Bangalore is a city that truly gives. Be it nightlife, great food, parks or lakes, the city has so much to offer. The same way though, the city has a lot of traffic to bear with. Which sometimes makes it difficult to follow the Road Safety Rules in Bangalore. It’s also why you should put more efforts into it. Bangalore is believed to have the worst traffic in all of India.

The city will test you in every way possible. However, measures are being taken to make road safety rules in Bangalore strict. In any case, you are not doing yourself any harm by following the traffic laws. It’s for your own good. Let’s face it, we can’t put a price tag on our well being. So when riding in Bangalore, keep these things in mind.

Carry all your valid documentations

Your valid documentations include your Driving License, Bike Insurance Policy, PUC Certificate and Bike Registration Certificate (RC Book). If any of these are not valid or up-to-date, you could be fined as high as 4,000 INR. By law, you are supposed to present these documents if stopped and asked by a traffic police officer. Also, you need not carry your original documents with you everywhere. You could get coloured photocopies too.

But it’s important to get the photocopy attested by a gazetted officer. Alternatively, you can use mobile apps like DigiLocker and mParivahan and display the soft copies of your documents. As per the new rules, electronic authenticated documents are completely valid and sufficient. Word of advice, digitally downloading the insurance policy can still be tricky. So it’s just better to be on the safer side and carry attested photocopies too.

Always wear a helmet

This can never be stressed enough. Not just for the one riding the bike, but also for the passenger (pillion rider). As per the new rules in Bangalore, even the pillion rider is supposed to wear a helmet. If there’s one thing which should be taken very seriously, it’s safety.

Make sure your helmet is ISI approved and it fits you properly too. There’s a fine of 500 INR if you do not wear a helmet. Also, if your helmet is cracked or not in a good condition, don’t try to stretch its life. Please buy a new helmet. You could be fined for that too.

There’s no need for speed

Overspeeding is always a risk for both, you and the others on the road. Even if it’s a case of choosing between getting late and keeping your life, always choose your life. Moreover, as per the traffic rules in Bangalore, you could be fined as much as 1000 INR for overspeeding.

Always be aware of your surroundings. Look for sign boards to know the speed limit in that particular area.

Don’t ride while intoxicated

The safety of the road depends on the responsible ones. So, if you’ve consumed alcohol, marijuana or any other drugs, just don’t ride. You could literally be throwing your life away. In addition to that, you could be a danger to the life of others too. Doing so could result in a fine of up to 15000 INR, or worse, you could go to jail for up to 2 years.

Maintain lane discipline

This is important for both you and other vehicles on the street. Use your indicator appropriately before making any turn. Also, make use of them if there is a need to change your lane. Your rear view mirror is your friend. So whenever there’s a need to switch a lane or make a turn, make use of it. But moreover, don’t unnecessarily keep switching lanes and just look to cut and overtake vehicles.

The roads of Bangalore do have potholes, so we understand it won’t always be easy. You want to take care of your bike and yourself. Just be responsible, use your indicator and always maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. And don’t ride in a rash or dangerous manner. That too can be a very costly mistake as it’s also a punishable offence. You could be fined as much as 1500 INR.

Avoid using your phone while riding

Be it for coordinating with someone, answering a call, listening to music or even looking for directions, it’s never a good idea to use your phone while riding your bike. This is not only against the law, it’s not a responsible practice. If you need to look for directions on your phone, stop your vehicle at an appropriate place and then check the map. Listening to music is definitely the worst idea, so please avoid that.

First time offenders can be fined as much as 1500 INR. If that doesn’t teach you, the heavy fine of doing it again is 10,000 INR for 2 wheelers. So think about that. Apart from reducing the risk on your life and others on the road, avoiding your phone while riding a bike can help you save money too.

Ride only when physically and mentally able

If you’ve had any serious physical injury or your mental health is not in the best state, please avoid riding. Be it physical or mental, health issues of any kind can affect us and our ability to safely and responsibly ride a bike. Also, please don’t belittle and downplay stress or even minor physical injuries. At the end of the day, if there’s anything that has even a little chance of affecting you, please avoid riding.

You must know that in a situation where you’re found to be unfit to ride, you could be fined 1000 INR for your first offence. The fine obviously increases if you repeat the offence.

Tips for Bangalore’s roads

There are some roads that are really well maintained. Then again, there are areas which have potholes and roads which are not in good condition. So do not go throttling on the roads. Bangalore’s traffic anyway doesn’t give a lot of opportunities for that. Also, the rickshaw drivers here can be aggressive and a bit rash with their riding. Avoid overtaking them. They also have a reputation of trying to squeeze in every inch of space in traffics.

As a general rule, it’s always good to maintain safe distance from any vehicle ahead or beside you. Even more so when they’re a big vehicle like a truck or a bus. In Bangalore, that role is sometimes assumed by the BMTC bus drivers. Of course, it doesn’t apply to every BMTC Bus driver. Although, it’s better to be safe than sorry. In any case, you should always do your bit to be responsible.

Keep these things in mind and you would ideally be fine. Bangalore’s traffic sure is horrible. But the city is enjoyable and there are points when the traffic is not all that bad. Riding on certain areas of Bangalore can be a lot of fun. At the end of the day, it is no doubt a beautiful city.

If you don’t have a bike to experience everything Bangalore and its roads have to offer,  just a rent a bike, choose the best bike for you from a bunch of bike rentals in Bangalore.

If a bike trip is on your mind, ride down to Mysore. The cultural capital of Karnataka for a peaceful, memorable journey.