[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by jeevmenon

In India, which drives on the left, a "Free left turn" is allowed unless there is a sign prohibiting it ("No free left (turn)"). [3] In certain places an explicit sign also guides drivers to take a "free left" turn.

Source: Right turn on red - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you see the picture given in wikipedia, the words "AFTER STOP" are highlighted.
This is applicable even for India. After stop, the traffic on our left side gets a green signal.
So if we take a free left, there is no obstacle to anyone.

[rajeev k]

Even at Free Lefts it is to be noted that the right of way is to the traffic from the right. Therefore Stop, Look & Proceed it should be.
Those who never bother (ignorantly) to look to their right, deserves their rightful position in this thread.

[DieselLover]

Met another "gentleman driver" yesterday while driving to office. The road between Kakkanad and Inforpark is very narrow with just enough space for two cars to pass each other. I was behind a Black Linea on this stretch which was doing 20kmph. I could see that the road in front of him was empty. I couldn't overtake due to heavy traffic from the other direction. There was a huge lineup of vehicles behind me as it was 9 AM in the morning. People behind me was honking like crazy but I was helpless. I honked few times but Linea guy was immune to all the drama behind him. Just before reaching infopark, I overtook him and got a good look at what he was doing. He was smoking and was driving as if he was taking morning walk

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

On a 4 road junction, when the traffic on your opposite direction and your right side has got the green signal, there is no free left turn allowed.
A free left is available only when the traffic on your left has a green signal
This is because 99% of the vehicles will go straight or right which will not cut your path, hence you need not wait.(the 1% who take U-turn is not a big problem while merging)

In the photo, we can clearly see the vehicles coming from the right.
SO, THERE IS NO FREE LEFT ALLOWED.

Can you please tell me the source of your information? AS per India law all I could find is that "left turn" is always free unless prohibited explicitly, and left turning traffic does not have to see signal, but YIELD

Moreover your logic has many other holes. For example, how do I know whether traffic on my left has green signal or the right has green signal. I can only see my signal.

And here is the delhi traffic police rule
Delhi Traffic Police, New Delhi (India) - Traffic Lights Signals, Learn Traffic Rules, Traffic Signals

So left turn should always YIELD. As long as you are not obstructing others, you can take left turn.

Originally Posted by JoeMichael

Well there seems to be ambiquity in the rules here . I was fined twice for taking free lefts in Bangalore sometime in 2006. On both occassion the law enforcer informed no free left turn unless indicated so. After which I have been following this religiously--Please gurus any help here.

A police wallah can challan you at their will. So do what they say. But from a rule standpoint, they are stainding on thin ground.
Keep a printed MVA act booklet in your glove kit.

[vina]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

A police wallah can challan you at their will. So do what they say. But from a rule standpoint, they are stainding on thin ground.
Keep a printed MVA act booklet in your glove kit.

Where can I get one?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Almost every time I go out, i could come here and repeat the same post

Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em?

-- By the yellow number plate.


~

[Speed.Demon]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

BTW, one of the worst driving practices that I have seen near my place in Kerala (not sure if it is like this all over Kerala) is at railway crossings. You come to a crossing and wait in line on left side of the road for the gate to open. Bikers/Autos/Cars/Tempos/Buses just cooly come to the front of the line on the right side of the road - so effectively the whole road is now fully jammed. The same behaviour on the other side of the railway gate.

So, when the gate opens, it is chaos - no one is going anywhere because instead of what should be vehicles driving across the tracks, the scene is more like 2 armies going to war (hand-to-hand combat as shown in Mahabharata serial). All this jazz about 100% literacy, makes the scene even more disheartening.

A Malayali will stand patiently in the long queue at the BEVCO counter, but will not stay on his side of the road at a rail-cross. Amazing !!!

Too true,mate.

There I am, patiently waiting at the back of the (line?) on the left of the road, when all the slower moving autos and bikers show up and coolly go to the front of the line, and they look at me like I'm an idiot or something for waiting at the back!!! Sometimes, even private cars do this too.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by vina

Where can I get one?

try shops which stock legal books.

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by Speed.Demon

Too true,mate.

There I am, patiently waiting at the back of the (line?) on the left of the road, when all the slower moving autos and bikers show up and coolly go to the front of the line, and they look at me like I'm an idiot or something for waiting at the back!!! Sometimes, even private cars do this too.

No, we won't let you have all the credit.
IDIOTS exist all over India. Come to Bangalore and i'll show you how we Software Engineers do it.


-- Torqy

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by Torqy

No, we won't let you have all the credit.
IDIOTS exist all over India. Come to Bangalore and i'll show you how we Software Engineers do it.
-- Torqy

Well said Torqy, nobody can beat us Bangalore SW Engineers in bad driving. We want to prove that education is something which gives us the license to act stupid. Two instances given below.
First one.

I'm waiting at the junction next to the Bata showroom on Bannerghatta road to take a right turn towards the road which goes along the lake. Then, a gentleman, coming out of the Benison supermarket in a Swift DeZire comes along the left side of my car and stops, blocking the gap in the divider totally. As the other side of the road clears, he moves ahead and to my horror, he wants to make a U-turn, cutting me off in the process, as I had already started moving. I honk and gesture to him, asking what he's planning to do? Then he backs off, allowing me to go on to my desired route.
Second one and a heart stopping moment.

Today morning, in Electronic city, infront of the HP office (the one next to BHEL). A volvo was stopped to let people out. A tractor was overtaking the stopped bus and I was coming from the opposite side. Without warning, a bike (Yamaha FZ) jumped out from behind the tractor, with the intention of overtaking the tractor.
I was horrified, because he was coming right at me and I didn't have any place to move. I stood on the brakes, felt ABS kicking in and the car stopped just infront of the moron. I lowered the window and used the most ugliest word that came to my mind that moment (I usually don't use such words but was so upset at that moment). The fellow had a Wipro badge around his neck and he left the scene with a foolish grin on his face

[Xryder]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

I'm waiting at the junction next to the Bata showroom on Bannerghatta road...

Another problem at this same junction is related to the BPCL Fuel Bunk here.People coming from Arekere Gate towards this U-turn sometimes make this turn a right and head towards the Fuel Bunk in the wrong direction against oncoming traffic. This is to avoid going a few metres ahead and taking a U-turn.

While I was checking my tyre air pressure here at this bunk, caught one such moron in a VW-Jetta heading or rather racing against the traffic to scare them into giving way so he can enter the bunk. I am certain it was not a driver who was driving, but perhaps the owner himself. Expensive car does not necessarily mean educated owners/drivers. In this picture, the Innova cab had to swerve to the left in order to let this moron pass without a collision. The Reg.No is - KA 02 MD 9939.

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by Xryder

Another problem at this same junction is related to the BPCL Fuel Bunk here.People coming from Arekere Gate towards this U-turn sometimes make this turn a right and head towards the Fuel Bunk in the wrong direction against oncoming traffic. This is to avoid going a few metres ahead and taking a U-turn.

Absolutely! Sometimes, even trucks and buses take this "shortcut". Funny thing is that they shout at you as if it's their right of way. God knows when somebody gets knocked down by these foolish people.

[Xryder]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

Absolutely! Sometimes, even trucks and buses take this "shortcut". Funny thing is that they shout at you as if it's their right of way. God knows when somebody gets knocked down by these foolish people.

Whats worse is they cause a total JAM because this one-way lane ends up becoming a 2-way lane till the bunk and in case the bunk is already crowded then these morons wait in the roadside moving against the oncoming traffic.

[IronH4WK]

got a confession to make.

got a traffic ticket this evening for jumping a signal on the Infantry road, near the Commissioner's office. i would have stopped as it was amber when i was approaching the stop line, but then what i saw in my RVM made me cross the the stop line, just as the signal turned red - there were two motorcyclists speeding directly behind me, ready to jump the signal. jumping the signal was far better than these two splattered on my backside!

as i passed, promptly the constable walked right in the middle of the road and stopped the two cars ahead of me and myself (the two motorcyclists sped away dodging the constable) asked the other two to leave and asked me to park the my car of the side. i did so and got the car papers and my licence out to show to the inspector. he took down the details and told me that i would have to pay fine to which i said i understand - it was my mistake (btw, he was very polite). he quickly entered the details into his Blackberry and printed the receipt on the portable printer on the seat of his motorcycle.

i apologized to the inspector for jumping the signal - didn't provide any excuses and headed back to my car.

i'm not proud of what i did, but didn't have much of a choice.

end of confession.

[Shubz]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

got a confession to make.

got a traffic ticket this evening for jumping a signal on the Infantry road, near the Commissioner's office. i would have stopped as it was amber when i was approaching the stop line, but then what i saw in my RVM made me cross the the stop line, just as the signal turned red - there were two motorcyclists speeding directly behind me, ready to jump the signal. jumping the signal was far better than these two splattered on my backside!

as i passed, promptly the constable walked right in the middle of the road and stopped the two cars ahead of me and myself (the two motorcyclists sped away dodging the constable) asked the other two to leave and asked me to park the my car of the side. i did so and got the car papers and my licence out to show to the inspector. he took down the details and told me that i would have to pay fine to which i said i understand - it was my mistake (btw, he was very polite). he quickly entered the details into his Blackberry and printed the receipt on the portable printer on the seat of his motorcycle.

i apologized to the inspector for jumping the signal - didn't provide any excuses and headed back to my car.

i'm not proud of what i did, but didn't have much of a choice.

end of confession.

That doesn't make you a bad driver! Pardoned! but why were the two wheeled Einsteins watching your back instead of watching the red light? So what if the guy in front of them is slowing down/jumping the signal etc?