[itsbaman]

Originally Posted by brownkaiser

Replace the word 'Bangalore' with 'Hyderabad', and every member here from Hyderabad will upvote this. Like you said, it is truly of pandemic proportions.

Further replace the "Hyderabad" with Kullu Manali region. Our virus has mutated further. People are going one step further and driving on wrong side even on four lane highways, just to avoid U-turns which might be only 100 meters away. One day a truck was reversing on left side lane and one more car was coming from opposite direction (wrong side). It was a perfect recipie for disaster. No body gives a damn about human life. Accidents are happening on daily basis. Bus drivers are stopping the buses abruptly on the roads, and these buses don't have tail lights. There is a town called Sundernagar in Mandi District. People are using newly constructed four lane highways as their personal parking spot. So, only one lane out of two is for traffic, left one is exclusively for parking of some idiots.

[Malyaj]

There is no cure. Sometimes it is better to accept the reality and move on. Wrong side driving is just one of the many irrational, rude and dangerous things that keep happening around us all day, every day. Why should driving be any different? Throwing garbage, breaking the queue, talking loudly, corruption, drunken driving, overloading vehicles etc. Why do people think that with a steering in hand people will suddenly become sensible? It is a reflection of society.

Pay your respects to wrong side drivers. Salute them when they cross you. I do it sometimes

[am1m]

I think it's a carefully planned strategy by the traffic police and government to encourage the usage of the Metro and other public transport. Let the personal vehicle usage experience get so awful in our cities- no one following road rules, dangerous driving, bad roads, water logging, lack of signage, dug up roads, random road closures, one lane almost always used for parking, the list is endless, so people will have to use public transport for personal safety and peace of mind. It's what's done it for me at least- I plan all my outings around metro stations (even with Bangalore's as yet inadequate metro coverage), refuse invites to any gathering that is not near a metro station, that's how much I hate being on Bangalore roads these days!

(I'm only partly joking/being sarcastic!)

[@Debanshu_B]

The wrong side of driving seems to be a birthright in Ahmedabad. In the morning wee hours, all vans overloaded with small children drive on the wrong side of the road risking the little innocent lives for just saving a turn.
The municipal trucks collecting garbage seem to possess a license for wrong-side driving.
Cars driving on the wrong side to avoid a u-turn is perfectly fine.
2whellers can fly from any side of the road and can intersect the traffic from any small cut of the road or crossing the road divider. All are normal.
Actually, children get their first lessons from their school van and their belief system starts building that it's perfectly fine.
Then they see their brothers and parents driving their 2wheelers and cars on the wrong side and the belief system now gets more affirmative and then when they grow up they obliviously drive on the wrong side without any challenges. The belief system is now confirmed.
Belief systems override education.....

[Malyaj]

Originally Posted by am1m

I think it's a carefully planned strategy by the traffic police and government to encourage the usage of the Metro and other public transport

that is one way of coping with it, whatever the reality is.

I find driving quite annoying these days, especially with the metro work going on all over the city. Thankfully ORR is literally on my doorstep and the bus stop 100 feet from my apartment gate. So I can take the frequent buses for most cases.

[shyampsunder]

I am simply tired of even well-educated drivers owning swanky cars driving on the wrong side. Chennai and Bangalore police issue challans if you happen to record the video and post it. I have done so several times (link). If these folks have money to burn, let the govt make some revenue.

Our concern for others on the road is nil. Automated digital fines are the only way this will change. Infrastructure is just an excuse for folks to continue violating the rules.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by shyampsunder

Chennai and Bangalore police issue challans if you happen to record the video and post it. I have done so several times (link).

I would very much like to do what you're doing, over here in Selaiyur in Chennai. I am likewise fed up with dangerous wrong-side driving. Worse yet - they drive as they please and fight tooth and nail with those who dare admonish them.

My only concern with complaining to the police is with potential backlash from the guilty parties. There should be a way for the video proof to be enough and for the police to not have to reveal who submitted the complaint.

[shyampsunder]

Originally Posted by locusjag

My only concern with complaining to the police is with potential backlash from the guilty parties. There should be a way for the video proof to be enough and for the police to not have to reveal who submitted the complaint.

I prefer public compliant so that everyone can see that cops are acting on complaints and it encourages people to follow the rules. Private complaint mechanisms exist but hardly work. Simple way for you is to delete your tweet after Challan has been created. No one can find out who Issued the tweet. Also cops don't act on anonymous Twitter complaints so don't bother trying.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by shyampsunder

Simple way for you is to delete your tweet after Challan has been created. No one can find out who Issued the tweet.

That's a feasible solution!

All I have to do now is stand with video recording switched 'on' in the Eastern Bypass road in Selaiyur and record 100 wrong-side driven vehicles (bikes, autos, cars, scooters, lorries etc.) in a span of 10 minutes. It really is that bad here with long undivided medians on this 4 laned road.

[shridhan]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Educate.Enforce.Eradicate

Educate: Right from driving tests laws and rules should be hardwired into our heads. Laws are not meant to be broken as per our convenience. Start in schools?

Enforce: Ethical law enforcement agencies enforcing even the "minor" laws.

Eradicate: Point 1 and 2 properly implemented will help eradicate the clueless lawless riders/drivers.

But that's just wishful thinking. We love finding the easy way out and loopholes to beat the system I guess.

Wrong side, merging onto main road without bothering to stop and look, mobiles, sunroofs, etc etc. Sad part is, most of the so called minor offences will start becoming the norm (if it hasn't already) and we will become immune to such instances.

Only seizing of driving licenses and vehicles will eradicate this issue.

I was wondering.

When was the last time did YOU drive on wrong side of the road? You meaning those who are complaining of it.

[Piyush_DT]

I tried to think why India is not able to solve the basic problems like this one or the one where people cross railway tracks even though government made a pedestrian bridge. There are many such problems and we are no way of solving it. I think we should start thinking the solutions for Indian people/conditions and we need to be creative. The solutions of foreign countries are not going to solve the same problem if its in India.

The policy makers have to be creative and strict. According to me, CCTV should be installed to every nook and corner and should be used ruthlessly to fine these people. No compromise on breaking of law. We can keep the fine amount affordable as we had issues with it but fining the people who breaks the law/rule should not be compromised. According to me, even though fine Rs 100 it matters most of the people in India. Now imagine getting fined 3 times in a month for Rs 300 will definitely make people to think about it. Also, CCTV can be used to monitor law and order situation.

[Mechb63]

Right after graduating from college, I decided to do a road trip to Goa from my city, Mumbai. Just like every Goa plan ever, by the time the D Day had come, it was just me and one other friend who was going to embark on this journey as everybody else had backed out. My friend was to join me from Pune city as, after graduation, she had started working there.
My journey started at around 4 in the morning and I had reached the end of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. I took a quick detour to the inside of Pune city and after picking my friend up I followed the maps to go towards the highway.

I do not remember where exactly, but I was on a curve where the high beams of a car in the opposite direction had made me go blind for a second. Not being able to see the road ahead earlier due to the curve, put my arm up to block the high beam of the car. All of a sudden, there was a Maruti Omni coming from the opposite direction, in my lane, the right lane. I hit the brakes, downshifted and got as slow as I could. I do not know if the Omni driver did the same or not but it was too late. We had a head-on collision and I thank my stars for being in a car that did keep me and my passenger safe.

The occupants of the Omni were not lucky enough. We immediately got out of the car and called an ambulance for the occupants. Once the ambulance arrived, I and my passenger made our way to the nearest police station, courtesy of Google maps. The cops then took me to the site of the crash, helped move my car to the police station and eventually took us to the hospital where the occupants of the Omni were admitted. I thanked my stars again to find out that both of them would survive. The driver had a fracture to his ribs while the occupant had a fracture in her leg and was going to get surgery to have a rod placed in her leg. Both of them additionally had some bruises and cuts.

I did contribute a bit to their treatment of the Omni occupants but from what I had known by talking to relatives was that they survived on daily wages and had to work every day to make ends meet. On their road to recovery, I do not know how they managed without their daily wages. Just to save themselves from the hassle of going in the wrong direction, taking a U-Turn, these two had gone through quite a lot. Before I left, I spoke to their relatives about this as well. Just to save a few minutes of their time, or some fuel or whatever reason, these guys took a risk that was not at all worth it.

I guess with us Indians, it will take a freak accident like this for us to be scared enough to never take our vehicles on the wrong side. I believe no amount of fines or reprimands will help to get this pandemic off of our roads.

[livelyyoungman]

I would attribute this to two key traits

1. The way we got our independence (civil disobedience)
2. It is always I first and not We

It is not that we don't have a solution. The wrong side driving and clogging/obstructing the flow of traffic from the other side conveniently followed by the Two Wheeler and Auto.

The way forward is heavy fines and increased insurance premiums for people who are reckless; also ensuring that their license is cancelled for a finite amount of time. Added, eye in the sky (aka cameras) would also help a lot. The main issue in the above implementation is that the so called leaders of our country are not interested in biting the bullet in the best interest of our country. Just look at the statistics on how many states have implemented Motor Vehicles Act in true spirit.

My two paise!

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by Piyush_DT

I tried to think why India is not able to solve the basic problems like this one or the one where people cross railway tracks even though government made a pedestrian bridge...

Have you tried climbing those pedestrian bridges? They are a mile high. Why don't they make the privileged do some hard work? I'm sure a car can handle climbing a few feet, and the cost of building these flyovers could definitely be borne by the entitled. Our stuck-in-the-colonial-age administration can only copy foreign solutions. In a country like India where the majority are pedestrians, do you see our democratically elected representatives do anything for the majority, do their bureaucrats even think?

Fines are meant to cause pain, negative reinforcement applied diligently will change behavior. But decision-makers want chaos on the roads, try changing their minds first.

[cdrajeevkumar]

Originally Posted by nagr22

I have had many near misses on one way roads due to these diseased riders and I am now extremely frustrated and scared to even drive my car! What is the cure for this?

I can relate to this as I experienced it yesterday in Pune. I was cursing in the service lane to connect with the express way and I saw a Creta zooming on the wrong lane with hazard lights and flashing headlights. I politely inched to the left and as the passing space was limited he had to slow down. I rolled down my window and tried to ask “why do this?”. In return I got the middle finger and he simply zoomed off, his ORVM just missed nicking my car!

I believe this disease is here to stay and affects especially Indians (pardon the bias). I’ve travelled to about 20 countries but have never seen or experienced such callous attitude and “I don’t care” mindset.

The possible remedy : Though it’s impossible to ignore such brutes on road, all we can do is to breathe easy and thank heavens we’re still alive!