[Binzone]

Originally Posted by richie4u

Saw a funny yet risky incident today: A guy in a Hyundai Verna Fluidic decided to check whether his tire pressure is alright or not.So what's wrong with that you might say? Well the guy driving the car, opened the door,bend half of his body outside to look at the rear wheel all this while the car was still in motion at about 20kms/hr.

LOL! Must have graduated from being a truck driver, who sometimes crane their neck, and half the body out if they need to check their sides.

Like you said, its funny, but very dangerous even at 20kmph.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by richie4u

Saw a funny yet risky incident today: A guy in a Hyundai Verna Fluidic decided to check whether his tire pressure is alright or not.So what's wrong with that you might say? Well the guy driving the car, opened the door,bend half of his body outside to look at the rear wheel all this while the car was still in motion at about 20kms/hr.

Confession Time:
I eat Pan Paraag at times, and have opened the door to spit at times. But then, I had stopped the car, opened the door, spit and moved on.

- That's for me dirtying the city, occasionally.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I had a fight with an MTC bus in Chennai's Eldam's Road a few days ago. Eldams Road is a mess, and I'm not even sure how much of it is one way. This was in slow, congested, evening office hour traffic. The bus driver had already locked the whole street by not allowing a vehicle crossing the road to pass in front, thus locking that vehicle in a position where they could not help blocking most of the rest of the road, although it was possible to drive around the back of it. which kept me on the left side of the bus as we moved on.

I was slightly ahead of the bus, as I saw the building I was headed to, with basement car park. I indicated and pointed the car to the right to pull in front of the bus, but the bus driver would not stop. I was beating the front of the bus with my fist (a fight with the bus, literally!).

It would have cost the guy nothing to let me in, even if I had wanted to be in that lane. He was just obstructive.

If I'd let him go? Then I'd have been blocking the middle lane, waiting to make my turn, until the bus had past; probably several minutes in that traffic.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I was slightly ahead of the bus, as I saw the building I was headed to, with basement car park. I indicated and pointed the car to the right to pull in front of the bus, but the bus driver would not stop. I was beating the front of the bus with my fist (a fight with the bus, literally!).

Haha I have also done that and immediately felt like Don Quixote charging at the windmills.

By the way, are you sure you were not in the bus driver's blind spot? And the bus driver was clearly able to see your indicators? Although more likely is the scenario that he was busy ogling at his passengers in his rear view mirror and had no idea about your intentions. That is, until you started banging at his bus

[Thad E Ginathom]

I am not a hundred percent sure, as the light on the glass was such that I couldn't actually see the driver himself, but I am pretty sure: I was a bonnet-length ahead. He might not have been able to see my hand signals.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by swarnava.m

I agree with "Thad E Ginathom" on this. In fact I use this to my advantage whenever there is an emergency braking maneuver at a decent clip. Moment I see that I need to brake harder than normal, I immediately switch on the hazard lights. Otherwise, the guy behind me (hopefully maintaining some distance) would see my brake lights but may fail to notice my rate of deceleration. With the hazard lights, I am sure to grab his attention that this is more than just normal braking and he'd better be careful.

Umm, wouldn't that be a little risky? Reaching out for the hazard light switch when braking hard instead of holding the steering firmly with both hands?

And don't newer cars already have this feature of switching the blinkers on automatically on hard braking?

[swarnava.m]

Originally Posted by nileshch

Umm, wouldn't that be a little risky? Reaching out for the hazard light switch when braking hard instead of holding the steering firmly with both hands?

And don't newer cars already have this feature of switching the blinkers on automatically on hard braking?

Not sure about this feature on newer cars as mine is almost 10 years old.

And as for reaching out for the hazard light switch, it has become more of a reaction on instinct. I don't do it unless I am in total control myself. Of course this means that the switching on of hazards is a little delayed, which is why I hope the driver behind me is maintaining distance.

[Thad E Ginathom]

It's a matter of priorities. If I have time to do anything apart from just stopping, getting into a lower gear would be my number one. Hazard warning lights would be a good number 2.

[acroback]

Talk of idiots on roads.

Last night while returning home via old airport road near HAL Airport. I was following a X1 at sedate speeds around 50 kmph. There is one big pothole on right side of the road which makes everyone brake. The BMW guy braked hard. I was maintaining a safe distance of about 20 mtrs. I anticipated it and applied my brakes progressively and gently. Because of ABS the vehicle stops rather quickly during the latter half of the braking exercise.

I can hear a screeching sound. A moron in a Swift was following me at speeds in excess of 80kmph and almost collided with me. He honked at me showing his displeasure. I mean what... doesn't he know that he is suppossed to maintain a safe distance as per his speed.

I wonder, having a vehicle with ABS is a boon or bane. Vehicle behind you do not have time to react at times since they tail gate you like a buffoon. Plus they take more time to stop. Hopeless.

[arvind71181]

Originally Posted by acroback

Talk of idiots on roads.

Last night while returning home via old airport road near HAL Airport. I was following a X1 at sedate speeds around 50 kmph. There is one big pothole on right side of the road which makes everyone brake. The BMW guy braked hard. I was maintaining a safe distance of about 20 mtrs. I anticipated it and applied my brakes progressively and gently. Because of ABS the vehicle stops rather quickly during the latter half of the braking exercise.

I can hear a screeching sound. A moron in a Swift was following me at speeds in excess of 80kmph and almost collided with me. He honked at me showing his displeasure. I mean what... doesn't he know that he is suppossed to maintain a safe distance as per his speed.

I wonder, having a vehicle with ABS is a boon or bane. Vehicle behind you do not have time to react at times since they tail gate you like a buffoon. Plus they take more time to stop. Hopeless.

Tailgaters will never learn and most of the time not even know that they are in the wrong and the worst part is that they are everywhere. They are highly dangerous as well. The best thing which a driver should do is to give them way and let them pass but that may not be always possible due to the traffic conditions.

Regarding ABS, I dont think it would have been activated if the brakes were applied gently as ABS activates only when it detects a wheel lock up which usually happens only on hard braking, unless in snowy or gravel road conditions. Leave it to the experts to correct my understanding if wrong

[bharat4ever]

Currently vehicles with ABS have to take a few dents on their boot because of non-ABS vehicles. Especially cabs who prefer to run their tyres bald before changing them. In the coming years, when ABS hopefully becomes mandatory on all new vehicles this situation may differ.

But ABS is definitely a boon. a few days back I was driving along Kundhalahalli road @ 50-60 kmph near Cosmos mall. There was a family of 8-9 waiting to cross the road. They didn't move an inch until I was very close to them, and then suddenly a boy who was part of the group decided to take his sister's hand and cross. The sister was holding on to another girl and it become a chain. I had to brake so hard with the ABS kicking in.
My car stopped instantaneously (also thanks to all 4 wheels having disc brakes). But since the tires don't squeal, the nitwits who were crossing didn't realize how close to death they were, and they laughed and crossed. Imagine my face then!

[acroback]

Originally Posted by arvind71181

Tailgaters will never learn and most of the time not even know that they are in the wrong and the worst part is that they are everywhere. They are highly dangerous as well. The best thing which a driver should do is to give them way and let them pass but that may not be always possible due to the traffic conditions.

Regarding ABS, I dont think it would have been activated if the brakes were applied gently as ABS activates only when it detects a wheel lock up which usually happens only on hard braking, unless in snowy or gravel road conditions. Leave it to the experts to correct my understanding if wrong

That is correct.
In my adjustment to a ABS vehicle from a non ABS vehicle, I have noticed that if you progressively keep flooring the brake pedal even in hurry (not standing on it mean), there is a shudder from brakes and it stops in a jiffy. My guess is that ABS must have kicked in.

May be it detected wheel locking, don't know how.

[sa_kiran]

Originally Posted by acroback

I wonder, having a vehicle with ABS is a boon or bane. Vehicle behind you do not have time to react at times since they tail gate you like a buffoon. Plus they take more time to stop. Hopeless.

With idiots on roads, it is a bane. I look at the rear view mirror while braking I'll be very scared if the vehicle behind me is a Premier Padmini or Indica taxi, autorickshaw or any old vehicle.

[Thad E Ginathom]

What ABS does and does not do is done to death in other threads, but still often misunderstood and, of course, even misrepresented by sales and marketing morons. It is never a bane, because it only works at all in an emergency wheel-locking stop.

The distance between us and the vehicle in front should be influenced not only by our speed and the road conditions, but also by the distance of the vehicle behind us. Quite often, in these situations, we need "stopping distance for two." Yes, we are supposed to always know who/what/how-far is behind, by frequent use of rear-view mirrors.

[evilshantanu]

This is in context to Bangalore:

While coming from Tin factory towards Hebbal, as soon as one gets down from the Kasturi Nagar flyover, there is a disaster waiting to happen. The two wheelers and three wheelers just to save a couple of drops of fuel are risking their lives. They stop in the middle of the road, gets on top of the divider with their vehicles and crosses the road, to get into Kasturi Nagar, obviously turning a totally blind eye to the fast vehicles coming down from the flyover on the ORR. Hope something could be done to bring some discipline.

Today I had to take an urgent brake there as a mother , without helmet, with her 3-4 year old kid in the scooty decided to save those 2 drops of petrol. Wondering if her / her child's life is more important or the petrol!