[vasoo]

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

Me too think this is strange. I used to have Turkey, Brazilian and Egyptian towels on my seat & back when I was in Saudi all through 11 years, just to avoid my butt being barbecued and nothing else. How does this qualify to being bad driver mate? Can you explain a bit what you found out by following carefully please?

Most of these "turkey" drivers we see here will have the following characteristics.

• Very uncomfortable in using A/c
• Never use rear view mirrors, puts his head, full right hand and shoulder out of the window to take reverse or even for u-turns
• Windows are always down irrespective of rain, smoke, pollution, heat, cold etc, sometimes even the rear windows
• Shows only hand signals, if at all
• Does not operate/believe in turn signal lights
• However they may use the warning/hazard lights to indicate straight direction while doing 100+ kmph
• Opens driver's door every 5 minutes to spit pan
• Gets out of car at every junction to inspect tyres, or clean windscreen...

...goes on...

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Torqy

...including ours. They're one of the main reasons why i still drive to office. I feel so un-eco-friendly driving the Bolero to office everyday.

:(

Hey we agree on something!!
I have also stopped taking office cab now.
But to ease the carbon footprint, i work from home two days a week now.

EDIT: What are Turkey Towels??

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by vasoo

• Never use rear view mirrors, puts his head, full right hand and shoulder out of the window to take reverse or even for u-turns

Reminds me of the old Ambassador days when this was common. Are these the ones who learned driving in Ambassador and then graduated to Indicabs?

[Gooney]

Originally Posted by vasoo

• Never use rear view mirrors, puts his head, full right hand and shoulder out of the window to take reverse or even for u-turns

I disagree. While using all three rearview mirrors is a good practice, craning your neck out at times while reversing in a tight spot is a good practice and a natural human tendency. You do need "real perspective" at times compared to viewing "objects that are closer than they appear".

Having said that I do agree that people who seldom or never use rearview mirrors are bad drivers indeed.

[ambivalent_98]

I don't use side mirros for the fear of two wheelers who zip past. I am afraid someone might damage the mirror which cost in excess of Rs. 2000. I use it on highways though when two wheelers are far and few in between. I have seen many cars who have had their mirrors broken and dangling sadly for dear life by the wire which operates the internal motor in the mirror.

[raj_5004]

I am sorry, but i dont get the logic of not using RVMs for the fear of breaking it. it seems equivalent to not driving a car for the fear of damaging it! if a 2 wheeler can damage your RVM, he can even damage your car's body panel, which will be more expensive to repair. why buy the car then???

as far as i have seen, drivers with their car's RVMs folded are a real headache to other road users. of course, i wont stereotype one & all, but most of these drivers cant judge distances properly, they will cut in your way even though you have flashed twice or more, they weave in & out of lanes, etc. i keep a distance from such drivers & term them as "bad drivers".

my cars have always had its RVMs open & i drive in a crowded metropolitan city- mumbai. it has never been broken till now. you can call it luck or simply that i am so used to them, that i simply cant drive without them, i feel blind without them. to ensure the safety of the RVMs, i just dont drive too close to any car or while stationary (in a jam or signal), i wont squeeze in between cars, so that i give bikers enough space to move.

[RajaTaurus]

Originally Posted by vasoo

Most of these "turkey" drivers we see here will have the following characteristics.

• Very uncomfortable in using A/c
• Never use rear view mirrors, puts his head, full right hand and shoulder out of the window to take reverse or even for u-turns
• Windows are always down irrespective of rain, smoke, pollution, heat, cold etc, sometimes even the rear windows
• Shows only hand signals, if at all
• Does not operate/believe in turn signal lights
• However they may use the warning/hazard lights to indicate straight direction while doing 100+ kmph
• Opens driver's door every 5 minutes to spit pan
• Gets out of car at every junction to inspect tyres, or clean windscreen...

...goes on...

Well, That applies to most of the cab drivers in toto - whether Turkey'ed or not. Yellow Board Syndrome that is.

[Gooney]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

i just dont drive too close to any car or while stationary (in a jam or signal), i wont squeeze in between cars, so that i give bikers enough space to move.

I too never squeeze in or get too close to two-wheelers. The best policy it to let them have their way and pass AND keep a safe distance. Also, I personally feel that ORVMs have different functions while driving and parking. While driving they give you a better judgement of all objects in the surrounding which are not directly in your field of vision and thus make you more aware of your surrounding and helps you be more pre-emptive. While parking they are just eyes to help see blind corners.

[m_upreti]

Originally Posted by Gooney

[/list]I disagree. While using all three rearview mirrors is a good practice, craning your neck out at times while reversing in a tight spot is a good practice and a natural human tendency. You do need "real perspective" at times compared to viewing "objects that are closer than they appear".

Having said that I do agree that people who seldom or never use rearview mirrors are bad drivers indeed.

I am not sure how not using the ORVM makes any one a bad driver. I have never used them in my 12 yrs of driving.

The original vehicle (Vijay Super '80) didnt have them, and since then on cars they have always been religiously folded, but till date (touch wood) not a scratch on my or any one else's vehicle. I use the inner rear view mirror and the rear sensors which I feel are enough to drive safely specially when I prefer to maintain proper speed, dont cut across lanes and maintain the required gap while on the road.

And yes give a wide berth to 2 Wheelers, L Sign Vehicles and ladies (no offence intended)

[dr_know]

Originally Posted by m_upreti

I am not sure how not using the ORVM makes any one a bad driver. I have never used them in my 12 yrs of driving.

The original vehicle (Vijay Super '80) didnt have them, and since then on cars they have always been religiously folded, but till date (touch wood) not a scratch on my or any one else's vehicle. I use the inner rear view mirror and the rear sensors which I feel are enough to drive safely specially when I prefer to maintain proper speed, dont cut across lanes and maintain the required gap while on the road.

And yes give a wide berth to 2 Wheelers, L Sign Vehicles and ladies (no offence intended)

Not using the ORVM's is definitely not a sign of a bad driver but definitely a sign of bad driving habit. It is provided for a reason i.e., to give you better visibility of what’s going on behind you. Unfortunately we do not have eyes in the back of our heads to see, so utilization of all available means ensures that you have a better view. Also, using it would mean that a vehicle will spend lesser time in our blind spot i.e., first we get to see it in our rear view mirror then as it moves forward in the adjacent lane we should be able to see it move in to the ORVM's.

Now using a combination of both does not definitely mean that we should have 100% view of the road behind/around us. We should always use the 3 points listed below prior to changing lanes:

1. Look/glance in your rear view mirrors.
2. Look/glance in your OVRM's
3. Turn your head and look/glance over your shoulders to ensure that a vehicle is not present in the adjacent lane that was not visible in the other two mirrors.

Now if you have not had any accidents in your complete driving history that is not because you never used the OVRM’s it because of your other driving habits such as speed, distance from other vehicles etc.

I would highly recommend you start using it for your own safety!

[samyakmodi]

how can you people forget lady drivers?

everytime i see a lady driving on the roads, i try and keep as safe a distance as possible, and try and overtake them as soon as i can find a "safe" place to do that. i.e. no shops around (for them to have a look while driving), no turns around (just in case they remember to take a turn) no speed-breaker/pot holes (just in case they do decide to apply brakes while going over them) and definitely no building with shiny/reflective glass plates on them (just in case they wanna check their hair)

** i am not saying that all women drivers are like that, only talking about just 99.99%. the ones who are good, are simply great drivers. no contest.

[RajaTaurus]

Originally Posted by m_upreti

I am not sure how not using the ORVM makes any one a bad driver. I have never used them in my 12 yrs of driving.

Interesting. Imagine you are on a 3 lane road and you want to change lane. What do you do?look only on the RVM and change lane? It shows maximum 1 lane either side.If suddenly some car comes from beyond into the lane, you wouldn't see it.
I bet you wouldn't drive few hundred meters abroad on a freeway or a highway without OVRM, before someone yells at you for not look at the OVRM.
Of course, Indian roads and Indian driving habits make the ORVM as a redundant accessory, but please try using the ORVMs even in city's Bumper to bumper traffic or a main road, and trust me, you will feel the difference yourself. You will feel much saferand easier to maneuver or brake on time.

[ch.nathan]

Saving the car from two-wheelers is an art by itself, irrespective of whether the RVMs are open or closed.
Either leave 3 feet on the side for two-wheelers or don't leave any space at all.

[msdivy]

Can't imagine driving without OVRMs atleast in cities. On highways, yes - can manage with RVM since the distance between cars are more. But in cities, difficult. There are many times I have had to check if my boot has cleared the obstacle, to check how close the passing car is in a narrow lane or to check if I can change lane, safely. Cannot imagine doing without OVRM in such cases.

Originally Posted by ch.nathan

Saving the car from two-wheelers is an art by itself, irrespective of whether the RVMs are open or closed.
Either leave 3 feet on the side for two-wheelers or don't leave any space at all.

Another option is to leave way for two-wheeler traffic on one side only, either by staying in right-most lane or left-most lane (in cities). That will allow you to worrying about just one side of the car.

[m_upreti]

Originally Posted by dr_know

Not using the ORVM's is definitely not a sign of a bad driver but definitely a sign of bad driving habit. It is provided for a reason i.e., to give you better visibility of what’s going on behind you. Unfortunately we do not have eyes in the back of our heads to see, so utilization of all available means ensures that you have a better view. Also, using it would mean that a vehicle will spend lesser time in our blind spot i.e., first we get to see it in our rear view mirror then as it moves forward in the adjacent lane we should be able to see it move in to the ORVM's.

Now using a combination of both does not definitely mean that we should have 100% view of the road behind/around us. We should always use the 3 points listed below prior to changing lanes:

1. Look/glance in your rear view mirrors.
2. Look/glance in your OVRM's
3. Turn your head and look/glance over your shoulders to ensure that a vehicle is not present in the adjacent lane that was not visible in the other two mirrors.

Now if you have not had any accidents in your complete driving history that is not because you never used the OVRM’s it because of your other driving habits such as speed, distance from other vehicles etc.

I would highly recommend you start using it for your own safety!

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

Interesting. Imagine you are on a 3 lane road and you want to change lane. What do you do?look only on the RVM and change lane? It shows maximum 1 lane either side.If suddenly some car comes from beyond into the lane, you wouldn't see it.
I bet you wouldn't drive few hundred meters abroad on a freeway or a highway without OVRM, before someone yells at you for not look at the OVRM.
Of course, Indian roads and Indian driving habits make the ORVM as a redundant accessory, but please try using the ORVMs even in city's Bumper to bumper traffic or a main road, and trust me, you will feel the difference yourself. You will feel much saferand easier to maneuver or brake on time.

However, over a decade of habit is hard to change, specially when driving was learnt in calm locales of Nainital where at that time there was hardly any traffic and then driving in Kanpur & Old Gurgaon traffic (cars, buses, cycles, cycle rikshaws, tempos, cows etc.) where open ORVM means, no ORVM within moments.

One thing again peculier to self, if I open the ORVM, my interest then is more on looking who is comeing rather than where I am going, so I feel safe without.

As far as the lane changing goes, yes, I will slightly change my earlier statement, crossing over from the left to right lane after entering the highway daily involves the ORVM to be open for about 30 sec to a few minutes. So I guess everyone is safe to that point.