American Tourist: How to Cross the Street in India and Live to Tell About It

"Oh God, help me" I uttered, as I took a deep breath and stepped into a small pocket of car-free space on a crowded street in New Delhi. I had been standing on the curb, waiting for a "good opportunity" to cross the street for several minutes when I finally realized that there was no such thing as a good time to cross a busy street in New Delhi. There were mainly two options: dangerous and less dangerous. Less dangerous it would have to be.

Since then, I've crossed numerous streets in India, and since I'm writing this article, you can rightly assume that I survived each of my India street crossing experiences. I'd like to let you in on the secrets of crossing streets in India and other crowded Asian countries and living to tell about it. It can be done!

Secret #1 for Crossing the Street Safely in India: Look the "Wrong" Way

Our mothers taught all of us to look both ways before crossing the street. In spite of our mother's admonition to look both ways, many of us have a tendency to look only the direction that we expect traffic to come. That works okay when you're the U.S., but since Indians drive on the left side of the road, if you look to your left to see if it's clear like you're accustomed to and then step out into the street, you could lose your life. In India, it's even more important to look both ways before crossing the street, but if you only look one way, look to your right to see if it's clear before stepping into the street. Remember, it will be the opposite of what you are used to.

Secret #2 for Crossing the Street Safely in India: Cross the Street When Indians Do

One thing India has is people - lots and lots of people. At times that can be overwhelming, but other times it can contribute to your safety. If you're in a decent sized city in India, chances are, there will be several Indian people who want to cross the street when you do. Don't be afraid to stand close to them, even in the middle of the crowd if possible. Wait for them to start crossing, and then walk when they walk, and stop when they stop. Not only will they indicate when it's a good time to cross, being one of a crowd increases safety as there is less chance motorists will hit a group of people. If you're in the middle of the group when crossing the street in India, your safety increases that much more, as the other people shield you from vehicles that come near the group.

Secret #3 for Crossing the Street Safely in India: Be Prepared to Start and Stop

A reason it took me so long to cross the street in India the first time I needed to do so was because I tried to wait until it was clear enough for me to make it all the way across the street without stopping. In big cities in India, there is seldom a big enough break in the traffic to cross the street safely without stopping somewhere in the middle. When there is a little bit of an open space, step out and walk a few steps. You may then need to stand there, in the middle of the street for a few seconds, while traffic zips around you. When there is another small break in traffic, walk a few more steps, stopping again when it becomes unsafe to continue walking. The first couple of times, it may kind of frighten you to be in the middle of the street with cars and scooters zipping around you, but keep in mind that the Indian drivers are accustomed to driving around people, and unless you step right in front of them when they are too close to you to stop, you are really quite safe standing in the middle of an Indian street.

Crossing the street in India can be an exciting experience, but it doesn't have to be life-threatening. Following these tips will help you to safely cross the street in India, should you have the opportunity to visit this amazing country.