Section 21 in The West Bengal Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989
21.
(1)Duties of a driver of all categories of vehicles.(a)The driver of a motor vehicle shall drive the vehicle as close to the left hand side of the road as may be expedient and shall allow all traffic proceeding in the opposite direction to pass him on his right hand side.(b)Except as provided in clause (c), the driver of a motor vehicle shall pass to the right of all traffic proceeding in the same direction as himself.(c)The driver of a motor vehicle may pass to the left of a vehicle the driver of which having indicated an intention to turn to the right, has drawn to the centre of the road and may pass a tram car or other vehicle running on fixed rail, whether travelling in the same direction as himself or otherwise on other side :Provided that in no case shall be pass a tram car at a time or in a manner likely to cause danger or inconvenience to other users of the road or pass on the left hand side of a tram car which, when in motion, would be travelling in the same direction as himself, while the tram car is at rest for the purpose of setting down or taking up passengers.(d)The driver of a motor vehicle shall not pass a vehicle travelling in the direction as himself,-(i)if his passing is likely to cause inconvenience or danger to other traffic proceeding in any direction, or(ii)where a point or a corner or a hill or an obstruction of any kind venters the road ahead not clearly visible.(e)The driver of a motor vehicle shall not, when being overtaken or being passed by another vehicle, increase the speed or do anything in any way to prevent the other vehicle from passing him.(f)The driver of a motor vehicle shall slow down the speed when approaching a road inter-section or junction until he has become aware that he may do so without endangering the safety of a person thereon.(g)The driver of a motor vehicle shall, on entering a road inter-section, if the road entered is a main road designated as such, give way to the vehicles proceeding along that road and in any other case give way to all traffic approaching the inter-section on his right hand.(h)The driver of a motor vehicle shall, when passing or meeting a procession or a body of troops or police on the march or when passing workman engaged on road repair or ambulance or a vehicle belonging to the fire brigades, drive at a speed not exceeding 20 k.m. an hour.(i)The driver of a motor vehicle shall-(a)when turning to the left. drive as close as may be, to the left hand side of the road from which he is making the run and of the road which he is entering;(b)when turning to the right. drive as near as may be to the centre of the road along which he is travelling and cause the vehicle to move in such a manner, that, as far as may be practicable, if passes beyond and so as to leave the drivers right hand a point framed by the centre lines of the inter-section roads and it arrives as near as may be at the left hand side of the road which the driver is entering.(j)When about to turn to the right or to drive to the right side of the road, in order to pass another vehicle or for any other purpose, a driver shall extend his right arm in a horizontal position outside of and to the right of his vehicle with the palm of the hand turned to the front.(k)When about to turn to the left or to drive to the left hand side of the road, a driver shall extend his right arm and rotate in an anticlockwise direction.(l)When about to slow down the speed, a driver shall extend his right arm with the palm downward and to the right of the vehicle and shall move the arm to extend up and down several times in such a manner that the signal can be seen by the driver of any vehicle which may be behind him.(m)When about to stop, the driver shall raise his right fore-arm vertically outside of, and to the right of the vehicle, palm to the front.(n)When a driver wishes to indicate to the driver of a vehicle behind him that the former desires that the latter be allowed to overtake him, he shall extend his right arm and hand horizontally outside of and to the right of the vehicle and shall swing the arm backward and forward in a semicircular motion.(2)Conduct and duties of drivers of transport vehicles. - In addition to those prescribed in rule 21(1), the driver of a transport vehicle -(a)shall, at all times, exercise all reasonable care and diligence to maintain his vehicle in a fit and proper condition and shall not knowingly drive the vehicle when it or any brake, tyre or lamp thereof is in a defective condition likely to endanger any passenger or other person, or when there is not sufficient petrol or diesel in the tank of the vehicle to enable him to reach the next petrol filling station on the route;(b)shall not desert his vehicle in any public place or in any other place, unless the vehicle has stopped on account of any accident or mechanical failure and cannot be driven, in which case, he shall report to the owner the location and the registration number of the vehicle so deserted;(c)shall, in the event of the vehicle approaching an unmanned railway level crossing, cause the vehicle to be stopped or stop it, as the case may be, and shall get down and see the railway track on both sides to make sure that the way is clear before the vehicle crosses the railway track.
