Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Road Safety (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/)

-   -   Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/3580-bad-drivers-how-do-you-spot-em-681.html)

After having clocked more than 3 lakh kilometers on Indian roads, I have formed an opinion on fellow road users. I generally drive more cautiously when the vehicles listed below are in the vicinity. The list is more or less rank wise in the threat level that, I personally feel, they pose to other road users. I do not, in any way, mean to displease owners of the vehicles I have mentioned here. It is only my personal opinion.

1. Private buses: They feel it is their birth right to earn every extra penny and so they feel they have the universal right over each and every road that they ply on. They will drive on the wrong side of the road, tailgate you, stop wherever and whenever they want, overtake you and immediately swerve on to your path to stop at the next bus stop. Headlights on means, they are an ambulance and you have to get out of their path if you love your life. And if there are 2 buses together, plying on the same route, the road is then a racetrack, the rest of the traffic are but mere traffic cones around which you weave around. Nothing wrong if you knock one down, you are backed by a rich and powerful owner. I can go on, but i will stop here.
So generally, if on the high way, I normally overtake them and disappear. Within city limits, I stay as far as reasonably practical from them.

2. Goverment buses: Almost similar to private buses, but the drivers think they have the added protection of the government and hence think they are invincible. Why they are ranked below the private buses is because I have seen that at least a few of them are sober drivers and responsible drivers.

3. Tipper trucks: Tipper trucks, whether municipal garbage trucks or carrying construction materials, are almost always driven rashly. They have a sense of invincibility sitting so high up in their solid metal cage. They are, almost always poorly maintained. On several occasions I have seen their cargo piled up way above the sides of the load bay, and when the cargo is bricks, blue metal or rocks, small pieces keep falling down from the sides and they become missiles headed directly to your windscreen. Imagine if one of those bricks or rocks should fall out at highway speeds. You would hardly get any time to react. I have seen bricks and big stones falling out and the drivers choose to ignore or are blissfully unaware of the missiles they are launching behind them.
I stay clear of these characters.

4. Commercial pick up trucks AL Dost and the Tata 407: They have a relatively higher power to weight ratio as compared to other trucks and are mostly driven very rashly especially if they are carrying spirit (in Kerala) for the liquor industry. Plus, because they have shorter loading bays as compared to larger trucks, several times I have seen them with stuff sticking way out of their load bays.

5. Auto rickshaws: Like their bigger counterparts, the buses, the auto drivers think it is their birth right to drive as and how and where they want because it is their lively hood. They will squeeze into the tiniest gap, cut across when you least expect it and block your way entirely. Though they do not pose a danger at city speeds to a car, they can give you nasty scratches. So they are ranked only at No.5. 2 wheelers beware.

6. Call taxi drivers: Again, same story as auto drivers. But because there are lesser taxis than autos in the city, they are ranked below autos.

7. Tata Ace: Driven rashly when they are not loaded because these things are then quite zippy and easy to manoeuvre and so again the drivers have a tendency similar to rickshaw drivers and squeeze in wherever they can. Can scratch your car or knock your ORVM off and act as though it was not their mistake at all. Several times, they too have stuff sticking way out of their load bays.
Highly underpowered and very often overloaded, they pose a risk in this state. Plus, they have the brightest and most blinding lights I have seen on a vehicle and they are always on high beam.

8. I20/Swift driven by college kids:I have seen a lot of these cars driven very rashly both within cities and on the highway, and are mostly driven rashly by college students. There seems to be a tendency here. I think rich parents normally gift either an i20 or a Swift to their kids as their first car.

9. 2 wheelers ridden by youngsters: The road is their race track. Need not say anything more.

10. Tractors: They feel they are doing the Nation a favour especially when they are transporting farm produce. And because they are doing us a favour, they will drive on the wrong side of the road, cross wherever they want, with no lights or signals.

This is the list I could think of right now and is not exhaustive.

I agree to it. Would like to add one more example here. Especially for Pune,

Force Tempo Traveller:
Referred to as 'TT' by the cab driving folk. These guys drive rash and are very eager to get into their respective IT Parks. Nothing stops them. I was almost hit by one when he was overtaking me from left when I myself was turning left. Needless to say with normal driving speeds both me and the TT reached the IT park at the same time, so no gain over there in my opinion. It is just the enormous size of ego that satisfies them.

Add to that, getting very close to the rear of the car at traffic lights and honking even when the signal is Red.

OT: I have heard a lot about how 'Private' car drivers are morons from Cab drivers and how 'Cab' drivers are worst from Private car drivers. I just tell respective parties that there is no such thing. Both sides have equally good and bad drivers.

I think you could have just said you drive carefully around Indians. :D

I think the trouble is the breed Indian. Just leave the roads. Just watch how Indians walk. Even if it's inside an IT park with educated people all around. Walking slow without giving way to anyone, jumping on either side of the divider, walking "n" abreast in a path that can only accommodate "n" number of people, watching their phones while the walk, it's just ridiculous. And that's what they do on the roads! People do the same crazy things regardless of whether they drive or walk! I think inbreeding for centuries has wiped out common sense amongst our people! :D

But then again all those leaves and bird poop that will block the water runoff channels and fall on his paint! Every time I see one of these "genius" fellows' parking, I think the above thought and laugh. :uncontrol clap:

Chennai: Auto-rickshaws were caught racing on the outskirts of the city.

The amount of stupidity here is too much to be measured. Ignore the fact that they are racing and putting others at risk. They are racing in vehicles that have absolutely no brakes, no aerodynamics, no stability with its three wheeled arrangement, and certain death regardless of the intensity of the crash. And the lesser said about the support vehicles the better.

Kudos to the police for chasing and catching them, but they will all be fairly well connected and this won't affect them at all.

Link to the news:
https://youtu.be/d2ncuLIa99s

A majority of posts on this thread seem to come from Tamilnadu and Kerala, perhaps leading others to believe that only these two states are plagued by inconsiderate, illiterate, moronic drivers and riders. Guys, please rest assured, we are with you. Mumbai and Pune, where I have been driving for ages, are no better but we are getting so inured to this behaviour that our only priority is to avoid them whenever possible and just get on with our journeys. Complaints to traffic police by emails and at traffic signals haven't helped. I often fantasize that if I were younger, much younger, I would have joined the traffic cops and risen to a post high enough to make every single licence holder undergo strict driving tests, as done in other countries. But that's what it has remained so far: a fantasy. Perhaps some of you younger guys could still do this? Please?

Possibly. Or maybe to not have 2 cars park on either side of his car leading to possibility of small dings (their doors hitting the car while opening) etc. Whatever be the reason, he is a moron for wasting 2 parking slots in a country where parking is at a premium.

Not only bad driver but passengers too :Frustrati

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=rvIaBuIK3Tg

Considering finding parking at office buildings is quite a challenge, such irresponsible parking has no excuse!

I also watch how people "drive" their shopping carts!stupid:

Better to deflate the tyres after giving a gentle reminder !!!stupid:

The car is immobilized and the person is fined Rs.200, which they pay when they come to get the car. But then, that parking slot is unusable when parking slots are hard to come by. Deflating one tyre may give them the physical punishment of changing the spare.

2 recent experiences:
1. Inner Ring Road - on a weekday evening I was on the scooter heading in the Kormangala direction to make the U-turn and then head to Indiranagar. Just past EGL, as we approach the right handed curve I see an Activa rider suddenly go crazy. He makes a U-turn and heads back directly in front of me and other vehicles head-on. Then I see cops ahead stopping helmet-less riders and this guy spotted the cops and was trying to make a hasty retreat. He just wriggled past all the vehicles and then stuck to the edge of the road (on wrong side) to head back towards EGL. He seemed to be a smart, "educated" chap with coolers!
About 2-3 minutes later, after I made the U-turn, I saw him again riding fast on the wrong side this time on the other side of the road with a big smile on his face like he'd achieved something monumental :Frustrati
The cops on the other side could do nothing but just watch this guy zipping on the opposite side of the road right in front of their eyes and gaping mouths.

2. New Thippasandra Main Road - This is a one way road and I was on right most lane heading in the BEML junction direction. Suddenly an autorickshaw who was heading in the same direction as me but on left lane, makes a quick U-turn to head back in the wrong direction! I just stopped after signalling with my hand for traffic behind me. Now, the auto doesn't stop in front of me on the edge of the road, but actually swerves away to the middle lane to go head-on at oncoming traffic. He made sure the traffic stops for him so that he can continue on the wrong side. Sad to see such brash and rash driving vehicles go scot-free and hapless law-abiding motorists suffer harrowing moments on our roads :Shockked:

A lady who decides to stop her activa by the divider on a busy road and attend a very important (apparently) phone call.

...and no helmet for the lady.

Amazing stupidity to be parked in the fast lane and on top of it standing with your back to traffic. Will not even come to know if any thing comes her way!!