Craters and Valleys?

Nope! I am not talking about a recent sightseeing visit to an exotic volcano site. Rather, I am referring to driving on Bangalore roads and specifically referring to the GIANT speed bumps that you would typically encounter every 100 yards or so. The sickening crunch that you hear every time your car navigates one of these gives you pictures of the battered underbelly of your shiny new vehicle.

After the millionth such crunch, I was convinced that there must be a solution to this. I googled Bangalore Speed Bumps and sure enough, found hundreds of discussions on local on-line forums on this topic. One of these forums had the answer. As your front wheels start to climb the speed bump, you turn your steering wheel to the right or left and drive over the bump at an angle. Of course, you have to correct course quickly as you are climbing down to avoid totally confusing the traffic around you. But it works!

Since then, I have not only managed to avoid damaging our car but have also dispensed this advise to all my friends who are plagued with this problem.

Couple of other useful tips:

1. Unload your heaviest passenger before passing over a speed bump
2. Heavier passengers should sit in the front seat
   
3. If you happen to be driving to the airport with heavy luggage, the passenger on the front seat (and even the driver if possible) should carry a heavy piece of luggage on their lap
4. If you happen to be going to dinner, eat less in order to keep the weight in the car low
   

Happy driving!