Funny you should mention that. Just last week two of the developers from my company's Bangalore office were in town and we spent some time discussing the driving habits of Bangalorians(?). Their recommendation: Americans are better off walking. Maybe.

They mentioned a recent visit by a couple of our executives. Evidently the executives were staying at a hotel directly across the street from the office, but couldn't even cross the street (on foot, of course) because of the traffic patterns (or lack thereof). They had to call one of the guys in the office and have him walk them over.

Your story is completely consistent with every other anecdote I've heard about driving in Bangalore. I updated my post with a link to YouTube videos on driving in Bangalore for everyone's amusement and amazement.

Forget liberty. It looks like eternal vigilance is the price of a driver's license over there. Buses, cars, motorcycles, bikes, pedestrians and cows (!) all competing for real estate on the street? Wow. Now that's focus. Who needs video games when that's your daily commute?

Yes, it is VERY true... if you're a foreigner and you hit someone (or a cow) you don't want to get out of the car. Now, the reality is that if you're a foreigner then you are 99.99% likely to have a driver and won't actually be driving - so why the hell would you get out of the car anyway - tell the driver to. Driving in India is actually a lot of fun - and quite an experience for first-time visitors. Bangalore, from what I understand, isn't really all that crazy, as it's over-run with foreigners. As for crossing a busy road on foot in India - yeah, that takes real skill. I don't recommend it to visitors. Steve - please tell me you're not really going to fly all the way to India and only eat at American places. That's just too sad, man. Bottled water is a definite - actually pretty much anything bottled (coke, pepsi, water, etc.) is safe to drink.
To be honest, you can eat pretty much whatever you want while you're there if you follow a few rules:
1. Avoid raw vegetables
2. Take all drinks from a bottle/can and remember NEVER to drink anything with ice or with water from an unknown source
3. Don't eat pork

There are loads of other things to watch for that are less risky - in most places you don't want to eat fried food (because of the oil) nor will you want seafood unless you're right on the water.
There are a lot of other little things - I'm not going to post them all, but if you have any questions - language, clulture, food, or any other related, feel free to email me.
Of course, I've been going every year for 6 years, have a cast iron stomach, and believe that you only live once... so feel free to take what I say with a grain of salt. I hope you live it up while you're there - India is a fantastic place and is easy to fall in love with if you with an open mind, patience, and a sense of adventure. Have a great trip!

I realize my comment is a bit late to this post but I just subscribed to Steven's blog.

I spent 3 weeks in India earlier this year as part of a 7-month RTW trip covering Mumbai, the Golden Triangle and Darjeeling in the east. I ate everywhere: nice restaurants, snack shops, train stations and street vendors. I drank filtered water. I didn't get sick. I also crossed the street on foot regularly including in places like Delhi's Connaught Circle without incident.

If you're in a place where crossing the road is sketchy, always do as the locals, literally! If you're really stuck, shadow someone else as they cross the street, standing slightly down traffic from them. In most cases, the key to survival is to move steadily without stopping. Everyone will just aim around you and it will work out but as soon as you freak out or run somewhere, that's where it hits the fan.

Steve, I have big respect for your Faces of India project. I felt very conspicuous carrying a camera there and it stopped me from taking photos. I'm not an introvert but asking someone to take their picture is weird for me. I partially solved the issue with a 300mm zoom lens. ;)

Brian, thanks for your story. I've spent a month in India this year, and its been enough to completely reverse most of the apprehensions I had before I first set out. I think I commented more about my actual experience on my Bangalore Traffic Video blog entry.

True that driving is extremely chaotic, more so than anywhere I've been in the US or Europe, although Mexico City is a close runner up. Like you said, if you just plod ahead carefully and steadily then traffic will be like water flowing around you. I recently had a conversation about this while with an Indian driver as we drove to his house, and he elaborated at length that the drivers there alter their path (or not) based on what they believe the pedestrian's intention is. If the walker pauses, the driver pushes forward, if the walker just keeps moving on faith, then the driver will stop or adjust the path. Oh, my favorite is that traffic lights are COMPLETELY OPTIONAL.

Same with food... despite all the warnings, I ate local food reguarly, at the hotel, at the mall, at all the restuarants, and at small stands... And I'm no worse for the wear.

The photography project completely changed my experience on my second trip because I was forced to begin interacting with people. It was much more fun and educational that way.