You are not allowed to take a U-turn.
- You are allowed to take a left/right turn to exit the road.
You can cross a solid line only to avoid an emergency such as a crash. Solid lines are found at locations where changing lanes or overtaking is risky, such as narrow roads with heavy traffic or sharp curves.
Solid lines are also used as “Edge lines” to mark the outer edge of the drivable section of the road.
Yellow solid lines are sometimes used to indicate a no-parking zone.
Double Solid Lines
The strictest of all road markings. A double yellow marking means that you cannot cross the lane line, no matter the scenario. Consider these lines as the “Laxman Rekha” of road markings. You will find these markings on wide roads (multiple lanes) with no physical divider.
Combination of Broken and Solid Lines
Combine the broken and solid lines and you get this type of road marking. Driving rules depend on which type of line borders your side of the road:
- If your side of the road has a broken line, you follow the rules for the standard broken lines i.e. you can overtake, take a u-turn, etc.
- If your side of the road has a solid line, you simply cannot cross the line. You cannot overtake, cannot take a turn, etc.
Combination lines are used only in specific scenarios.
Road marking used for special sections or structures
Special road sections such as intersections or bus stops are known as high-conflict zones as many road users converge at this point. That is why special road markings are used for such sections. These include:
- The STOP line: These are solid lines that go across the road. You have to stop before this line before proceeding. You will find STOP lines before intersections.
- The Give-Way line: Similar to the STOP lines. But, instead of stopping, you are expected to slow down before the Give-Way line.
- Directional arrows to indicate safe turning spots.
- Pedestrian Crossings to warn drivers of pedestrian crossing zones.
- Bus-stop area and Bicycle lanes.
- Flush/Ghost medians: Found along curves or merging roads. These markings are used to provide a buffer area in situations where the traffic is expected to crossover.
Now that we know more about road markings, let us look at some issues we face in India.
We will start with the most common issue…
Nobody follows road marking in India. How do I keep myself safe?
Ah, yes. We are talking about driving in India, aren’t we? Indian road users don’t respect road marking.
That is why we have drivers stopped on pedestrian crossings, crossing double solid lines, driving between lanes…the list goes on. No wonder driving on Indian roads can be a dangerous task.
However, this does not mean we should not give up and stop following road markings ourselves.
I suggest a Stoic Approach to Road Safety: Take steps that are in your control. Ignore what you cannot control.
The best suggestion I can give is to become a Defensive Driver. Here are some suggestions:
- Follow lane discipline. Always respect your lane and do not drive between two lanes. Do not change lanes without giving any indication.
- Understand what each road marking means and follow the rules set by each marking.
- While entering an intersection, be on the lookout for warning markings such as pedestrian crossings and Stop Lines.
- Respect pedestrian infrastructure.
These tips will work on roads with visible road markings. But what will you do on roads that do not have any road markings at all?
What about roads with no road markings or incorrect road markings?
This is another common problem in India. Not only the drivers, but sometimes even our road engineers are not aware of road markings. That is why we have roads with faded road markings, incorrect road markings, or in many places, no road markings at all!
Having no road markings is dangerous as the road does not provide any information or warning to the road users.
Here is what you can do on roads with no markings:
- The priority is to remain alert and disciplined all the time. Do not sway from your path. Also, be attentive before trying to overtake or take a turn.
- Reduce your speed on roads with no markings. Driving at a lesser speed will give you more time to react if something goes wrong.
- Using your vehicle’s width as guidance keep it centered on the road. Have some clearance between the adjacent vehicle.
- Always cross the road close to an intersection if you are a pedestrian or cyclist. Vehicles usually move slowly near intersections. However, keep an eye on the traffic signal.
Road Marking is not Road Art.
Road marking is not some arbitrary road art. Each road marking has a reason behind its design. Road markings help the road interact with the road users. However, we may never understand the language if we do not know what each type of road marking indicates. Children should also be taught about road markings
The future may have driverless vehicles that will read road markings automatically. Till then learning about road markings and following them with discipline is our responsibility.
If you found this article useful I encourage you to share it with your family and friends. This is the only way we can improve the awareness of road safety in India.
