[nickatnite]

Re: "The woman who cried and got away without paying a fine etc.,"...I'm not at all surprised. IMO, women drivers(2 and 4 wheelers) are the largest violators of traffic laws in India , proportionately speaking. Infact, they flout laws with impunity, knowing they can escape the law.There is no use in finger pointing at tow truck drivers alone as even educated drivers blatantly violate traffic laws by talking on the cell phone while driving, disregard traffic lights, do not observe lane discipline, over speed in city lanes , park where they like and indulge in various other infractions with impunity.Instead of always whining and playing the blame game, we should all strive to be part of the solution and not the problem.Wheel locks work better than towing. Towing should be only when the vehicle is blatantly obstructing free flow of traffic.

There are two sides to every coin. It would be interesting to hear what the tow truck drivers have to say.

[StarScream]

I find some of the comments in this thread surprising.

Here is my take, for whatever it's worth:

1. I think the potential damage to a car while being towed is a great deterrent to wrong parking. It has happened to me twice and I am a lot more careful now. I guess the `punishment' worked.

2. Our traffic cops are massively overworked and underpaid. Their bandwidth for a damaged bumper is effectively zero. The working conditions for the cops and the towing guys are pathetic. I have a solution, how about we pay some more income tax to improve numbers and pay of cops and towing services. How many here will agree to that?

3. When a car gets towed and damaged I'm sure it is a terrible shock to the owner but we have to understand that it is not the biggest thing for the media. With people dying everyday, terror attacks, politics etc. a car being damaged ain't gonna make page one.

[blacmagic]

Starscream, how about corrupt politicians stop eating our tax money first?
what's the incentive for people to pay taxes?

Originally Posted by StarScream

2. Our traffic cops are massively overworked and underpaid. Their bandwidth for a damaged bumper is effectively zero. The working conditions for the cops and the towing guys are pathetic. I have a solution, how about we pay some more income tax to improve numbers and pay of cops and towing services. How many here will agree to that?

[maverick030581]

@starscream

1. I think the potential damage to a car while being towed is a great deterrent to wrong parking. It has happened to me twice and I am a lot more careful now. I guess the `punishment' worked.

So by that yardstick, if someone has committed a bigger crime like, say, getting drunk & driving, in addition to the fine, his car should be totaled as a deterrent. What say?

2. Our traffic cops are massively overworked and underpaid. Their bandwidth for a damaged bumper is effectively zero. The working conditions for the cops and the towing guys are pathetic. I have a solution, how about we pay some more income tax to improve numbers and pay of cops and towing services. How many here will agree to that?

Underworked and overpaid with their daily doses of bribes and freebies is more like it. And the income tax would never reach them anyway. Its just our hard-earned post-tax money that they take, and then cause us some more monetary damage. If the working conditions are pathetic, then why do they take up these jobs? Did someone hold a gun to their heads? That is the silliest excuse I have heard and one that so many pseudo-sympathisers/empathisers use (not that such words exist, but then, neither does a "overworked, underpaid" cop )

3. When a car gets towed and damaged I'm sure it is a terrible shock to the owner but we have to understand that it is not the biggest thing for the media. With people dying everyday, terror attacks, politics etc. a car being damaged ain't gonna make page one.[/quote]

Spot on.

Edit : @nickatnite - I beg to differ. Even with the number argument, in terms of percentage, IMO guys break laws much more often. Even the rick guys, taxi drivers, etc are guys, not just people like you and me. LOL

[nishantgandhi]

A couple of months back, my car was towed away for no valid reason. It was parked properly in a designated MCGM pay-and-park zone. But I guess the cop on duty must be falling short of his target so decided to choose my car.

Anyways, when I went to reclaim the vehicle, I found the gear lever loose. It was as free as a rope. I figured that these idiots dont follow any norms while towing away cars. I generally put on the gear lock (which locks the gear lever in R) and also pull up the handbrake. Moreover, my car also has AutoCop. Now I am sure these buggers didnt know a thing about the gear lock, so they must have used brute force to just pull the car. In the process, they managed to disengage/break the pins.

I had a long argument with both the crane guy as well as the cop. I threatened media action(as I was near a TV Channel's office). Obviously the cop washed off his hands and passed on the buck onto the crane guy. The latter took a good 45 minutes to re-align the pins underneath the gear and still couldnt do a proper job. Ultimately I had to go to a Service Station nearby and get it rectified.

Of course, the damages (around Rs 300+mental agony and a missed appointment) were borne from my own pocket. These guys are hopeless.

[harry10]

@Maverick- Will agree with you on this.
However i feel women drivers are not as much informed about the laws as much male drivers are hence women drivers commit such mistakes on the ignorance side while male drivers do it as they have no regard for the law.

I had myself experienced such a great towing service provided by delhi traffic police so am quiet careful where i park now. Its wrong but i don't see anything has been done so far regarding it by anyone so the car wrecking continues.

[aerohit]

For the SWIFT - Not only the bumper is damaged , but t may also have damaged the Condensor.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by blacmagic

Starscream, how about corrupt politicians stop eating our tax money first?
what's the incentive for people to pay taxes?

blacmagic, I completely agree with you. Therefore we should step in and reform the system - What say? Too many of us complain but do very little to improve the lot of our country. I'm pretty sure many of us don't even vote.

This is a difficult country to govern - over-populated, poor and largely illiterate. Let's suggest solutions rather than criticize.

And incidentally, there isn't an incentive to pay tax in any country, irrespective of how developed it is. That's why you have so many tax evaders even in the US.

Originally Posted by maverick030581

So by that yardstick, if someone has committed a bigger crime like, say, getting drunk & driving, in addition to the fine, his car should be totaled as a deterrent. What say?

Funny guy Maverick! But honestly, you won't need the cops, the drunk guy will probably total his car himself and endanger many other road users while he is at it.

Underworked and overpaid with their daily doses of bribes and freebies is more like it. And the income tax would never reach them anyway. Its just our hard-earned post-tax money that they take, and then cause us some more monetary damage. If the working conditions are pathetic, then why do they take up these jobs? Did someone hold a gun to their heads? That is the silliest excuse I have heard and one that so many pseudo-sympathisers/empathisers use (not that such words exist, but then, neither does a "overworked, underpaid" cop )

Your ignorance scares me . Why do they take up these jobs? Because where the cop comes from, this may be a wonderful way of moving to the city and getting a marginally better life with the limited opportunities at his disposal.
I'm sure you work for a living. Why? Did someone hold a gun to your head? We'd all like to spend our time on a beach in the Bahamas.

And yes, I'm a pseudo-sympathizer. I'm grateful for the life I have but that doesn't mean I'm blind to conditions of other human beings around me.

[blacmagic]

Starscream, believe me I would love to be part of a change process. if I had an unlimited number of hours everyday where I could sleep long, work hard, chill out and set things on the right track, I would.
it sounds very nice to be able to say "let's clean our system" and all but tell me, do you really expect to last for very long once you rub a lot of crooked people the wrong way? a well aimed bullet is all it takes to bring a thundering cleanup campaign to a grinding halt.
I am not attempting to make lame excuses here. when I say I want to be a part of something, I mean it. what Im also saying is that statements like "do it yourself" should not be made lightly.
Im not a tax evader. paid quite a hefty amount this year. also, we pay taxes on every economic transaction we make. it's misused in every possible way in full public view. that's what I mean when I talk about incentive. I dont care what they do in other countries. what about here and now?

maybe one day while sitting under a tree I will decide that Ive lived enough for myself and go forth with a broomstick. until then, is it unreasonable to expect honesty from those who have sworn it to us? is it unreasonable to expect some civility from a person who draws his salary from the taxes I pay?

[Perakath]

Originally Posted by blacmagic

maybe one day while sitting under a tree I will decide that Ive lived enough for myself and go forth with a broomstick.

Hehehe... good one blac!

[Gagan.js]

Ehhm our traffic police earns enough already.

200-500rs bribe per person, in Mumbai they make up a list of stupid offenses for people who don't know the laws.
This guy once told me to pay 3500rs to him, I don't remember what all he said to him but I remember being a smart ehm and putting him in his place. Drove away without paying anything. Other people would have bribed him with 500rs or so

So they earn a lot of money, add to it free lunch at roadside stalls so they are pretty much set. I don't want my tax money to go to them, because it won't. It will go to that ministers new car.

And the towing service people, most of them are not even qualified nor do they have any training. They are just regular labours who get paid for amount of work done per day, like most number of cars.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by blacmagic

Starscream, believe me I would love to be part of a change process. if I had an unlimited number of hours everyday where I could sleep long, work hard, chill out and set things on the right track, I would.
it sounds very nice to be able to say "let's clean our system" and all but tell me, do you really expect to last for very long once you rub a lot of crooked people the wrong way? a well aimed bullet is all it takes to bring a thundering cleanup campaign to a grinding halt.
I am not attempting to make lame excuses here. when I say I want to be a part of something, I mean it. what Im also saying is that statements like "do it yourself" should not be made lightly.
Im not a tax evader. paid quite a hefty amount this year. also, we pay taxes on every economic transaction we make. it's misused in every possible way in full public view. that's what I mean when I talk about incentive. I dont care what they do in other countries. what about here and now?

maybe one day while sitting under a tree I will decide that Ive lived enough for myself and go forth with a broomstick. until then, is it unreasonable to expect honesty from those who have sworn it to us? is it unreasonable to expect some civility from a person who draws his salary from the taxes I pay?

blacmagic, but your reasons do come across as excuses and the one about the do-gooder being shot is a little filmy, to be honest.

I said let's suggest solutions rather than crib. Here's one - how about the cops start using wheel locks the way they do in the US? A car parked wrong and obstructing traffic may still need to be towed but others can be left as is and immobilized. I know that the cops tried this in Delhi for a while, I wonder why they still don't do it.

As far as civility is concerned I know this - If I talk to a cop politely very few of them respond brusquely. And I've dealt with cops in UP, Haryana and Delhi. Ever wonder how many times in a day they deal with `Jaanta hai mera baap kaun hai?'

[Perakath]

I wonder what happened to this petition: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...st-towing.html

[maverick030581]

[quote=StarScream;1260119]Funny guy Maverick! But honestly, you won't need the cops, the drunk guy will probably total his car himself and endanger many other road users while he is at it.

here in Mumbai at least, I have seen cops letting drunk drivers go in front of my eyes for as little as 200 bucks. Multiple times. So that is the value of a potential human life being lost for these "bechara" cops of yours. And these are the same guys that me and my friends have had run-ins with for helping other people or for no fault of ours, and we have been talked to in the filthiest, most condescending language you can ever hope to hear, even with us being civilized. Even if they have been cussed out by others, so what? It is one of the pitfalls of their job and they better handle it without talking down to me or to any person whose taxes pay their damn salary.
So I really hope you have experiences with our "upholders of the law" personally before passing comments that are easy to make, trying to sound like a saint.

Your ignorance scares me . Why do they take up these jobs? Because where the cop comes from, this may be a wonderful way of moving to the city and getting a marginally better life with the limited opportunities at his disposal.
I'm sure you work for a living. Why? Did someone hold a gun to your head? We'd all like to spend our time on a beach in the Bahamas.

And yes, I'm a pseudo-sympathizer. I'm grateful for the life I have but that doesn't mean I'm blind to conditions of other human beings around me.
What condition are you referring to? Just being born into an underprivileged family does not give anyone the right to take bribes and insult other people and destroy their property. Or does it according to you? Everyone has opportunities and well, if they were content with just their salaries, there are plenty of similar paying jobs out there. The only reason why they get into these jobs is for the illegitimate money, and the thrill of power. Wake up & smell the **** our country is in, rather than dreaming of roses. Or the next time your car gets damaged by a towing guy, please do nothing and don't get upset. Praise him instead for the hard work he put in. In addition, if you want to do some good, please start by compensating other victims of the traffic cops, since your "poor" cops won't.

And PS, I'm in a job of my choice, that I happen to be good at, that I take only pride (and no bribes) in doing. I should hope thats the case with you as well, but maybe it isn't.

PS2-I think its your thinking thats filmy and idealistic at best, why are you trying to create solutions on this thread like the wheel locks idea? Since you believe in doing good, you should put the idea to the Traffic Commissioner in Delhi who won't ever read this thread.

Maybe the only reason why I'm feeling a little hot is because I was stuck in traffic, delayed by an hour because the traffic cops were standing around, not doing their job again (not that I've ever seen them doing their job many times anyway) while an election rally passed at a snail's pace, and I had to wait. Enough said. And to each his own. Exactly why this country has no way forward. But hey, maybe we can all dream this country into the best one !
Damn the RDB hangover.

[blacmagic]

Starscream, I know what Ive written look like excuses but they are not. you cannot be everywhere and do everything at once.
after reading your emphatic statement about how we should be a part of the solution, I expected more than "how about traffic cops start using wheel locks?" how is that solution - if it can be called that - different from me 'cribbing' "how about greedy politicians stop eating our money?" frankly, Im disappointed. I thought you were going to take the IPS exam and drill some sense into our cops.
if you discount cars parked wrong and obstructing traffic, that leaves only cars which are parked correctly. why would they even need to be touched?
that - if you notice - appears to be the major concern here. cars being towed and violated from spots which are or look perfectly legal.

Originally Posted by StarScream

blacmagic, but your reasons do come across as excuses and the one about the do-gooder being shot is a little filmy, to be honest.

I said let's suggest solutions rather than crib. Here's one - how about the cops start using wheel locks the way they do in the US? A car parked wrong and obstructing traffic may still need to be towed but others can be left as is and immobilized. I know that the cops tried this in Delhi for a while, I wonder why they still don't do it.

As far as civility is concerned I know this - If I talk to a cop politely very few of them respond brusquely. And I've dealt with cops in UP, Haryana and Delhi. Ever wonder how many times in a day they deal with `Jaanta hai mera baap kaun hai?'