‘Driving past overloaded trucks is like going to war’: Australia-returned man sparks road safety debate

An Indian man who recently returned after spending eight years in Australia has triggered an online debate on road safety in India after sharing a video highlighting unsafe driving conditions. Animish Aggarwal posted the clip on Instagram on February 14, showing overloaded trucks and poorly lit vehicles on Indian roads. The video has garnered more than 484,000 views and over 10,300 likes.

Through the footage and an accompanying caption, Aggarwal described the stark differences he observed while driving in India again after years abroad.

‘Driving past overloaded trucks is not less than going to war’

Aggarwal expressed concern over what he described as unsafe driving practices, particularly at night. 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 also criticised the lack of adherence to basic traffic rules, stating: "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."

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A post shared by Animish Aggarwal (@animish__aggarwal)

Social media users share similar experiences

The video drew widespread reactions from viewers, many of whom shared similar 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 said, "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." Another commented, "Road safety awareness is still a long way to go in our country."

A separate user wrote, "India is not survival of the fittest, it's survival of the luckiest fr."