Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

abhijeetaj · 25th December 2009, 11:39

Cyclist - Signals dont apply to them (Very dangerous, when you are trying to catch a green light and a Cyclist suddenly crops up from nowhere.)

Cell Phone Addicts - People talking on phone! most dangerous type.

Style maro type - Motorcyclists who keep their hills on the end of footrests and hold the handlebars with fingers that too at the tips of the handlebars.

I fear these most alongside others like (All mirrors folded, non indicators, etc.)

Thad E Ginathom · 25th December 2009, 22:01

Expensive car, judging by the show put on by some guy in a Land Rover on the OMR this afternoon.

This is contrary to my usual observation, which is that those with the most to loose drive the most carefully, or employ those rare drivers who actually can drive safely.

Indianstorms · 1st January 2010, 23:40

I get freaked by truck drivers who drive uphill @10kmph on the extreme right of the lanes.
I think they imagine them self to be driving a Ferrari.

They force you to overtake from the wrong side and this is byfar the most dangerous situations in highway driving.

Thad E Ginathom · 2nd January 2010, 00:37

It's easy to see bad drivers, as they fill the whole of your RVM, and, indeed, the whole of your rear window, as they take what seems to be a great interest in your backside.

Had some SUV doing this on the ECR this morning. Don't know what. The blue colour was nice, as was the marigold garland. Made the guy completely stop, but it didn't make him think any, so I did it again. He still has no idea that what he was doing was wrong, and I'm guessing this was a professional, hah hah, driver (family not taxi).

sandeep108 · 2nd January 2010, 11:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indianstorms

I get freaked by truck drivers who drive uphill @10kmph on the extreme right of the lanes.
I think they imagine them self to be driving a Ferrari.

They force you to overtake from the wrong side and this is byfar the most dangerous situations in highway driving.

It is the system that is to be blamed. Poor fellows are underpowered and overloaded. They cannot lose momentum uphill. And other drivers / pedestrians keep popping out / wandering all over the left lanes. So they stick to the right.

gupta_chd · 2nd January 2010, 11:33

The top menace in this region of world is the 'toodi wala' trucks or tractor-trolleys. The load the stuff literally 3 times there actually capacity stretching out by 2 feet from each side and is really a death hole in the night for others as is very difficult to judge from the distance. Nothing is done by cops about this.

Second most menacing are the buses esecially on 2 lane void of divider road. They think it is there paa's property and drive as fast and rashing as they can to corner passangers at the next stop before others.

straightdrive · 2nd January 2010, 14:42

Another common sign of bad driving - looking only at the car/road situation directly in front of you and not further ahead.

Many people here, especially in Hyd, would have experienced this in narrow lanes - vehicles parked crazily on a stretch of the road so that only one car can pass that stretch at a time. You slow down to give way to a car from the opposite direction because there isn't enough room for both of you. Then a joker from behind sees you slow down, tries to overtake, gets blocked by the car from the opposite side, can't come back to his lane because you are on his left side and ends up causing a jam.

Also happens when you are changing lanes to go past a stopped bus - someone overtakes, THEN sees the bus, realises he can't go ahead and screeches to a halt or tries to cut back in.

arunsasi · 10th January 2010, 22:49

The worst kind of drivers are the ones who blind you with the full power of their headlight (many times illegal aftermarket fitments) even on a properly lit city road

MuzzledMoose · 11th January 2010, 14:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by arunsasi

The worst kind of drivers are the ones who blind you with the full power of their headlight (many times illegal aftermarket fitments) even on a properly lit city road

Even though extra lights are very unnecessary, high beams are a requirement in city traffic these days due to people crossing suddenly

in darkness. It will be difficult to identify someone crossing within 20~30 meters with low beam. this is particularly true for drivers with spectacles

teknophobia · 11th January 2010, 15:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuzzledMoose

Even though extra lights are very unnecessary, high beams are a requirement in city traffic these days due to people crossing suddenly

in darkness. It will be difficult to identify someone crossing within 20~30 meters with low beam. this is particularly true for drivers with spectacles

In a typical well lit city road at city speeds? not at all. For the most part, you don't even need your headlights on. If someone has such poor night vision, it would be better that they not drive after dark. And it applies equally to those vehicles with dark tints on the windscreen.

Thad E Ginathom · 11th January 2010, 18:03

The correct answer to dark city streets, whether it be a permanent lack of lights, or a temporary power cut, is not to switch on the high beam ... it is to slow down!

OK... In the absence of oncoming traffic, I treat city streets the same as I would a rural road: High beam, and dip when someone comes towards me.

watashi75 · 11th January 2010, 18:46

One day we will have cars with night vision, like we have in some high-end cars already. Then we won't need to worry about high and low any more. Until then.

ada · 11th January 2010, 20:46

When I am faced with such a problem of low visibility, I flick the headlights Hi/Lo a couple of times, this puts things in contrast, but you do not need high beam on all the time. As a matter of fact the other night at a signal, I got down from my car and requested the Scorpio behind me to put his beam on Low.

thefuturist · 12th January 2010, 01:47

Hey guys,

Here is what my 4 years of driving in Bangalore has to say for the worst drivers:

1. Guys driving in high-beams (irrespective of the time of the day) and exhibiting the obstinacy of an a$$ in refusing to dip. No offence meant to anyone in the forum, but more often than not these are the Santros, 800's and Omnis apart from the regular call center cabs (of all makes) and Minidors

2. Bikers without helmets / rear-view mirrors and anything with less than 4 wheels behind you when you are stuck in a traffic jam

3. BMTC buses, including the Volvos. I regularly see them ignoring the traffic lights at unmanned junctions as if there's none. Also be extremely wary of the private buses from the neighbouring states. I had lost the left ORVM (that itself says a lot) of my faithful old Swift on the third day of ownership to an AP 28Z tin monster on 6 wheels

4. All those Innovas and Scorpios on the highways (again, no offence meant to anyone) who overtake you with a millisecond's notice even at triple digit speeds. And then there are some who just refuse to give way if you happen to be faster than them on a particular stretch

5. I had always, and still consider the humble Premier Padminis driven by 50 year olds to be safe, though I had been rear-ended by one such unfortunate soul in the rains somewhere near Coimbatore when he tried to accelerate away and apply the brakes simultaneously in poor visibility. The damage to my rear bumper was minimal, but the way his car skid and spun, ramming into the oncoming bus, could have been fatal for him and his family. It was by sheer providence that he, with his family escaped unhurt (or probably it was his Premier that saved them by sacrificing its crumple zones). However, I still believe to this day that this was really a freak accident and in no way he would have been a worse driver than the others that I mention above.

Well, the last one really is the icing on the cake. My car was stationary at one of those railway level crossings in Bangalore. Once the traffic started to move I was rammed from the back by a lady in her Santro. The actual reason: she had turned the ignition in first gear. The reason offered: “Sorry sir, my chappals got stuck in the accelerator”!

rkguru · 12th January 2010, 11:53

Other than the fact of typical Indian Mentality, I feel the main problem is people don't know many driving rules and other than rules various situations that one needs to be aware of in driving.
Just knowing how to drive a vehicle is sufficient to get a license and other than that other stuff a driver needs to know while driving on road is not checked for.
I have seen people not knowing what space is needed for their vehicle to go thru and trying to squeeze their vehicles in just little space that they find.
They only look for space for their front to squeeze in don't bother to care for the space required for the part of the vehicle that follows behind and the space they need to leave with other vehicles and many more.
Even people in Skoda's and Honda's I have seen don't have this basic understanding.

25th December 2009, 11:39	#781
abhijeetaj Newbie Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Aurangabad Posts: 16 Thanked: 4 Times	Cyclist - Signals dont apply to them (Very dangerous, when you are trying to catch a green light and a Cyclist suddenly crops up from nowhere.) Cell Phone Addicts - People talking on phone! most dangerous type. Style maro type - Motorcyclists who keep their hills on the end of footrests and hold the handlebars with fingers that too at the tips of the handlebars. I fear these most alongside others like (All mirrors folded, non indicators, etc.)
	() Thanks

25th December 2009, 22:01	#782
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,451 Thanked: 30,080 Times	Expensive car, judging by the show put on by some guy in a Land Rover on the OMR this afternoon. This is contrary to my usual observation, which is that those with the most to loose drive the most carefully, or employ those rare drivers who actually can drive safely.
	() Thanks

1st January 2010, 23:40	#783
Indianstorms Newbie Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Kolhapur Posts: 16 Thanked: Once	I get freaked by truck drivers who drive uphill @10kmph on the extreme right of the lanes. I think they imagine them self to be driving a Ferrari. They force you to overtake from the wrong side and this is byfar the most dangerous situations in highway driving.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2010, 00:37	#784
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,451 Thanked: 30,080 Times	It's easy to see bad drivers, as they fill the whole of your RVM, and, indeed, the whole of your rear window, as they take what seems to be a great interest in your backside. Had some SUV doing this on the ECR this morning. Don't know what. The blue colour was nice, as was the marigold garland. Made the guy completely stop, but it didn't make him think any, so I did it again. He still has no idea that what he was doing was wrong, and I'm guessing this was a professional, hah hah, driver (family not taxi).
	() Thanks

2nd January 2010, 11:33	#786
gupta_chd BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 323 Thanked: 419 Times	The top menace in this region of world is the 'toodi wala' trucks or tractor-trolleys. The load the stuff literally 3 times there actually capacity stretching out by 2 feet from each side and is really a death hole in the night for others as is very difficult to judge from the distance. Nothing is done by cops about this. Second most menacing are the buses esecially on 2 lane void of divider road. They think it is there paa's property and drive as fast and rashing as they can to corner passangers at the next stop before others. Last edited by gupta_chd : 2nd January 2010 at 11:34.
	() Thanks

2nd January 2010, 14:42	#787
straightdrive BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 259 Thanked: 6 Times	Another common sign of bad driving - looking only at the car/road situation directly in front of you and not further ahead. Many people here, especially in Hyd, would have experienced this in narrow lanes - vehicles parked crazily on a stretch of the road so that only one car can pass that stretch at a time. You slow down to give way to a car from the opposite direction because there isn't enough room for both of you. Then a joker from behind sees you slow down, tries to overtake, gets blocked by the car from the opposite side, can't come back to his lane because you are on his left side and ends up causing a jam. Also happens when you are changing lanes to go past a stopped bus - someone overtakes, THEN sees the bus, realises he can't go ahead and screeches to a halt or tries to cut back in.
	() Thanks

10th January 2010, 22:49	#788
arunsasi BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Kochi Posts: 68 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	The worst kind of drivers are the ones who blind you with the full power of their headlight (many times illegal aftermarket fitments) even on a properly lit city road
	() Thanks

11th January 2010, 18:03	#791
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,451 Thanked: 30,080 Times	The correct answer to dark city streets, whether it be a permanent lack of lights, or a temporary power cut, is not to switch on the high beam ... it is to slow down! OK... In the absence of oncoming traffic, I treat city streets the same as I would a rural road: High beam, and dip when someone comes towards me.
	() Thanks

11th January 2010, 18:46	#792
watashi75 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 518 Thanked: 13 Times	One day we will have cars with night vision, like we have in some high-end cars already. Then we won't need to worry about high and low any more. Until then.
	() Thanks

11th January 2010, 20:46	#793
ada BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: MUMBAI Posts: 189 Thanked: 65 Times	When I am faced with such a problem of low visibility, I flick the headlights Hi/Lo a couple of times, this puts things in contrast, but you do not need high beam on all the time. As a matter of fact the other night at a signal, I got down from my car and requested the Scorpio behind me to put his beam on Low. Last edited by ada : 11th January 2010 at 20:48.
	() Thanks

12th January 2010, 01:47	#794
thefuturist BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 57 Thanked: 110 Times	The worst drivers in Bangalore (and some anecdotes to boot) Hey guys, Here is what my 4 years of driving in Bangalore has to say for the worst drivers: 1. Guys driving in high-beams (irrespective of the time of the day) and exhibiting the obstinacy of an a$$ in refusing to dip. No offence meant to anyone in the forum, but more often than not these are the Santros, 800's and Omnis apart from the regular call center cabs (of all makes) and Minidors 2. Bikers without helmets / rear-view mirrors and anything with less than 4 wheels behind you when you are stuck in a traffic jam 3. BMTC buses, including the Volvos. I regularly see them ignoring the traffic lights at unmanned junctions as if there's none. Also be extremely wary of the private buses from the neighbouring states. I had lost the left ORVM (that itself says a lot) of my faithful old Swift on the third day of ownership to an AP 28Z tin monster on 6 wheels 4. All those Innovas and Scorpios on the highways (again, no offence meant to anyone) who overtake you with a millisecond's notice even at triple digit speeds. And then there are some who just refuse to give way if you happen to be faster than them on a particular stretch 5. I had always, and still consider the humble Premier Padminis driven by 50 year olds to be safe, though I had been rear-ended by one such unfortunate soul in the rains somewhere near Coimbatore when he tried to accelerate away and apply the brakes simultaneously in poor visibility. The damage to my rear bumper was minimal, but the way his car skid and spun, ramming into the oncoming bus, could have been fatal for him and his family. It was by sheer providence that he, with his family escaped unhurt (or probably it was his Premier that saved them by sacrificing its crumple zones). However, I still believe to this day that this was really a freak accident and in no way he would have been a worse driver than the others that I mention above. Well, the last one really is the icing on the cake. My car was stationary at one of those railway level crossings in Bangalore. Once the traffic started to move I was rammed from the back by a lady in her Santro. The actual reason: she had turned the ignition in first gear. The reason offered: “Sorry sir, my chappals got stuck in the accelerator”!
	() Thanks

12th January 2010, 11:53	#795
rkguru BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 43 Thanked: 3 Times	Other than the fact of typical Indian Mentality, I feel the main problem is people don't know many driving rules and other than rules various situations that one needs to be aware of in driving. Just knowing how to drive a vehicle is sufficient to get a license and other than that other stuff a driver needs to know while driving on road is not checked for. I have seen people not knowing what space is needed for their vehicle to go thru and trying to squeeze their vehicles in just little space that they find. They only look for space for their front to squeeze in don't bother to care for the space required for the part of the vehicle that follows behind and the space they need to leave with other vehicles and many more. Even people in Skoda's and Honda's I have seen don't have this basic understanding.
	() Thanks