An Indian man who recently returned home after spending eight years in Australia has sparked a conversation online about road safety in India. Taking to Instagram, Animish Aggarwal shared a video showing Indian roads filled with overloaded vehicles and poorly lit traffic conditions, prompting widespread discussion among viewers.
The clip, which has garnered more than 484k views, captures scenes of trucks carrying excessive loads and vehicles moving without adequate lighting or safety measures. Through the video and an accompanying caption, Aggarwal reflected on the stark differences he noticed while driving again in India after years abroad.
‘Driving past overloaded trucks is not less than going to war’
Aggarwal detailed his experience in the caption of the post, expressing concern over unsafe driving practices. He wrote: "After living in Australia for eight years and now driving back in your own country made me realise how unsafe our Indian roads are. Specially driving in the night time and driving past these overloaded trucks is not less than going to war without a gun, if you think you can pass the level one then the next challenge is waiting for you where you see the vehicles without tail lights and lot of these vehicles do not even have the reflectors at the back."
He further criticised the lack of adherence to basic traffic rules, adding: "The most amazing part of driving here is the indicator game where 80% of vehicles do not use the indicators while turning and rest who are using the indicators are not following them. In 2026 I think we all should start following the road rules for the safety of our own and the families."
{{/usCountry}}He further criticised the lack of adherence to basic traffic rules, adding: "The most amazing part of driving here is the indicator game where 80% of vehicles do not use the indicators while turning and rest who are using the indicators are not following them. In 2026 I think we all should start following the road rules for the safety of our own and the families."
{{/usCountry}}Watch the clip here:
Social media users share similar experiences
The video quickly drew reactions from viewers, many of whom echoed his concerns. One user commented, "This is so true, night driving in India feels stressful because you never know what will appear suddenly." Another wrote, "Overloaded trucks and no tail lights are the biggest danger on highways."
A third user shared, "Rules exist but nobody follows them properly," while another added, "Indicators are treated like optional features here." One viewer remarked, "I realised the same thing after returning from abroad," and another commented, "Road safety awareness is still a long way to go in our country."
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)