Stuck in Pune traffic, man compares Indian and German drivers, sparks civic sense debate: ‘We are 200 years behind foreign countries’

In the video on Instagram, the man says the big difference in Germany during traffic jams is that even on a two-lane highway, the people on the left lane will stick to the extreme left in case of a jam, and the people on the extreme right will stick to the extreme rightm leaving the centre lane open for emergency vehicles to pass through.

By: Trends Desk

New Delhi | September 23, 2025 06:40 PM IST

3 min read

The post quickly drew a wave of reactions

The civic sense of Indians toward their communities, public spaces, and laws has long been a hot topic in India, as they are blamed for issues like littering, traffic chaos, and damage to public property.

A recent social media post from Pune, Maharashtra, reignited this discussion, where a man shared a video on Instagram showing the contrasting behaviour of drivers in India and those in Germany during a traffic jam.

In the video, he says, “Currently stuck in a jam here in Pune, but I was also stuck in a jam in Germany a couple of days back. And the big difference there is that even on a two-lane highway, the people on the left lane will stick to the extreme left in case of a jam, and the people on the extreme right will stick to the extreme right… leaving the centre lane open for emergency vehicles to pass through, which is something that does not really require infrastructure. It just requires a little bit of respect towards the emergency vehicles”.

He captioned the video: “think we’re capable of this discipline here?”

Watch the video:

The post quickly drew a wave of reactions. One user commented, “If we develop civic sense, India harbors a lot of potential to grow.” Another remarked, “The funny thing is that, the same people who lack civic sense, if they get an opportunity to drive in other countries, will learn to be disciplined. Is it due to the fines, or the inherent mindset that we are inferior to the Europeans and Americans, so we respect their place and live by their rules, I don’t know.”

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Some viewers offered a more nuanced perspective. “Yes, civic sense is a big problem. But saying it doesn’t need infrastructure is a stretch. Look at the road breadth, the quality!” wrote one. Another emphasized, “Empathy! This the word we have to work on.” Meanwhile, a fifth user expressed frustration, saying, “Civic sense hi nahi develop kar payenge Indians. We could be the best in everything but we’d still be 200 years behind these foreign countries when it comes to mindset. And if you know you’re in a jam, what’s the point of honking? Ud kar pohoch ja bhai. It’s so disappointing.”

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