Team-BHP - Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

Just yerterday, I was driving down towards Sarjapur Junction. A swift overtook me and the left indicator was blinking. I thought he would go left so I slowed down as I was approaching the junction and there is construction work going on. To my surprise, he took sudden right turn. There was another car behind him and to save himself, that guy suddenaly slowed down and turned left and was about to hit me. I knew that it was not this guy's fault. It was the Swift moron who kept confusing others on the road. When I stopped beside him, I saw he was busy chatting with the co-pessenager and had no idea that he had almost caused an accident behind him. I told him that his left indicator is blinking. That guy turned off the indicator and looked at me as if he was doing a big favor to me and other road users. Bangalore traffic is getting worse everyday.

Not to excuse your guy, and I find showing wrong indicator annoying and confusing too, even when it doesn't cause near accident --- but I often find myself guilty of this. "tick" sound for Swift indicator is very quiet. I am deaf enough that I cannot hear it at all.

I do feel embarrassed when I come to indicate for one turn, to find I have been indicating other way since the last turn.

On the other hand, I use my indicators a lot, even for lane changes.

Nowadays am coming across several instances of vehicles from the opposite direction who move to my side of the road while overtaking someone and flash their lights at me to ask me to move or slow down.

Used to see this more on highways with city drivers who weren't used to judging speeds of oncoming vehicles from a distance but it's becoming common in cities too.

Was taught that overtaking should be planned with minimum inconvenience to cars from the opposite direction, who aren't obliged to move aside for an overtaker, even if they have space (they may move aside from a safety point of view but that's another issue).

As far as I know that still holds good but many seem to think they are entitled to get right of way simply because they're overtaking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jassi (Post 1459821)

this is a video on using the cellphone while driving and its consequences
It is definitely a must watch for today's mobile phone addict teens who speak on phone and sms while driving!

Very graphic indeed. Hope it is effective.

But one thing i didn't get in the video. Why did the third car crash into them?? What was the third car doing on the wrong side of the road?

WOW!
You've enlisted almost every type of sign that can give away the psychology of the driver so T-BHPians can stay safe by maintaining their distance from such maniacs.

Thanks for the great post! Might be pretty helpful to newbie TBHPians with no driving experience.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Technocrat (Post 1466311)

May be you should get the turn signal beeper that one gets for two wheelers :D :p

I think that'd not a bad idea for the swift owners if they have this very low tick-tick sound during the indicator blinking. And I am not joking. I again had the same kind of encounter with another swift on the Nagawara signal. But I can understand the excuse at that signal. There is a large number of vehicle going towards the Manyata Embassy Park and they have to take a weird kind of turn at that junction. Just after they turn right, they have to take left on the service road and all the time there is some confusion happening as some vehicle really want to go right where as some vehicle at the right lane try to go left on the service road. That is one hell of the confusing junction like the Sarjapur signal. Most of the driver taking this route will understand what I am trying to say.

I live at Mumbai where money takes precedence over everything - includes life also. I have seen many young people talk incessantly over phone even while crossing a road - and not at the crossing meant for pedestrians and also at their leisurely pace. I had so many instances when I have stopped my car or called out from the window yelling at them but of no avail! When will they change?

1) Always keep an eye on the front wheels and tail lamp of the vehicles ahead they are the best indicator of what the driver is upto,
2) Maintain at least 3sec of gap from the vehicle ahead(at highways). And 2 secs for city speed
3) Third and the most important one think in the perpective of the drivers driving ahead and behind you. Ideally how would you react to a particular situation if you were in that position.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajmat (Post 45780)

6: Smoking when driving – getting that fix with one hand of the wheel, imagine the fun when the cigarette drops on the family jewels

There is one more important reckless drivers' category which is similar to this one and that is the smartypants who use mobile phones while driving or riding bikes. Still greater are the ones who show their skills in typing text messages with one hand and handling the steering with the other. It is only a matter of time before a passer-by gets in the way while the fellow is trying to locate the "!" mark on the keypad.

As of late I've observed a disturbing trend. People driving their cars with one/both ORVMs closed. It's not like there weren't idiots doing it before, but now it's like 4/10 cars i see! The same in other cities?

Sometimes guys bad drivers cannot be avoided.
Last year I went out with my friends to queens necklace in a m800. it wasn't mine but i was driving. We had a beer each down our throats but no more. The car was an army car.While returning taking the turn from marine drive to churchgate via the road where gaylord bakery is (don't know the name of the road.)
the Road ahead is a curve and you cannot see the incoming traffic. It was night 2 ish. I took a turn and in came a taxi on my port side at 80kmph. The maruti had shrunk to the size of a nano. The taxi driver got jacked bad. We filed for complete damage. The care took almost 40k to repair.
Be careful but be lucky too....
When the police came to that location. They didn't even ask us one question. Just started slapping the taxi driver.
Yes, we all survived with a few scratches.Pics i'll upload from home today. You got to see it to believe it.
guess why I always say

`````GODSPEED`````

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitronium (Post 1597529)

In Hyderabad it is 6/10 for cars and bikes with no ORVMs is like 9/10. It is a real horrible situation. Another thing that I have seen is that if a vehicle is chauffer driven, most of the time, they put the seat belt over the seat and then sit on it