[elampumpkin]

Originally Posted by boohooper

So just imagine that you had a gun and pulled it out and cocked it as he finished that sentence....and you go "Zara phir se kahoge?" (Will you repeat what you said?"). Wet pant moment for the guy, for sure.

What to do, these idiots exist all over the world!

On a serious note, is it legal to scare someone like that using a fake gun?

[MT_Hyderabad]

Something I do which de escalates the situation immediately. Pretended that I lost!

I don't know what the auto and car driver issue was about, but the dzire incident above could have been avoided.

When Strider24 overtook him and the moment he realised that this guy is playing with him, he should have moved aside, lowered the window and gently gesture this person to overtake him. Tell him how it is done.

Road rage is clash of two egos. Pretending that you lost works well in many situations. It doesn't work when the person is banging on your window.

Secondly, if the person in front of you is hell bent to delay your movement. Park your car and observe what the person in front does. You can laugh your heart out with the co-passenger in your car as the response is quite standard. He will try to draw your attention by honking, blinking lights etc and quickly move on. He is gesturing to you that he Won. You enjoy this joker's antics by playing - what he will do next!
Wish I had dashcam then, I would have loved to share these 'Pretend I lost' videos for everyones enjoyment. I have one, where I didn't allow a person to wrongly overtake me, but then didn't pursued it further and pretented that I lost he won, by allowing him to overtake me.

https://youtu.be/WFA70XZlQzY

I know, I should have allowed that overtake, but I am tired of people overtaking me at this spot when I am following the rules.

Regarding the person at your window situation, I have not found anything that works. Taking out mobile to record infuriated one guy even further and he was saying do whatever you want. In such situations, mediation by a third person de-escalates the situation, but you cannot request people around to mediate, if you are in the car.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by bblost

Do not exit your vehicle. Always keep an escape route open.

I would add, don't open your windows. In my case it was a busy junction (Urapakkam on NH45) and took me 1-2 minutes to escape. As I was driving off, the auto driver was getting physical with bikes standing on the other side of the junction.

[RishiVispute]

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

Something I do which de escalates the situation immediately. Pretended that I lost!

Agreed. This lane cutting & overtaking in tight traffic happened with me last week. Infuriating situation & since I hate such kind of behaviour, verbal spats happened. What happened is I was dropping off my dad with my whole family (mom, wife, sister & my 2 nephews) at Mumbai Airport & was already late due to 1.5 hrs traffic jam at Badlapur-Dombivli road as one side road concretisation is going on (btw I stay in Badlapur & drive a 2017 MS S-Cross Diesel 1.3 SmartHybrid Sigma model), we were on the Airoli-Mulund check naka, passed the toll booth & were heading towards the EEH, keeping myself all the way to the left lane as I have to take the left to EEH, & its a signal which creates a whole lot of jam stretching on the road till toll booth sometimes, somehow keeping under 40 kmph I was creeping towards the signal behind Tata pickup & from the very middle lane this plush black Skoda comes giving blinker for entering in the left most lane & I am honking continuously as I have to get past the signal which was green at that time but no, he’s adamant to cut me & he cuts me! Moves into our lane & like nothing happened kept crawling! Surprisingly he had to go to Mulund straight & not left to EEH!! Then why the hell cut me in to get in the left lane?!! Automatically my verbal abuse came out & he shouts He was giving the blinker so I should have stopped & let him which I did!! I wish I had a dashcam for this!!

TBH, its not a new thing for such kind drivers to keep crawling here & there wherever they get the so-called ‘space’ to go ahead of someone (such behaviours are common on toll booths having longer queues) even I do it but on highways, not on some signals & definitely not on such lanes which are exits & entry points!!

[Draunzer21]

Once I was at a traffic signal near Shivaji Nagar in Pune and a red Polo started honking from behind. Signal was red so I didn't move but he continued to honk so finally I moved ahead a bit and gave him a place to overtake and break the signal, the guy was not content with that and showed me middle finger.

As soon as signal turned green I went ahead and saw that polo at a petrol pump, I was about to stop my Swift and talk to him but I decided not to waste my time.


Incident 2:
At signal at manjari while coming towards Hadapsar, this time I was on bike and a guy honked to break the signal, I just stared at him and he stopped honking and waited for green light. ��

[tek2991]

This happened a few years back when I was returning home late at night, it was around 2 AM if I remember correctly. My car broke down, after accidentally driving through a puddle of water I failed to notice.

As I was trying to figure out what to do, two guys came up on my passenger side and tried to snatch the bag that was placed on the passenger seat. I reflectively held on to the bag with one hand and rolled up the window with the other, (thankyou power window). After they let go of the bag they were coming over to the driver side where I was seated.

There was no one in the area and my car was broken down so I couldn't flee either. The was literally no time to make a phone call or anything.

At this point, I started acting subconsciously. I had previously changed a flat tire a couple days back and the iron rod used to turn the jack was still in the passenger foot well. I immediately grabbed it, jumped out of the car, started shouting and ran towards them with the iron rod in my hand in full on attack mode. I wasn't really thinking anything at this point, I was just ready to fight in the most agressive manner I thought possible.

Fortunately, they ran away after seeing this. I guess the phrase "the best defence is a good offence" proved to be true in this case.

After the crooks ran away, I immediately called a few of my colleges that lived in the area. They came in a matter of minutes and we pushed the car to a safe place and left it for the night.

Scary thing is, the whole ordeal, from the moment they tried to snatch the bag and to the point they ran away was not more then a minute. In these kind of scenarios there really is no time to do anything. Your really have a split second to make your decision and act to defend yourself.

Now I am wondering if I should actually keep the iron rod under the driver seat at all times

[hrishi_dypim]

Originally Posted by Strider24

So this happened with me last month in Pune, after a long office day I was going to Westend mall to catch a movie. I started off at 6.30 pm from my home and took the road with least expected traffic toward Aundh via Pashan-Baner link road.

An old Maruti Dezire car was ahead of me driving at snail's pace for some time. What was more flustering that there was plenty of space ahead of it, but oncoming traffic was making it impossible for me to overtake. It seemed that the Dzire driver was talking on phone while driving leisurely.

After a while I lost patience, I honked and flashed my headlights to draw his attention & this is when all the drama started. He, didn't like being disturbed, stopped the car mid-lane and started hurling abuses at me. Taunted me to go ahead and see what happens.

I didn't want to escalate the situation & also there were other cars behind me, so I overtook him and went ahead thinking it's nothing, let's move on, but NO, now he started to honk continuously behind me as if saying 'My Turn'.

What followed after this is captured in the Dashcam Video below.

https://Youtu.be/TW0EoRKKf8M

The way this driver chased me without caring for his or anyone else's safety on road was scary. Itwas sure that he was either a criminal or Drunk or both. He was provoking me to stop my car so that he can start a fight or something. However, I was neither in mood or in a shape to do so, at the same time, I was also thinking about news articles in TOI where serious fights broke out during the road rage incidents and People were killed.

In the end I was relieved and happy that I didn't take the bait. Being hot headed doesn't help in such situations. I have read many times in this thread only how to handle such situation & I am glad I came out okay.

Only time when I was disappointed in this episode was with my car. When he was trying to overtake from left and I tried to accelerate to outrun him, my car didn't have enough power in the 3k-5k RPM range, it simply wasn't accelerating enough. It made me think, what's the use of 140 PS and 173 NM if you don't have it in a usable powerband! what if it had happened on a highway where the only option was to outrun him towards a police check-post.

I am seriously thinking about going for stage 1 engine tuning soon to be prepared. All suggestions are welcome if Corolla Altis's 2ZEFR NA engine is suitable for tuning or not, so far I hsven't found any examples of a corolla being tuned in India.

Sorry if it looks like I am speaking against you but I will put what I felt.
On two -way road don't expect someone to halt or go extreme left to give you side. This road belongs to everyone so everyone has rights to drive, we can't control the speed. In local road everyone has diffrent speeds and driving style. We can try to find the way to overtake from right if get a chance or go slowly or honk once, if he is not giving side just wait for the right time.
Also once you feel they have taken on heart you don't fall into it. Let them go fast and fast ,once they see that you are no where nearer, their ego gets satisfied, they will come to normal.

[bhansali_hardik]

Was driving back in Bangalore from RR nagar to JP nagar last week, it was a usual route which we take from our one place to another almost every other day. Near the nice underpass there was a guy using his phone on bike while riding and bike was swaying all across the road, I did what any person worried of other idiots life would do I honked while I passed him. This triggered the chap, and he was apparently chasing me until the next big junction which was at least 3kms away. He tried stopping my vehicle at the junction and started yelling, I was dumb found! Did not open the door, lowered the window just a bit and asked him what happened?
His answer : ‘why did you honk? Can’t I ride the bike ? Is it not my road?’ That’s when I realised he was chasing me/saw I was at the junction and picked up his ego! I told him to get off his phone while riding and I did not him to sway into me. Guess what? This triggered him further and he wanted to bash me up? I was sure that this will only escalate further at this point, I started moving as the traffic moved and there were 3 other folks whom this guy had managed to convince to hit me in the mean time, knowing that there was a police station nearby I drove rather hurriedly and would have made a few bad cuts across the road as well. But it was the fear and instincts that had kicked in and there was nothing else I could do! My wifey was along as well, that kicked in more of a fear/approach that I took!
Drove to the police station and all the 3 folks chasing us just drove away, however knowing these guys how they act and react I did not start until next 10 minutes, took it out of the station and drove right across with a BUS almost for next few kms and took a detour from the regular route which we used to take!

So much for honking for one’s safety!

PS: cops at that moment did not help us, even though we knew and speak the local language. They were very casual and adamant about me taking the car out of the premises and then go in and talk to the incharge! Even though the folks chasing us were passing by in front of the station.

[rakesh_r]

TOI Pune off-late has been reporting a minimum of two road rage incidents on a daily basis, some of them very ugly I am very much tempted to install off road bumpers on my Gurkha, but again don't want to attract attention from the cops. Funny thing, I was stopped at Airoli by a Traffic Warden after seeing the Snorkel and LED headlights, both being factory issued.
Offlate, I have been driving defensively, and yes, have kept a can of pepper spray well within my reach.

[anoopGTkrish]

Originally Posted by shadyrulez

I could clearly see the car driver really afraid for his life as he took steps back to avoid jabs and was also trying to be aware of on coming traffic.

https://Youtube.com/watch?v=lBINXi3aKEc?feature=share

If in case I have posted on the wrong thread, moderators please attach the post to the correct thread.

As someone with experience in combat sports, I would always try to avoid engaging in any form of physical altercations outside the controlled environment of a ring. No matter how good or strong you think you are, a punch at the wrong place can end up becoming fatal or knock you out. Just not worth it. Always de escalate and move on.

[gaurav_3000ad]

I keep a 12” Khukri in my door pocket.

I’ve never gotten into a road rage incident. Just having it by my side keeps me calm and sane in traffic.

But I totally agree with GTO’s statement. Getting into a tussle over road rage doesn’t do anything to soothe one’s ego instead just makes one look foolhardy and reckless.

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

TOI Pune off-late has been reporting a minimum of two road rage incidents on a daily basis, ...

In Pune, wrong side driving is seen as a birth right and the cops here also turn a blind eye to this menace. On Dehu road recently, an Alto is breaking the queue and since there are oncoming vehicle, wants to cut in. Since I didn't allow him, he quickly overtakes and tries to stop in front of me to pick a fight.

As soon as he stopped, I overtook him and accelerated away and luckily there was enough traffic to prevent him from trying to stop me again. While it is FRUSTRATING to see this practise of arrogant wrong side driving here, I try not to enage in anyway and just hope karma catches up eventually !

[R4m4kr15hn4n]

Originally Posted by Strider24

An old Maruti Dezire car was ahead of me driving at snail's pace for some time. What was more flustering that there was plenty of space ahead of it, but oncoming traffic was making it impossible for me to overtake. It seemed that the Dzire driver was talking on phone while driving leisurely.

After a while I lost patience, I honked and flashed my headlights to draw his attention & this is when all the drama started. He, didn't like being disturbed, stopped the car mid-lane and started hurling abuses at me. Taunted me to go ahead and see what happens.

I didn't want to escalate the situation & also there were other cars behind me, so I overtook him and went ahead thinking it's nothing, let's move on, but NO, now he started to honk continuously behind me as if saying 'My Turn'.

The way this driver chased me without caring for his or anyone else's safety on road was scary.

Something very similar happened to me a couple months back and this was in the morning around 7:30-7:45AM. The traffic on New Bel Road, starting from Dollars Colony signal till Sadashiv Nagar Police Station, is moderate around that time, on both sides. And there was this elderly gentleman driving extremely sedately from Dollars Colony signal on the right most part of the lane without giving any way for me to overtake.

For a while I was patient, but then the traffic behind me was piling up and they were impatient. Hence, I also flashed and honked to get him to move his car to the left so that the cars behind can move ahead. But unfortunately the elderly gentleman was least bit interested in moving his car to the left.

During this time, I noticed that the traffic on the opposite lane reduced to a trickle and we all were able to overtake the car. But then started the drama. This gentleman then decided to chase me by honking continuously all the way to end of New Bel Road. It kind of scared me witless that this elderly man could become this mad as he was honking even when I was waiting at the traffic signal. Only when he turned the other side after the signal that I was able to heave a sigh of relief. Thanked almighty that nothing else happened.

This incident has kind of scared me to honk even for legitimate reasons now. Who knows what will happen next time around.

[FiatDiesel]

My only advice will be like many other bhpians, let idiots be idiot, save yourself and family. You are not there to teach or instruct others how to drive on road but to reach your destination safe and with smile.

We never know who the other person is and his/her circumstances. Sometimes a single honk might trigger a person, as seen in above posts and many times it doesn’t and they give way.

Also specific for two wheelers, they face dust, heat, rain , cold and noise right on themselves. Well it doesn’t justifies bad behaviour but definitely leads to increased stress level of individual.

I would suggest, play on your favourite music, enjoy the drive, even if it is slow, rushing through the traffic doesn’t helps much, may be few minutes but definitely increases your stress level as well.

We all anyways have excellent highways and expressways to redline our josh machines. 🙃

[ambujlal]

Originally Posted by Strider24

So this happened with me last month in Pune, after a long office day I was going to Westend mall to catch a movie. I started off at 6.30 pm from my home and took the road with least expected traffic toward Aundh via Pashan-Baner link road.

An old Maruti Dezire car was ahead of me driving at snail's pace for some time. What was more flustering that there was plenty of space ahead of it, but oncoming traffic was making it impossible for me to overtake. It seemed that the Dzire driver was talking on phone while driving leisurely.

After a while I lost patience, I honked and flashed my headlights to draw his attention & this is when all the drama started. He, didn't like being disturbed, stopped the car mid-lane and started hurling abuses at me. Taunted me to go ahead and see what happens.

I didn't want to escalate the situation & also there were other cars behind me, so I overtook him and went ahead thinking it's nothing, let's move on, but NO, now he started to honk continuously behind me as if saying 'My Turn'.

What followed after this is captured in the Dashcam Video below.

https://Youtu.be/TW0EoRKKf8M

The anger of the Dzire car guy was not justified. However, if you look closely in the video at 20 sec mark and 21 second mark, he is trying to accelerate and overtake a two-wheeler rider which he is not able to (he breaks) as there was a black car overtaking from the other side. At around the same time there was flashing of light and a honk. That probably ticked him off. What he did after that was pure road rage. Lesson, drive with an infinite bucket of patience on Indian roads. Your life, your family, anger on road is not worth it. You handled the situation with amazing level of coolness. Never ever get into a road rage situation. What I do generally in such situations is let a few cars fill in between me and the crazy drivers in front of me. Not all are bad ones on the road.

Originally Posted by hrishi_dypim

Sorry if it looks like I am speaking against you but I will put what I felt.
On two -way road don't expect someone to halt or go extreme left to give you side. This road belongs to everyone so everyone has rights to drive, we can't control the speed. In local road everyone has diffrent speeds and driving style. We can try to find the way to overtake from right if get a chance or go slowly or honk once, if he is not giving side just wait for the right time.
Also once you feel they have taken on heart you don't fall into it. Let them go fast and fast ,once they see that you are no where nearer, their ego gets satisfied, they will come to normal.

Two lane roads are tricky and most accident-prone, especially during sunset time as eyes are adjust to fading sunlight and oncoming high-beam lights.