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