If you’re in India on business, chances are you will be assigned a driver for the time you are there who will have his own vehicle. If not public transport, taxis and other transportation services are plentiful and inexpensive.

It would be very unusual to have the need to drive solo in India while on business; in fact many car hire operators don’t even give you the option of hiring a vehicle without a driver. But if you need to drive by yourself, we have some advice to help you get through the experience unscathed.

Although you drive on the left in India like the UK and Ireland, sometimes it might feel that in India it’s more for guidance than actually a law!

And while lanes are marked, it is commonplace for them to be ignored and drivers will cut across you with no warning. And not just drivers … pedestrians and animals can and will cross in front of you without looking, or acknowledging you even being there.

It’s often said that if you are not accelerating, your foot should be hovering over the brake pedal as you are likely to need it regularly.

If you are hiring a car, you should be aware your rental agreement could contain a number of extra charges for items like depreciation on metal and plastic. So you should read your agreement closely, and query anything you don’t understand. Third party claims though are very rare, and they would need a police report accompanying it.

Avoid driving late at night as not only are the roads poorly made, they are badly lit. Also, motorcycles, cars and large trucks might not have working lights. Again manoeuvres without notice are common. Add to that, people driving under the influence of alcohol are not uncommon – so do have your wits about you.

As a road user in India, you will be sharing the tarmac (or perhaps the gravel) with many other things. You will encounter carts, cycles, rickshaws, three-wheelers, trucks, buses, and of course cows. There are no ‘slow’ lanes as such, so be prepared to brake and stop frequently.

Other things that can slow you down on your journey include wedding processions or religious ceremonies, which are many and frequent. Many drivers choose to take unplanned ‘detours’ which includes driving along the sides of unpaved roads – we couldn’t possibly comment on whether you should do the same!

If you are heading out of the cities and into smaller towns, it is likely the roads will be very narrow and cannot support two lanes of traffic side by side. If you encounter oncoming traffic, move to the left so you are taking up as little of the road as you can. Hopefully the driver approaching you will do the same.

Even on wider roads as you find in Chennai and other places, be alert for smaller cars driving on your side of the road.

This is just a small picture of what you can expect as a driver in India. Whatever your journey is for and wherever your motoring takes you, I’m sure you will bring back a lifetime of memories!