[GKR9900]

Another day in Kerala, yet another news of an accident involving a KSRTC bus!

Anyone who has travelled by road in Kerala would’ve had at least one horror story associated with the state owned transport subsidiary. I also had an altercation a few years back, which resulted in the enraged KSRTC driver deliberately rear-ending my vehicle. The details of that incident has been shared in this (Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart)thread. Even worse, some unlucky souls had to pay with their dear lives, just because the person behind the wheel of the KSRTC was a complete psycho, as seen in this (Dashcam reveals a horrible accident caused by KSRTC driver killing two youths)thread. Every time an incident happens, there is a hue and cry, media discussions, official statements, public outrage and a few weeks later, things are back to their sad, original state. The only reasonable action that has been taken in one such incident has been the suspension of the driver involved in the Kuzhalmannam incident as mentioned above. This was only possible because of the dashcam footage that was made available by a fellow team-bhpian. Many incidents get brushed under the carpet because of lack of proper evidence. The drivers that cause such incidents are backed by strong unions and political parties, thus avoiding any strict legal action against themselves. Time and again, various proposals were made to improve the driving etiquette of KSRTC drivers, but to no avail. The most recent one is a redressal mechanism that employ onlookers to send the video to a whatsapp number. But this doesn’t make them KSRTC drivers shy away from displaying their shenanigans on public roads as shown in the video below:

https://youtu.be/0Zw3c-HxebI

The above video was caught on my dashcam while I was driving home from work. The KSRTC bus pushed me off the road at a busy intersection at a place called Kalady. I was initially enraged, but my previous incident with these morons reminded me to stay calm. I decided to proceed behind the driver to see what he is upto. And I don’t know what else to call the driver, other than a maniac. From terrorising other motorists to yield way to him, to swerving to the extreme right of the opposite lane for no particular reason, to reckless acceleration and driving on the wrong side of the road even on bridges, traffic junctions, school zones and what not. All this while proudly flaunting a sticker at the back that says ‘Am I driving dangerously? Whatsapp 9188619380’. The way I see it, they only see 2 options: Either run others off the road, or run over them! And I surely didn’t want to be part of that equation. I thanked myself for maintaining my composure and not trying to foolishly intimidate this guy in the beginning.

A day or two passed, and there’s this news flash of 2 college kids losing their lives to a KSRTC bus driver. I googled ‘KSRTC accidents’ under news section for the last one week, and was appalled at the number of cases that cropped up. I agree, not all might be due to the fault of the bus driver. But there is a significant part of such incidents which are directly or indirectly attributed to their actions. To be frank, many of these are not accidents, they are homicides. If you think that reckless driving of a pre-historic heavy vehicle, with poor design, wayward dynamics and questionable maintenance doesn’t bear any real-life consequences, you are not fit to be a driver! Period! Hence, putting this thread here for some peace of mind and public awareness. This madness has to stop, somehow!

[kosjam]

A couple of years ago, we (2 bikers on 2 bikes) had a similar experience with the Mangalore - Goa KSRTC interstate bus on the NH-66. My friend was riding slowly because the traffic was heavy and the roads that time were not completely 4- laned. The bus driver brought the bus so close to my friend's bike from the rear that had my friend not increased his speed, he would have been crushed under the bus. We immediately stopped and tried to tell this to the traffic police constable at the next signal less than 1 km from that point, but instead of listening to our complaint, he took our keys and started asking for our papers. The bus meanwhile cleared the signal after stopping at the signal for a good 2 minutes.
Eventually we were let go, as all our papers were proper, but the bus had gone by then, and the police didn't even entertain our complaint, saying that the bus was long gone by now, and nothing can be done, because any complaint would require us to be present and we are out of towners, so its effectively useless.

[giri1.8]

Such behaviour is why people are okay with privatisation even though we end up paying a bit more.

[epiccross]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Such behaviour is why people are okay with privatisation even though we end up paying a bit more.

Why do you think privatized would be any better? Private buses do this as well (or worse in my experience).

Has nothing to do with that at all, just driving culture in itself is shitty. When it translates to buses, that carries over is all.

[one-77]

Fact is that private bus drives in Kerala aren’t any better. Especially the pink coloured ones which do longer routes and have lesser stops.

Along with such aggressive driving as seen in the OP, they also blow your brains out with their terrible horns if you don’t yield, and blind you with their 90/100 bulbs in perpetual high beam in the night.

Many of these guys also abuse marijuana and stimulants like MDMA which are known by various pet names in Kerala and apparently quite freely available. They also carry weapons on them, and hardly a week goes by before someone on the road is attacked in road rage incidents.

Sadly this is the reality of a state where general driving etiquette is on a downward spiral, and law and order situation is worsening by the day.

[jkrishnakj]

For all the drama that the Kerala motor vehicles police do, I wonder what stops them from reigning in these buses and get the KeSRTC drivers in order.

I was at Kaladi in December and in this exact stretch is where I got bullied by one such bus. I’m searching for the dash video and will upload if I find it.

[ellip5i5]

Driving habits are a reflection of our culture and I feel it has become a sign of expertise when you beat traffic by any means.

This is especially important when one is associated with public transport. Hope these organisations install simple telemetry to rate and score drivers continually and disincentivise such driving.

[raptor_diwan]

I hope someone in a position of authority sees this video and takes action against the driver, as well as implements necessary precautions. Even if 1000 rules are put in place, a driver should be sensible and prioritize the safety of their passengers and those on the road. This driver put everyone in danger.

[surfatwork]

KSRTC drivers are, by far, the worst and most dangerous drivers on Kerala roads. But then they are 100% guaranteed of zero consequences, no matter what they do...... Whether it be running a traffic signal, overtaking on blind curves, over speeding, causing accidents, whatever. I once travelled on a "minnal" (lightning) service from Calicut to Ernakulam. Was so terrified that I got off midway. Have had my share of run-in with them too.
I don't believe it's going to change. Their unions are too strong and have solid political backing.

[Dry Ice]

While this does seem like extremely bad driving, YT is filled with similar (or worse) examples. The worst part? Most of these videos have been filmed by a passenger. You can often hear the passenger praising the driver for his expert driving and making good time by bullying everyone else on the road.

Truly horrific state of affairs.

[dust-n-bones]

A few observations:

• For all the horrible road and safety standards, the private vehicles seem to be driving quite sensibly. I generally observe that rash driving is contagious.
• While there is no excuse for road rage and bad driving, driving conditions may play a role. Non air-conditioned buses in extreme humidity and heat could be a factor. Similarly, wide arcs while overtaking points to recklessness yes, but also to non powered steerings. If the vehicle is short on torque, the drivers would hate stop-n-go and push their way through. Do more modern buses behave better?
• Traffic police should be setting the standard. In the video it is doing two things wrong. The police car is going way too slowly, causing others to swerve. It is also doing nothing about rash driving. Other traffic drivers take implicit cues from this behaviour.
  

[locusjag]

Structure influences behavior.

"Structure" here doesn't mean a physical frame or something; and this is a management phrase (B school talk) which implies that reporting hierarchies in organizations causes employees to behave in certain ways.

But road infrastructure (perhaps it's a better word than 'structure' for the point I'm trying to make) does influence road behavior as well, analogously. Isn't Kerala infamous for its inferior roads? There was a Team BHP poll where Kerala's roads were voted for as such. Even so-called NH roads in this state seem akin to Chennai's minor roads.

For drivers who have to drive as a matter of their careers, day in and day out, it has to be surely felt as a curse to drive in Kerala, giving rise to impatience and roadrage. I'm all for holding drivers accountable; but at some point root causes such as road infrastructure (or the lack of it) has to be addressed for any long-lasting solutions.

Here's an analogy from me: no one can eliminate corruption in government functioning just by having the ED, CBI, the CVC and the police going after corrupt officials. If you fire or suspend 100 officials, still more corrupt officials will take their place. Corruption typically keeps growing in government machineries. So what can you do about it? There is one person in our political landscape who has eliminated corruption though, by flattening hierarchies and bringing about transparency in decision-making with a single-window clearance mechanism. I cannot name this person as I don't want to make this political and that's not my point either; but my point is rather that a few structural changes were effected by him and ~99% of corruption problems were addressed in one fell swoop.

All you need is good roads in Kerala - that's my, ahem, structural submission.

I've flogged the "structural" horse enough, I reckon. Run, horsey, run. Run free through the fields of gold. I'm sorry for overdoing it!

[GeneralJazz]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Another day in Kerala, yet another news of an accident involving a KSRTC bus!

Sigh... Yet another day on our wonderful roads! These maniacs are above the law, and its becoming more and more apparent by the day.

On a lighter note, put him in North KL, especially the Kannur - Kozhikode route, and he'd be among the better drivers here!

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Such behaviour is why people are okay with privatisation even though we end up paying a bit more.

Let me stop you right there! Private buses are far worse! Anyone residing in North KL can attest to that.

Originally Posted by epiccross

Why do you think privatized would be any better? Private buses do this as well (or worse in my experience).

Has nothing to do with that at all, just driving culture in itself is shitty. When it translates to buses, that carries over is all.

Originally Posted by one-77

Fact is that private bus drives in Kerala aren’t any better. Especially the pink coloured ones which do longer routes and have lesser stops.

Along with such aggressive driving as seen in the OP, they also blow your brains out with their terrible horns if you don’t yield, and blind you with their 90/100 bulbs in perpetual high beam in the night.

101% agreed.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

For all the drama that the Kerala motor vehicles police do, I wonder what stops them from reigning in these buses and get the KeSRTC drivers in order.

I was at Kaladi in December and in this exact stretch is where I got bullied by one such bus. I’m searching for the dash video and will upload if I find it.

Thats because most (if not all) of these private buses are owned by people with "connections". What can these MVD folks do against them, without severe repercussions? And we all know how strong the KSRTC divers unions are. The laws of the land do not apply to them. This we all know.

Originally Posted by locusjag

Structure influences behavior.

Very nicely put locusjag. My initial response to your post was that of disagreement, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. The worst of these drivers are from North KL, which coincidentally has some of the worst road infrastructure in the state. There are sections of the NH near my home which are so narrow, 2 buses / lorries cant pass without brushing each others. On the other hand, the section from Mannuthy to Walayar has perhaps the best roads in the entire state. And the drivers here are quite well behaved. Most of the rash overtakes I've seen are to get past the annoying slow moving lorries who occupy both the lanes. If given the infrastructure where people can maintain a steady speed, most will drive safely. Currently in the Kannur - Calicut route, we get an average speed of 30-35 kph, even with all the rash driving. A average speed of 60 kph would indeed eliminate most of the rash driving.

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

A few weeks back, I drove to Kochi and back. It was a daytime drive and after getting back home (5.5Hrs, 240kms) my nerves were on edge and in my mind i was sure my hairs were standing straight up! It was that frustrating a drive.

--
That said, first preference to travelling within Kerala will always be the good ole Indian Railways

Ohh come on! Thalassery to Kochi is of similar distance, its easily 8 hours for us! You southies have it easy!

And yeah, agree with you, the only way to travel within the state is via trains.

[deathwalkr]

A few weeks back, I drove to Kochi and back. It was a daytime drive and after getting back home (5.5Hrs, 240kms) my nerves were on edge and in my mind i was sure my hairs were standing straight up! It was that frustrating a drive.

Sometimes i really pity these heavy vehicle drivers who have to drive on our roads daily without AC, no music, without proper pay, without much rest etc etc. I don't pity the driver in the video above, that guy is just nuts!

Maybe, just maybe if our roads get better (expansion of highways underway in many places), we would be able to maintain a decent average speed of at least 60kmph which would by itself be a blessing considering the current average is 30-40kmph!

That said, first preference to travelling within Kerala will always be the good ole Indian Railways

[TorqueKnight]

We should award the highest gallantry award to all the common man of kerala who have the guts to drive in Kerala. My native is not so far away from Coimbatore and we do yearly spiritual trip to Guruvayoor, Chottanikkara and Sabarimala. We never take our cars for these journeys, instead we use commercial tourist vehicles because of narrow roads of Kerala and the the KSRTC drivers with F1 DNA.

Kerala MVD is very strict and in many cases people feel they were harassed. Recently one of our BHPian was stopped for Royal Enfield provided mirror. If they have are so genuine and have time to investigate such small things then what’s stopping them to regulate these idiotic drivers on road?