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Old 13th November 2007, 19:16   #76
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IMHO concrete walls/dividers will go a long way in enforcing the driving habits where necessary, such as the left lane at intersections. Or maybe tyre spikes capable of sinking under the road surface only when the light changes to green.
No amount of traffic education is going to help us. The rules have to be enforced by process rather than by people.
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Old 14th November 2007, 12:25   #77
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I thought I'll just jot down my thoughts on this:

A few good things I try and follow:
- honk as less as possible. Only on ghat sections during turns and only when I am overtaking on 2 lane roads on highways.
- try and move in a single lane. If I need to switch, I look at rear view mirror, look around, give indication and then move.
- Allow for pedestrain movement and not try and scare them to death at traffic intersections.
- Follow traffic lights. This has become a problem these days. Recently at around 11:30 in the night, I stopped at a red light and a Sumo Taxi hit me from behind and it was deliberate.
- Overtake only when the road is completely visible. I try not to overtake during curves(either horizontal or vertical)

Few areas where I need to improve:

- Give more respect to two wheelers on highways, usually when I am overtaking, I tend to give them only half as much space as required for a car. I have seen that it slightly disturbs them.

- Switching from highway style of driving to city style. When I come into to a city, I initially forget I need to slow down to about 40 kmph and stay at slightly higher speeds.

- When there is a pothole, I tend to avoid the hole and sway away from it. In the process, I cut off other vehicles.

- I also need to be more patient with bad driving and not get into a road rage. Whenever a driver passes me not by speed but by crooky methods (like pushing me off the road), I get quite irritated and try and move till I overtake him. During that time, my good manners are not on my highest priority. This behavior has gotten better with age, but it does come in once a while.

I dislike a practice that is usually followed. During nights, when we ask for a pass using a flash, the vehicle ahead sometimes indicates it through a right indicator. I get confused by this and I don't like it.

As a system, I believe there is neither a carrot for good driving nor a stick for bad driving. We need to increase fines to 10K or so for bad driving and IMHO that should set a lot of things right.

VBV

Last edited by VBV : 14th November 2007 at 12:28. Reason: Forgot a major point
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Old 14th November 2007, 12:34   #78
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The vehicles approaching from behind of another slow moving vehicle have all the right to request right of way, even if BOTH are over the speed limit. However, the vehicle asking right of way must consider where the vehicle in front would go. There should be space for that vehicle to move over.

Mostly the impatient morons never check that. They will flash and honk you even if you are boxed in on three sides. That is when the "slowing down" treatment is necessary. If the follower is a good driver, he would have observed that the car in front is boxed in, so he will not flash/honk.

I wouldn't let a car flash/honk in normal cases, because I always scan the mirrors, and if someone approaches me from behind, I immediately move over if possible. If I miss to see him myself, the first bit of honk/flash will make me move over. Hey, I am not a cop and I am not charged with enforcing speed limits. I want the speeder to get out of my space, sooner the better.

But if some impatient moron asserts his ego by flashing when I am boxed in, I am sorry to say, he WILL get the go slow treatment from me.

And I never flash, except as a warning for an oncoming vehicle.

Vehicles coming from opposite direction is a totally different case. He has no right to barge into my side of the road. He can use it for overtaking when it is free. I will not drive on the shoulder for his pleasure of passing a row of cars.
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Old 14th November 2007, 12:49   #79
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Dileep and VBV,
Excellentg tips to drive safely in India...
I agree wih Dileep.. Sometimes you need to teach them lessons in their language.
Few days ago, I was on the road in my suburb, night and no lighting on the road, I was with dipper and alone on the road and a biker came from the front, with hi-beam, right towards me. I stopped by car, with no place for him to pass and lowered my side window. I told him politely that "please lower your beam, as it hits right on my face and it is dangerious'. he acknowledged and replied politely 'OK Sir, I will do..' And gone.

In another case, I tried to do the same with a Auto-Converted mini-truck driver carrying Water Bottles and got told all kind of Ghaaliyaan in the world...
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Old 14th November 2007, 16:49   #80
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Many drivers on our roads does not know that RED means STOP!! This is becoming painfully aware to me every day.

I commute on a road that could be called a "village road" compared to the metro city roads the TBHPians drive on. There is one major intersection and there is a traffic light. Most of the days the light is out. After June this year, when I moved to the new place and started daily commute, the light was available only for a few days in total. They are repaired, and within a few days someone will knock it down. Then the russian roulette begins, where everyone tries to go first.

The lights are ALWAYS knocked over by trucks ignoring RED. They come fast, and someone on green also enters the intersection. The truck swerves and hits the pole. Happens like clockwork within a few days of the lights coming up.

I realized why recently. The truckers DON'T KNOW that RED = STOP. I have observed that they always honk and show gestures to vehicles (me always) that are stopped on red. If the cross traffic is light, the honking and flashing reaches paramount.

Also if the truck is in front of you, you will see him ignore the RED and go ahead if the cross traffic is light.

This is during commute and lunch hours. I can understand people byepassing the law during late at night.

More than once I saw the dumbhead "Flying Squad" Qualis parked barely 30 metres from the intersection, looking for seatbelt/helmet violation. They never care for the blatant red light violation.

Since policemen do not get driving training, I guess they will be no different than the truckers. MAybe they too don't know that RED=STOP.

Or maybe they can do nothing. What will they do? Chase the offending vehicle, pull him over and take the bribe? How many helmet/seatbelt violations you can chalk up during that time?

Also, when did the last time Kerala Police chase someone? Except that fake chase to catch a goonda at capital?

I think the retracting spikes is a good idea.

But I have a better idea.

Let the Qualis stand 100m beyond the intersection. Let one policeman stand near the intersection and call out numbers of violators and let the Qualis team pull them over.

If people know that police is looking for violators, violations will come down drastically.
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Old 14th November 2007, 17:12   #81
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Get bullied and honked at for stopping at a red traffic light here in Bangalore

Quote:
Originally Posted by VBV View Post
- Follow traffic lights. This has become a problem these days. Recently at around 11:30 in the night, I stopped at a red light and a Sumo Taxi hit me from behind and it was deliberate.
Very true, you will get honked, bullied and even laughed at for stopping at a red traffic light here in Bangalore (it happens to me regularly at the airport road wind tunnel road junction, while driving towards the airport) but I keep my cool and dont budge an inch (Dont mess with me types); My practice to avoid some one banging your back is to roll down my driver side window and put out my hand outside signalling the vehicles behind me to STOP (its infact I am stopping) while decelerating at the approaching the signal.
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Old 14th November 2007, 17:29   #82
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Goodness Gracious... I thought Red doesn't mean STOP only in Saudi Arabia for Saudis... Here too..!!!!

In Saudi Arabia, for Non-Saudis, Red means STOP and Green means YOU BETTER PREPARE TO STOP. Because 9 out of 10 times, you have GREEN signal, be sure a Saudi will pass from the side where it is RED.
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Old 14th November 2007, 18:07   #83
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Hi Folks,
Recently i got a chance to go for a long drive (Del to Jai and retrun) in my newly acquired Alto. I had also learned driving 3-4 months back only. It was a nice journey since the highway is exceptionally good. I drove at around 100 kmph.
Anyways one strange thing i noted down, around 50% of the vehicle drive on the right side of the road. They dont give side to overtake to other vehicles. To overtake, you have to take the wrong side and then u can march ahead. I find it very strange how this habit got developed ???
Its very dangerous to overtake from the left side but there left no other option !!
All the bus drivers, 50% of truck drivers, even big truck drivers who drive at a speed of 40 drive on the right side !!!
I am really very surprised....
Whats the best options folks in this situation??
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Old 14th November 2007, 20:58   #84
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American Children????

[quote=DileepKS;624750]American children are the most pampered ones with a lot of sense of entitlement. "I can do whatever I want" attitude.

quote]

I hold American citizenship and have lived there many years. You are very wrong. American ADULTS generally are the most pampered ones with a lot of sense of entitlement. "I can do whatever I want" attitude. The current president is a sterling example. But, he sure drives his pickup truck a whole he** of a lot better than the average Indian drives!

Let me also amplify what the mod said. The leftmost lane is for passing. If you are in the passing lane and not passing anybody in the West, particularly if you are going slow and not getting out of the way of people coming up behind you, you are actually subject to being stopped by a policeman and given an expensive traffic citation. If you go slow in America in the passing lane you, in addition, are also asking to be assaulted by a very large, tough truck driver or some other pampered guy with an over inflated sense of entitlement. I am not saying this is good behavior on their part, I am telling you what is the case. And, yes, they will challenge you to a fight over these kind of things.
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Old 14th November 2007, 22:00   #85
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As regards the folded ORVMs while driving in a messy traffic-choked city, I think it's perfectly alright as long as you are ready to make do with the inconvenience - and NEVER change lanes unless you have turned your head and made sure that it is safe.

I for one do fold my OVRMs, but that's only to save them from decapitation. But I would never swerve more than a couple of inches to any side without taking a good deal of trouble to ensure it's OK.

In any case, it's always important to turn backwards and look for traffic rather than rely entirely on OVRMs.

Just folding your OVRMs make not, a bad driver.
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Old 14th November 2007, 22:06   #86
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A great irritant on our roads is the way people misuse and proceed to abuse their vehicle's lights.

Hazard lights are used for any/every purpose, anywhere, anytime. It has no fixed message, no rhyme, no rhythm. They are switched on for no other reason than that the driver wants them on.

Headlights are flashed the moment an oncoming vehicle is spotted in one's own lane - regardless of the distance or time or message one wants to convey.

The same indicators are used to both allow and disallow overtaking - reducing it to a dangerous guessing game for the overtaker.
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Old 15th November 2007, 11:30   #87
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The rules of roundabouts

Another aspect of driving discipline is the way we negotiate roundabouts. Roundabouts are the places which more often than not, see a jam deadlock.

The rule of negotiating a roundabout is simple and uniform in any country where they exist. Just look towards your right, allow vehicles from the right to go first and then make your move. There would be absolutely no deadlock if we just wait and give way to traffic coming from our right at a roundabaout (This applies to all countries where cars are RHD).

Also, to avoid a confusion, please use your blinkers appropriately at roundabouts. For eg. if I am joining a roundabout and have to take the third exit, I will turn on my right blinkers and then turn on my left blinkers the moment I cross the second exit. This will help drivers waiting at the second exit (as well as those behind me) to know which exit I am going to take.

These basics should actually be made mandatory to be taught in driving schools.

Last edited by samirsarkar : 15th November 2007 at 11:32.
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Old 15th November 2007, 11:40   #88
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Quote:
Originally Posted by samirsarkar View Post
Another aspect of driving discipline is the way we negotiate roundabouts. Roundabouts are the places which more often than not, see a jam deadlock.

The rule of negotiating a roundabout is simple and uniform in any country where they exist. Just look towards your right, allow vehicles from the right to go first and then make your move. There would be absolutely no deadlock if we just wait and give way to traffic coming from our right at a roundabaout (This applies to all countries where cars are RHD).

Also, to avoid a confusion, please use your blinkers appropriately at roundabouts. For eg. if I am joining a roundabout and have to take the third exit, I will turn on my right blinkers and then turn on my left blinkers the moment I cross the second exit. This will help drivers waiting at the second exit (as well as those behind me) to know which exit I am going to take.

These basics should actually be made mandatory to be taught in driving schools.
As I drive through Delhi's Lutyens area which has a lot of roundabouts, another rule of roundabouts apart from the ones already mentioned, is that when I enter a roundabout, I try to keep to the left till I reach my intended exit. I see a lot of people keeping to the middle and extreme right and then making a sharp left to the exit at roundabouts. For me, keeping to the left improves visibility, is faster, enables me to give right of way to those on the right at the exit, and avoid beings stalled behind people who prefer extreme left turns.
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Old 15th November 2007, 12:21   #89
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Dan, the children grows to be adults. And yes, Joe Sixpack drives his pickup 100 times better in USA than Ram Masaldosa with his Civic (in India). The only reason for Joe to be so is the cops.

Being said that I had been honked at many times at the right turns not for taking the risk of cutting off the traffic from the left (in USA). The law is on my side, so I just ignore it.

Hogging the passing lane is a violation, and you can and will be cited. But you can't expect that to happen in a country where red light violations are not cited!

Coming back to children, I don't hold US citizenship, but I raised two children there, and seen a lot of others.
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Old 15th November 2007, 13:23   #90
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vasudeva View Post
As I drive through Delhi's Lutyens area which has a lot of roundabouts, another rule of roundabouts apart from the ones already mentioned, is that when I enter a roundabout, I try to keep to the left till I reach my intended exit. I see a lot of people keeping to the middle and extreme right and then making a sharp left to the exit at roundabouts. For me, keeping to the left improves visibility, is faster, enables me to give right of way to those on the right at the exit, and avoid beings stalled behind people who prefer extreme left turns.
I guess, you must enter at the left and change to middle lane before the next exit and continue in the middle lane till the exit you have to take and move to the left lane just before your intended exit.

If you keep the left lane and try to cross the first exit, that would confuse others who want to take that exit as you will be crossing them from the left...
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