Team-BHP - 7 Habits of highly effective idiots on Indian roads

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Originally Posted by saket77 (Post 3130411)

I had a similar pleasant experience during my visit to Bhutan. First of all, I would like to shower my praises to the local people who are much more considerate & patient while driving. During my entire visit, I did not see any vehicle rashly driven in the city, honking at someone to overtake, hard braking, etc. All cars in the city moved in a single line, maintaining a constant speed. No honking, no overtaking.

oncoming cars stopped completely to give me passage! I was amazed at this kind of gesture & consideration as we, Indians are not used to this. I smiled at the drivers and they smiled back.:)

Regards,
Saket

Bhutan has a Gross Happiness Index, not a GDP or GNP!!
They have a fine sense of the right priorities in life unlike us blighters in India...
A smaller country with milder people, less population pressures and greed and what have you. It is matter of time before our local devils land up there and make a mess which, given a chance, they certainly will do.

You know, I have been trying hard to develop habit of allowing pedestrians to cross. First of all the habit of trying to cross before pedestrians die hard. But with a concious effort whenever I try to do that, I have a danger of a vehicle behind me bumping into my back as they dont expect me to stop for a pedestrian to cross. And even if they stop behind me, they start honking. I guess it takes a gross shift in attitude of Indian drivers to develop this habit.

Hello all. This is a topic which really strikes a chord in every Indian who cares an inkling about road sense and courtesy. I have driven in many Indian cities owing to the nature of my job, and by this I mean, I have lived and driven long enough in each of these cities to understand the way the people drive there. I live in Vizag now, and by far felt the most unsafe on the roads here.Yes, Hyderabad comes close too. Mumbai and Bangalore are much better 'COMPARITIVELY'. Cochin feels like the people there are enlightened about road manners, much less chaotic to drive. Now, as much as I have been frustrated by the absolute lack of road sense amongst the majority of drivers, I have tried to put some sense into such drivers in many ways including just plain talking, arguing on the road, bad mouthing, explaining patiently, gesturing, fist fighting(yes its true), complaining to cops, etc. But over the years I have realised that this just doesnt seem to work!!! People just dont seem to learn. Now, I have just stopped doing all this and just left it for the system to take care. But it really pains to see people drive without even the slightest care for road rules and other people's lives, forget courtesy. So it has got me thinking again. There must be some way, some mode of communication, to make such 'idiots' see the point. Arguments, explaining patiently, fighting, just dont seem to work. I really believe that there must be an appropriate method of communicating to such people, which really strikes a chord within them, makes them see the point at that very instant and lets them remember for the rest of their life regarding what is right and what is wrong. But I am just not sure what it is.Im still trying to figure it out, trying to understand what would be the mindset of a reckless driver, so that I can find that magical way of communication, to help that poor soul see the point that what he/she is doing is just plain WRONG. It is just like enlightening a person by saying or doing something which lets him/her see the larger picture instantly. It is definitely possible, but as I said, it needs to be communicated in the right way. Any ideas?Anyone?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandeepc83 (Post 3143629)

. Im still trying to figure it out, trying to understand what would be the mindset of a reckless driver, so that I can find that magical way of communication, to help that poor soul see the point that what he/she is doing is just plain WRONG. Any ideas?Anyone?

I feel the right driving manners have to start right from the driving school. They have to emphasize on good road manners and safety. I think we have a very lax way in issuing driving licenses too. I think the way they assess a driver for issuing a license is totally inadequate. Also I guess they should show some of those scary videos which often are seen on Youtube. Coming to traffic rules, I think only way of making people follow traffic rules is making them want to follow it and for such a large poplulation, we dont have sufficient officers to enforce traffic rules. You have reckless drivers even in those western countries. But generally they are very few and get caught and punished.

Well yes!Changes in driving school, better law enforcement,better infrastucture,awareness drives,etc will eventually lead to systemic changes which will ultimately make the whole system better so that our roads are safer. If systemic changes are one way by which our road manners will change for the better, there is an another way. That is, make the road users themselves understand that idiotic driving is no good for anyone, directly at the scene of incident itself. This is where the right method of communicating comes into picture. For example, if a reckless driver jumps a signal or overtakes from left, my question is, what do we say or do to that person, so that he takes the lesson home and remembers for the rest of his life that reckless driving is bad for everyone.

Over the years I have tried persuasion, yelling, fighting, arguing,etc to make 'idiots' on roads realise their mistake. But those methods just dont seem to work. So what is the right way of communicating or right method of dealing with such people on the road so that they can see the point, take home their lesson or atleast start thinking in the right direction.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandeepc83 (Post 3143629)

I have tried to put some sense into such drivers in many ways including just plain talking, arguing on the road, bad mouthing, explaining patiently, gesturing, fist fighting(yes its true), complaining to cops, etc. But over the years I have realised that this just doesnt seem to work!!! People just dont seem to learn. Now, I have just stopped doing all this and just left it for the system to take care. But it really pains to see people drive without even the slightest care for road rules and other people's lives, forget courtesy. So it has got me thinking again. There must be some way, some mode of communication, to make such 'idiots' see the point. Arguments, explaining patiently, fighting, just dont seem to work.

I belong to Mumbai and now settled in Pune where the road sense is not among the best found.
1) If a person is driving idiotically because he/she is lack of awareness/ignorance it still can be corrected through training or something else.
2) Our rules are so easy to bypass that only a few questions asked and you get a DL. DL needs to be tough theoretically as well as practically and more emphasis should be given on safety and courtesy and road manners.
3) If a person is driving idiotically because of ones own selfishness there is no way you can correct it. Its a moral fault in the person. And most examples of idiocity is because of this factor. We have to admit that most Indians are not good in road courtesy and being unselfish :Frustrati. Many of the road manners come either through your teachings from parents or if the question comes in mind that whether I myself would like to be treated the same as I treat others?

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Originally Posted by dezrskb (Post 3143379)

Something both pedestrians and drivers need to learn - pedestrians to use zebra lines for crossing and drivers to stop patiently at zebra crossings.
When I see a pedestrian ready to cross at a zebra crossing (or stuck halfway in the road), well in advance, i put on my 'caution blinkers' and decelerate slowly, and wave my hand to let them know i am letting them pass. However, on faster tracks with less time to caution, chances are I will not be stopping in non zebra crossings, due to the possibility of left hand overtakers or rear ending.

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Originally Posted by ImprezaFan (Post 3144373)

Something both pedestrians and drivers need to learn - ..i put on my 'caution blinkers' and decelerate slowly, and wave my hand... .

This was what I meant- allowing the pedestrians to cross before you in India is more complicated and involves gesturing with one or may be both hands. Most of the places where they are supposed to cross in smaller towns are not marked with zebra crossings. Wherever there are none, most of the times it is not enough if you slow down / stop. You have to really make frantic gestures to make them understand that you do want them to cross first and they dont believe their eyes ! And you are in a dilemma whether to simply move on because they dont understand or to wait and expect them to cross. But thats just me. May be others have had better experience. But I have decided to whatever I can do. Worth it if one or two of those rash drivers see me and realise that its nice to allow pedestrians to cross

I read an article in DNA, on a survey that Ford has conducted. It says that 70% of Indian drivers have unsafe driving habits!!!

Link here

In my opinion, we do not need a survey to tell us what we already know!

In the survey, people have claimed that they think they are safe drivers. Yes, you are a safe driver as long as you can keep your vehicle safe, even if it means doing precision maneuvers at the risk of others and getting kudos for it from your fellow passengers!

I have graduated from riding a motorcycle to learning to drive a car. Many a times I feel that I get back into my motorcycle mode while driving my car and try to correct it! I think most people come from the same background.

Two wheeler riding is not taught in any school. We learn it either from friends or family and then once the confidence builds up, we ride on the roads. Of course after getting a valid license, and we all know how we get it! This is where most of our "traffic sense" is developed.

In Pune, there is hardly any lane discipline. Cars are slot into spaces available in any or across lanes, people cut lanes across the entire length of the road to make turns or avoid slow moving vehicles. Speaking on a phone while driving is a dangerous habit, even if we have good discipline on roads.

If we do not bring in discipline, any of our driving habit is going to be dangerous.

Well this survey is completely preposterous, how dare they say that only 70%? more like 90% is the ideal but they must have just downplayed it so as not to hurt the ego of us Indians and continue selling cars. But your views are absolutely correct.People in India are such that,once they get a license and buy a car they think that they bought the road. You can see many of such examples on the bad drivers in India thread. There are cases as you stated that sometimes even god drivers have to break the rules cause of idiots who hog the right lane,drive slowly in a fast lane or cut across without even looking at the ORVM. Its not just bad drivers but the total lack of civic and common sense.

Just today I saw and elderly well dressed gentleman ,double-park and block a car so that he could go to the bank,after the owner who was blocked in came and searched for almost 15 mins for the owner of the vehicle I directed him to go to the bank. The best part he brought the well dressed guy out and embarrassed the heck out of him.:uncontrol

Of course, after two weeks in America (and 650 miles under my belt), I now have a good idea of what civilized driving is like. and India isnt any of that. So maybe that number should be 99%.

Unless maybe the survey was conducted in Chennai - then I'd agree! For all my misgivings about chennai traffic - i have twice seen gridlocked traffic part in rush hour to let ambulances fly through. THAT is awesome - wish I could say the same about delhi/gurgaon :(

Soon we can consider to start a thread to identify & spot good drivers:D In the prevailing scenario it's like if you can't beat them, join them or when in Rome dress like Romans !!

The well disciplined & safe driver is taken for ride with his ride each day actually by others. Eventually the self-discipline takes a beating to the extent that there is no realization of one's action on the roads. One fails to understand that two wrongs will never make a right.

I hope very stringent action is taken( habitual offenders shouldn't be able to get away for repeat offence) against erring drivers as a deterrence or else you can find this no climbing beyond the saturation point:Frustrati