How to drive in Bangladesh

Travelling in Bangladesh is rarely easy. Despite being a country so tiny its name usually has to be written outside it on maps, travel over even short distances can (and almost without fail does) take hours, even days. For example, even though it’s barely 300 kilometres between my base in Parbatipur, in the northwest of the country, and Dhaka, the capital, the journey takes at least eight hours, and it recently took a friend over twenty hours to make the trip in traffic that was bumper to bumper the entire way.

The fact is that the existing means of transport, whether train, bus or boat, public or private, are wholly insufficient to meet the needs of Bangladesh’s burgeoning population. The roads and rivers are simply not big enough, and there simply aren’t enough buses and trains. Add to this the fact that every road is also clogged with rickshaws, bicycles, motorcycles and pedestrians as far as the eye can see, and you start to understand why travelling in this country is such a nightmare.

During a recent visit to a friend’s village, I rode for three very cold hours on the back of his motorbike. Alternately elated and terrified by National Geographic views and thundering Tata trucks, the journey gave me the (un)enviable opportunity to observe Bangladeshi road travel at worryingly close quarters. To my surprise, it quickly became evident that there is, in fact, logic to the way that people drive in Bangladesh. While it may bear no resemblance to any highway code we in the UK are familiar with, it is nevertheless a system, with identifiable norms, rules and typical behaviours.

The following tips were compiled to give the unwitting traveller in Bangladesh a fighting chance of getting from A to B without fatal mishap. I have learned from somewhat painful experience that you cannot beat the traffic in Bangladesh, leaving you with only one choice: to join the heaving, honking, lawless melee with your wits about you and your elbows out.

Basic principles
It is best to begin by trying to understand the basic principles that guide road users in Bangladesh. It is only with a clear understanding of such principles that you can hope to compete with other drivers.

The fundamental principle of Bangladeshi driving is very simple: never slow down. Slowing down is a sign of weakness that will be leapt upon – or, more accurately, mown down – by other road users. Do not slow down at any cost. Not when overtaking on a blind corner, not when passing through a crowded town and the road is littered with pedestrians, livestock and rickshaws. Not even when the vehicle you’re attempting to overtake is speeding up to prevent you from doing so and a much larger vehicle is rapidly advancing towards you in the oncoming lane. Your aim at all times should be to get to your destination in as little time as possible, whilst showing as little regard for other road users as is feasible without damaging your vehicle/killing someone.

This leads us to the second most important principle of driving in this country: show no consideration for others. Considerate driving will be seen as a sign of weakness, and others will rush to take advantage of it. So if a vehicle is, for instance, turning off the road, do not slow down or – god forbid – stop until the vehicle has cleared your path. Hell no. Just maintain your speed, swerve into the opposite lane and use your horn to communicate your extreme displeasure at such an inconvenience. Likewise, if there is a blockage of some kind in your lane, don’t hesitate to swing out into the other lane in order to overtake, even if this means driving on the wrong side of the road for several kilometres and forcing tens of other vehicles into the verge: in such a situation, you’ll have the element of surprise, especially if you use your horn to announce your presence, so other drivers will clear the way for you.

Now that you have these two principles firmly in mind, we can turn to advice for specific road situations.

Overtaking
Overtaking is a necessity on roads in Bangladesh. Whether it’s due to overladen lorries, broken down buses or out of control cows, you will need to overtake if you are to get further than 200 metres. When overtaking, do not let oncoming traffic intimidate you. One of you will, in all likelihood, be able to swerve out of the way at the last minute, and the faster you go and the more you use your horn, the less likely it is that it will be you who is reduced to this humiliation.

Traffic jams
Being able to deal with traffic jams is an essential skill, given the omnipresence and intractability of jams on Bangladesh’s choked roads. Road users must be prepared to deal with them head on, rather than mincing along patiently as one might feel obliged to do in the UK. No – a rather different approach is required if you are not to spend the majority of your day sitting in a traffic jam, drowning in your own sweat whilst acrid CNG smoke fills your lungs. Probably the commonest response to this is the frequent and demonstrative use of your horn. It may not make the traffic move any faster, but it will leave fellow drivers in no doubt as to your status on the roads. Another commonly observed response to traffic jams is ‘pavement driving’, which can be broadened to include squeezing your vehicle into any possible space in the vicinity of the road itself. Whether this is a filling station forecourt, a sewage ditch or a roundabout, this manoeuvre should be used whenever possible. Even if it ultimately slows down the flow of traffic, at least no-one will take you for a sucker.

Speed bumps
For vehicles with suspension: Speed bumps may damage your suspension, so you shouldn’t take them at full speed unless it’s absolutely necessary. Instead, speed up as you approach them, slam on the brakes at the last minute, and floor the accelerator as soon as your rear wheels are clear. This is a tried and tested method for losing as little time as possible in the name of protecting your vehicle, while ensuring maximum discomfort for any passengers.


For vehicles without suspension: proceed as normal.

Ambulances
Do not slow down or move aside to allow an ambulance to pass. After all, you don’t know if it’s a real ambulance with a patient in a life and death situation inside, or a truck full of officials on ‘emergency export duty’. Proceed as normal.

Speed limits
What speed limits?

Traffic police
For drivers of large vehicles (private car, bus, lorry etc): proceed as normal

For drivers of rickshaws and CNGs (in which you, as the driver, are physically exposed): do as they direct you, however counterintuitive it may appear. In situations involving traffic police, do not try to go against the grain: you may receive a good beating with a wooden stick in return for your obstinacy.

Pedestrians
If you are reading this as a future pedestrian on a Bangladeshi road, please bear in mind that you are without a doubt the lowest form of life on the road, and will be treated in accordance with your status in the food chain.

When crossing roads: use a slightly elevated hand to signal to the oncoming wall of traffic that you wish them to slow down. This is a surprisingly effective gesture in most cases. Don’t feel reassured? Take comfort in the fact that while the road traffic accident fatality rate is sixty per 10 000, one of the world’s highest, only 75% of these fatalities are pedestrians (according to this report, road traffic accidents are on the rise, while fatalities bloomed by 400% between the early 1980s and 2005).


Disclaimer
The author neither encourages road travel by any means in Bangladesh, nor accepts liability for any mishaps encountered whilst in transit.