[mmxylorider]

I am really seeing some unique things in Hinjewadi these days. Few days ago, a car with a very different number plate posted in the number plate thread.

and yesterday as I was joining NH4 on return commute, I see an approaching black sedan sporting the Blue/red flashers the likes of which are seen on police cars in the west. A pair inside the grill and another pair under the rear glass. Very 'Cops' style.

Bad driver? IMO, Yes! I don't think Indian Police is using anything like this.

[sandip]

I am sure these are the guys who would teach their children to do the same - treat the roads and the commuters like door mat.

I doubt though, that they would be having a door mat at home.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

I am really seeing some unique things in Hinjewadi these days. Few days ago, a car with a very different number plate posted in the number plate thread.

and yesterday as I was joining NH4 on return commute, I see an approaching black sedan sporting the Blue/red flashers the likes of which are seen on police cars in the west. A pair inside the grill and another pair under the rear glass. Very 'Cops' style.

Bad driver? IMO, Yes! I don't think Indian Police is using anything like this.

those small red/blue flashers are used by unmarked police cars and FBI vehicles in the West. in India i've not seen them being used, even by emergency services. not sure if there is a law which states these cannot be used by general public; is there one?

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

those small red/blue flashers are used by unmarked police cars and FBI vehicles in the West. in India i've not seen them being used, even by emergency services. not sure if there is a law which states these cannot be used by general public; is there one?

One of my friends saw this on a Black Scorpio and he was gaga over how great it looked.

But arent blue n red flashers, in whatever blingy avatar or simple lights like the ones atop a PCR vehichle supposed to be used only by cops?

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Statement

Agree.

But then , some one driving a bike on a foot path is a good driver because he is handling the bike well, but is not a good citizen since he is breaking the law by driving at a place which is out of bounds for a vehicle. Or even, some one jumping the signal can be a good driver, infact an excellent one, but is not a good citizen. So is he a bad driver or a just a bad bad citizen? I know

A good driver, IMO, is one who not only has good car control and reflexes, but also respects other fellow commuters and road users, by following the laws of the road. A good driver is one who respects his environment and knows his limits on the road.

Some one who breaks the law can never be termed a good driver in my books. He may have good control over his vehicle, but the fact that he has no respect for the law, that is enforced for his safety and others on the road, makes him a bad driver by default.

A good driver/rider will never ride his vehicle on the pavement. Someone who rides on the pavement has no respect for pedestrians and rules. A good rider will want to drive on smooth tarmac and utilize the space that he is taxed for.

One who flouts rules, may be a good citizen, but with bad habits. He may be charitable, he may run an NGO, he may even be a philanthropist, but if he rides his motorbike on a pavement, or jumps the red-light in his car, he is no better than the other idiots who do so.

Breaking rules on the road, makes you a bad citizen, in a way. But only, in a way. But it still means you're a bad driver!

[animdas]

Originally Posted by Vtecguy7166

I do not agree with you on above mentioned points. Sometimes its necessary( Not always) to quickly stick your neck backwards and check as some vehicle might be in the blind spot of the RVM particularly when changing lanes.

In fact, I always turn my head over the shoulder to cover for my Blind Zone which is not visibile in the RVM!
Try out and let me know

[Thad E Ginathom]

Good practice, amindas. There are blind spots for the mirrors on both sides of the car. I particularly make a point, when turning left, of looking for those bikers to whom indicators mean nothing.

Originally Posted by amitoj

People spitting or throwing garbage (empty packets of chips, water bottles, napkins, orange and banana peels) onto the roads are not bad drivers. They are bad citizens.

Spitting (and other forms of excretion ) is an unhygienic act that spreads disease --- but it it is an incidentatl fact that it is done from the car, it is not about the good or bad driving.

selfdrive, lovely story! Made my day!

Originally Posted by Statement

But then , some one driving a bike on a foot path is a good driver because he is handling the bike well, but is not a good citizen since he is breaking the law by driving at a place which is out of bounds for a vehicle. Or even, some one jumping the signal can be a good driver, infact an excellent one, but is not a good citizen. So is he a bad driver or a just a bad bad citizen?

Good driving is not about the skill of vehicle control. You might be able to do a slalom course on alternating-side two wheels, but anybody doing this through traffic on the road would be a lousy driver.

Basic driving skill is a necessary, of course. On top of that, good driving is about proper road use, which means obeying rules and interacting correctly with other drivers. Good driving is more about being boring than about being clever!

[chinkara]

All this talk about spitting made me think of an incident we faced a couple of years back. On the way to Corbett, there is a Non-veg Dhaba before Ramnagar -- one of the few non-veg places in that region.

We had stopped there for lunch. When we came back, we saw the entire windshield and bonnet had turned red (my car is green). Someone from a bus window spat out paan. Looking at the volume of red fluid, he must have taken 10 paans at one go.

[BusyBee]

Dont know if I missed any post but vehicles with a red board claiming to be Government Vehicles seem to be among the worst in Kerala. They simply believe that they are above the law.

One soul had commented on the words 'immoral' and 'amoral' - saying that the former does something knowing it is wrong while the latter does not even know the concept of morality. Extrapolate to this situation.

[deathwalkr]

sigh its bad enough when people spit. but when they spew a gob of red staining pan it just makes it disgusting!

[karty_83]

Speaking of bad drivers, what about our beloved ' autowalas ' ? No matter how good they are, in my book they are always bad drivers. Heck, i have seen some of them drive on footpaths during signals just to cover a few meters.

[bblost]

I saw this couple on a bike with KA registration riding from Paradise till Nagarjuna Circle. (Hyderabad)

The bike was ridden in a safe manner. No high speed or crazy stunts.
Since I was always behind them, it was difficult to see if the rider was wearing a helmet. The time was around 8 PM last night.

Between the rider and the pillion, they had a <3 year old girl standing.
The child was obviously having fun.
Since she was standing I could see her clearly over the rest of the traffic.

One sudden speedbreaker or a hidden pothole and god forbid the unthinkable happens.

Are people just plain stupid or do they think that bad things happen to only other people.

[noopster]

@bblost- I see so many of these morons around. Last week spotted a couple with a sleeping infant in the arms of its mother. The mom looked rather bored and the poor child's head was lolling all over the place. My wife wanted to stop and give them a piece of her mind but they turned another way. As they turned, we spotted another child, may be around 3-4, between the parents.

Life is certainly cheap in this country.

[RaguHolla]

Originally Posted by noopster

@bblost- I see so many of these morons around.

Not sure what were you trying to say! But above wording is clearly is not called for! By definition no parent will put risk to their children life. What anyone thinks of situation is not same as what the particular parent thinks. Having access better standard of living doesn't make us to point finger at others! Irrespective of how mother looked, would at any circumstance will mother put her child in her danger? I think not. Each individual has his priorities and has his resources. One will always develops live best he can with what he got. It is easy to comment what one could have done in comfort of our chair, but reality is far off.

I don't have issue with what has been said. But word used are totally uncalled for.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by noopster

@bblost- I see so many of these morons around. Last week spotted a couple with a sleeping infant in the arms of its mother. The mom looked rather bored and the poor child's head was lolling all over the place.

Originally Posted by RaguHolla

Not sure what were you trying to say! But above wording is clearly is not called for! By definition no parent will put risk to their children life. What anyone thinks of situation is not same as what the particular parent thinks.

IMHO, if one brings someone in this world, he/ she should ensure that the child is kept out of harm's way till the child is able to fend for itself.

People who unwittingly put children at risk are no better than morons because they believe they know it all. Why should we assume that a parent who lets the limbs or head of a child dangle out on the road is a Mr. know it all? The problem we have is arrogance of people: it is my child who are you to say anything, etc.

This is not an accusation on the holding capacities or abilities of the pillion rider. It is just a fact that there could be 'n' number of other possibilities why the child should not be travelling like that in the first place.

Forget helmets, the primary risk this has is to unsettle the bike rider and upset his balance. As a car driver using the same road, I should not be forced to bear the guilt of running over someone just because someone else is being careless

Edit: just before someone jumps on me for following a bike too closely: this bike could encroach my lane from the neighbouring one. Unfortunately, I have seen this happen and at times anticipation has helped someone else. Not sure if this has improved the way they drive