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-   -   Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/3580-bad-drivers-how-do-you-spot-em-510.html)

True, on our roads where almost all (99%) you see are Bad Drivers and Good ones are an exception. Thread should be "Good Drivers - Spotted!". Now that would be a task! Like spotting test mules and stuff. Sad situation it is.

1 positive thing I see is that the gentleman realized the mistake and is atleast shameful for his act, notwithstanding the recurrence of his folly and hence hiding his face ! :D

I hope the guy would learn one day [ Sorry for being too optimistic]

On the other side. we have millions of people on our roads who give a damn to such 'Bhaashans' and if confronted, would react with abuses and [or] Violence.

Well, the only reason for that is I know him.
Trying to do that with anyone else would entail a thesis on ancestry and preferences submitted verbally right there and then.......:D

I had a slight scare this afternoon (about 1445) while returning home. Inside my residential neighbourhood, an esteem darted out from a left turn some 50 metres ahead and came onto the wrong side of the 2-lane road I was on without a care. He was going to turn into a nursing home (EEDF) just to the left ahead of me (his right) and felt it was troublesome to cross the road once (to turn right) and again cross the road (to turn in). I confess I could not anticipate such a move and managed to bring my car to a halt just about in time.

His reason: It's afternoon, roads are empty so nothing wrong in driving on the right [wrong] side.

And an overly clever vegetable vendor .. am driving out of a T junction where she has her shop selling spinach near the top of the vertical of the T. Fine.

So now I pass that shop and turn left - only to feel my wheels hit something on the road as soon as I get into the turning. And she comes yelling that I drove over a sack of her spinach, demanding money.

My wheels were all on the tar road - I am not sure how or why she thought it a bright idea to put vegetables about 25..30 feet from her shop right at a blind turning and expect that not to happen. Or maybe she expected it to happen - so she could yell for compensation, and go home having disposed of her stock nice and early.

And ?

What was your reaction ?

If I wasn't driving to pick up lunch for a hospitalized (now out / better) wife I'd have considered yelling back - she was screaming obscenities in telugu and I studied in Hyderabad, been a while since a fairly advanced knowledge of such words came in handy. As it is I gave her a hundred rupees and moved on.

She did try to extract more from me later on. I told her to call a cop if she felt that strongly about it.

Sometimes you can spot a bad driver by seeing the sheer number of dents on their car. Spotted this one in the company parking. Also, see how it's parked too.

This inspires me to fix the dents on my car stupid:

Scratches and dents are inevitable in today's city traffic. Getting a couple of nicks and scratches doesn't make a bad driver :). But this one was more like a soda can crumble, all around the car. Plus the way this driver puts half of the car outside the parking - definitely a bad driver, in my opinion.

Spotted a M800 on my way back home last friday near Kanakapura Road - Nice Road exit. I was on my bullet and hence couldn't take any pics. It was few vehicles ahead of me from the toll gate exit and started driving towards city. For the next 1-2 kms he was going zig-zag on either lanes to overtake a tractor without any sense of those behind and those in opposite directions. :eek:

I was shell shocked at how he drove and by this time managed to get close to him with just another car between us. Thats when I realised why - both the ORVMs were closed safely and oh wait, there's a Dapic 7" monitor plugged on top of IVRM. There were 4 adults (including the driver) and a kid inside this car and all of them (driver partially) were engrossed in a video playing on the screen.:Frustrati

I waved and honked, so did the car just behind him. But they were in their own world and were happily doing their merry go round ride on NH209.

By this time my exit had come and I rode away from this scene praying almightly for those others on the road then.

Idiot in an HR26 registered Hyundai while heading back last night from work in Hinjewadi, Pune, got pissed off by a taxi guy going slower than him, tailgated him honking furiously and then swerved wildly into my lane narrowly missing a collision. It was late and the traffic was fast moving but I never go beyond 60 on that road because of wrongsiders, so was able to brake in time. Crossed him barely half a km down the road and he was STILL honking at the taxi guy :D. Slowed down slightly next to him and gave him the classic, "What the hell are you doing?" palm up signal. He had the decency to look abashed and slow down; didn't seem him after that.

One down, millions to go!

During the Kolkata meet two weeks ago, I started a conversation with SS-Traveller about the meaning of defensive driving; unfortunately it was just about then that the meet broke up and I missed out on what promised to be an interesting and lively discussion (my fault as I could not make the leg to AH Dhaba). Maybe we should have a thread about that.

In Kolkata, more and more I am appalled at the way drivers put their vehicles into 'points of no return' where their safety, the safety of other vehicles as well as pedestrians around, is put out of their hands and into that of an incoming or passing vehicle. Some illustrations:

(1) Narrow road flyover (single lane on both sides, no divider). A car darts suddenly to overtake another while I am driving in the opposite direction with no warning except for flashing his lights as he is just overtaking and spots me. At that moment he is at a much higher speed than me and I have to slow down abruptly to let him pass, barely scraping by.

(2) Cars darting across the road at X junctions without traffic signals. Or making U turns abruptly, in each case without the slightest concept of right of way.

(3) A car changing lanes by hastily shoving his bonnet a fraction into my lane without warning.

In each of these cases it seems to me the driver puts himself in a situation where he cannot do anything more to avert an accident (i.e. is powerless) and whether it is or is not an accident is completely upto the skill and attitude of some other individual. In each case the driver seems to have no intention to back off if need be - or physically can, for that matter. Does it not occur to them that if the driver in the opposite / incoming side adopts the exact same mindset (no yielding. no emergency braking, etc. ) a disaster will occur?

1) Spotted a Tata VAN or may be a TT carrying special children near Jakkasandra. They were packed inside as if they were paper rolls. Horrible scene to see the kids jam packed. And i am not exaggerating, it was really horrible. There was no contact number on the Van so no way to report. Could not take a picture. And the driver was racing with others.
2) Spotted a j$rk - for sure one. No helmet and a school kid behind him hanging for life. Zig zagging on the road as if he is getting a high !
3) This one is classic. "My choice" parking. And there was nothing blocking.

Mate, Money has become the order of the day so much that even the safety of school kids is at stake. Unfortunately we the working men/couple have no choice. Even if our better half were to be a home maker, expecting her to drop and pick the kids daily will be an ordeal by itself considering the prevalent traffic conditions.
All that we can do is to pray to God that nothing unforeseen happens.