Bangalore update: Why India has the world's most dangerous roads

"Congratulations, you have passed".

Despite only being 14, Shakir was not the slightest bit surprised to have got his driving licence - because he had  bribed the examiner.

Yes, he was four years under the legal minimum age but that didn't matter. He had simply changed his date of birth for the official paperwork.

After pocketing the 2,500 (£30) bribe at the start of the test, the examiner simply went to sleep in the back of the car.

Mad, bad and dangerous: India's rickshaw drivers are without doubt the worst on the roads. And there are 80,000 of them in the city of Bangalore alone

So Shakir was legally allowed to go into combat on India's mad roads which are officially the worst in the world.

He is now a grown man and runs the excellent Mass Residency guesthouse where we stayed in Bangalore.

His driving test was far from unique. A huge number of Indian children get their driving licences aged 14.

And anyone who doesn't bribe the examiner on test day is foolish.

Family outing on the motorbike: A young boy is perched on the front, Dad is sat behind but with his helmet unclipped, while his mother sends a text message. They were moving when I took this picture

The test may not exactly be the most taxing in the world - but those who don't hand over a wad of notes stuffed in the proverbial brown envelope nearly always fail for the most minor or even non-existent of transgressions.

(It must be added that despite not having a proper test, Shakir is now one of Bangalore's safest drivers. (Kelly-Ann got on the back of his motorbike to go to a travel agent's office and came back alive).

Warnings do nothing to stop Indian drivers

The format of the driving test varies across India, but in some areas the candidate has to do little more than drive round a corner without crashing to pass. Although even then you can get away with small dents.

So it is little surprise that 140,000 people were killed on the roads here last year. One in 10 road deaths in the world happen in India - even though it is home to only one per cent of the cars.

In Bangalore the roads are so dangerous at times it is impossible to work out which side of the road cars are supposed to be driving on.

Traffic lights act only as a rough guide about when you should stop or go and dangerous overtakes are absolutely de rigueur.

All Indian drivers are mad but the rickshaw drivers who ply their trade in  little yellow and black vehicles with what sounds like a lawn mower engine inside are the maddest of the lot.

Rarity: A motorbike rider with a helmet - although his passenger doesn't have one

There are 80,000 of them on Bangalore's congested roads and whenever I see one coming I dive into the nearest bush for safety.

Most Indian people believe that when their creator decides that their time on Earth is up there is no avoiding death.

And when they get on the roads this is a truly dangerous idea to have in their heads.

There are seemingly no restrictions as to what you can take on India's roads

So drivers will happily drive straight into the path of an oncoming HGV driver knowing that if they are to die in a road accident that the crash is simply unavoidable.

Applying this logic, there is no point in a motorbike rider wearing his helmet - and he will happily perch his young son on top of the handlebars as he weaves his way through the traffic.

The authorities have made some effort to combat this madness. Signs in Bangalore warn drivers that if they cut other motorists up at a junction they'll face a 100 rupee fine.

Unfortunately there are absolutely no road traffic police around to enforce it - and the penalty works out as only £1.20.

Anyone who can afford a car isn't going to be too troubled by that.

A needless 140,000 road deaths each year is alarming. But depressingly, with the economy booming car ownership is soaring - which means millions more untrained idiots on the roads across the country. It is only going to get worse.