[sbraj]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I peeped into the A-Star and found something rather interesting. There was a woman's purse on the left seat and a cushion on the driver's seat!

Think ladies have this habit of using the cushion to get better view. My wife was using the cushion initially. Now she is getting rid of that habit and driving around without the cushion.

[mmxylorider]

Can we talk about bad 2-wheeler riders as well?
Quite a few times, I see a pair of 2-wheelers (mostly bikes) driven in parallel with the pillions (in some case drivers) having a nice conversation. On honking, you are met with glaring looks. Why? Did I interrupt some discussion on stopping global warming? Why not have that over a nice cuppa?
The other problem I see is with bikers during monsoon, riding with their feet on the crash guard. I presume, to avoid mud splash on their footwear. Don't they realize the risk they take in case sudden braking is required.

[aa_asif]

Few points from my side to qualify a bad driver:

1. Overtaking at turns and other blind spots
2. Unnecessary honking
3. Folded Side view mirrors
4. High beam
5. Trying bumper to bumper drive on highways
6. Driving slowly on the fast lane of the road
7. Driving on left side of the road and taking a right turn or vice versa

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

Can we talk about bad 2-wheeler riders as well?
Quite a few times, I see a pair of 2-wheelers (mostly bikes) driven in parallel with the pillions (in some case drivers) having a nice conversation. On honking, you are met with glaring looks. Why? Did I interrupt some discussion on stopping global warming? Why not have that over a nice cuppa?

you mean like these fine people i found on the BETL?




i think they were discussing the next patch release for Windows!

[mmxylorider]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

you mean like these fine people i found on the BETL?

Heh Heh! you got it!! How I wish I was on a bike as well to take part in those discussions.
Not to condone it, but on dual carriageways at least there is a passing lane. Overtake and forget. What irks me is seeing them on city roads - not yielding to traffic behind. Most often than not, the gentlemen in question would be of dark complexion, sporting 'Roy Bun' shades, some political symbol on the reg plate. I keep distance from such sorts, either in front of me or 30 seconds later behind me...

[Visaster]

BAD DRIVERS - You see them all over the place. Be truthful to yourself, how many times have you been a bad driver? I bet you have done worse, cause i have at times too. Things which makes you do what you do.
Everyone has their own list of road crimes to add to their accolades. No ones is perfect.

Why and what makes people do what they do.

To start with its their first car/ they just don't wanna learn with time/ they are just those crazy kinds who need to be inside a cage and not a car/bike.
No one ever told them about road ethics.
Getting a license in India is no big deal, its thrown in as a bonus for the effort you made in enrolling into a driving school.
What makes the person a driving instructor? Do they have a qualified certificate of some sort to teach these people? ( I doubt it )
The problem is at the root - not everyone is taught of road ethics, safety, vehicle mechanism and so on, before they start the engine for the first time.
If the rules are made stricter to get the license in the first place, we would not see soo many crazy people on the road.

The whole system of how a person gets a driving license have to be revisited big time in INDIA.
People who own a foreign license can throw a light on hows the system works in different countries.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by Visaster

The whole system of how a person gets a driving license have to be revisited big time in INDIA.
People who own a foreign license can throw a light on hows the system works in different countries.

my sister applied for driving license when she moved to Brussels because its a 120mile drive (one way) to her office. it was not easy - she had to take the test 2-3 times before she got it. even a small mistake and the instructor would disqualify her (for example, parallel parking or yielding to traffic). in her case she had to shell out equivalent of 60k INR for the license (now it has increased i think)!! if you violate traffic rules, depending on the severity, the police will confiscate and cancel your license. then you go about applying for a new one, shelling out again the same amount of money! in some cases if the violation is repeated and is serious, one will be black marked and never again get a license, which means you cannot drive!

[Visaster]

Did'n doubt that and bet its equally difficult in any other country who have a proper system in place. In Mauritius you can drive with an Indian license, don't really know how they got that going cause the locals their are soo disciplined on the road, letting a Indian groomed driver to drive there or anywhere for that matter without a proper induction into the system is suicidal.
People have to be made understand that its no joke to get to be inside a machine. Being inside a car or on a bike is equally dangerous as owning a GUN. Who is with me on this? The wrong person behind the wheel is always the culprit for any accident.
The easiest way to eradicate these crazy people on the road, is to not let them get on to the road in the first place.

Simple changes in the licensing system would be such a breather on the road.

[mmxylorider]

Originally Posted by Visaster

The whole system of how a person gets a driving license have to be revisited big time in INDIA.
People who own a foreign license can throw a light on hows the system works in different countries.

I don't think it's just a matter of getting the license made. If the actual road condition were to be how it should be in theory, we would not see many instances of bad driving. There should be implementation of other motor laws as well.
Case in point, don't we see vehicles parked on the left lane of a two lane road leaving only 1 lane for use? If I am, as as a new driver, forced to use the only lane available at a slower speed, people behind me will overtake me using incoming lane. With the same situation on the incoming lanes, pretty soon you have vehicles zig-zagging all over the place. In theory we are not supposed to cross double solids in the center of roadway - is that practical in today's scenario?
My 2 cents worth, I only have the USA viewpoint where the road test is carried out in live traffic and where theory is actually used in practice. I've heard the German license process is quite tough (theory/lessons etc) and a hefty licensing fee as well. Somebody with this exposure can add more relevant details.

[RajaTaurus]

^^ To add to these chaos, look at the types of vehicles using the road. Lane marking is meaningless in India, as we have vehicles that are 1 x lane width,0.9 x lane width, 0.8 x lane width, 0.7 x lane width, 0.6 x lane width, 0.5 x lane width, 0.4 x lane width and even 0.3 x lane width. Hence, how does one follow lane discipline? Its rule that only one vehicle is allowed in one lane! Here we have sometimes even 2 vehicles occupying 1 lane! How do you follow lane disciplines?
Even on toll ways, we have small 3 wheeler merrily trotting in the fast lane and those coming behind would never know when this guy would cross to the left! Who is going to limit the type of vehicles that can take the free way?

When I shifted from Middle East to India after 16 years and started driving, following proper rules as I was used to, I found it extremely difficult and came under wrath of many a motorist(!) on the road. Then I realized that I have to follow the 'unwritten' rules that Indians follow in the road and started following those, it became lot easier to drive safely (!).

[Thad E Ginathom]

My father, born in UK in 1913, did not have to take any test: he just got a licence and drove ever since. He was, however, a superb driver, with great skill and discipline. He also made a great first teacher, and I'll never forget the handful of "Thad's Dad's" hints!

My mother, three years younger, was taught to drive by my father, and passed her test first time. She made an even better driver than he did --- but, of course, he never stopped "teaching" her.

By the time my time came, driving lessons in UK were very expensive, and I left home before taking my test with my father's instructions, so everything lapsed. Failed my UK test first time, and had to let it lapse again for nearly ten years. When I passed, there was no theory test, but the practical was a half-hour of proper driving, including most of set manoeuvres. Didn't include parallel parking, at that stage, that was added later. Now there is a theory test that is obligatory and adds to the considerable cost of getting a UK licence. In theory, a new UK driver knows how to drive safely and with consideration for others. In practice, experience still counts, and the first two years of one's driving life are, statistically, the most dangerous.

We still have idiots on our roads, and of course accidents still happen.

London has a much higher level of aggressive driving, but there is still an overall discipline and still a level of courtesy that would astonish Indian drivers that have only driven in India. British drivers often give way to others, and even get thanked (by a wave) for doing so.

The number of road deaths in UK each year (when I last looked, so this is very approximate) with a population of about 65 million, is around 3,000 --- which, I think, is better than even the single city of Chennai.

The discipline of Singapore, probably makes UK look like a rough place to drive! Visaster mentions that Mauritius drivers are disciplined: if these tropical islands (obviously Singapore has huge wealth, but this not about wealth) can do it, why can't India?

I guess the answer is that nobody cares.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I guess the answer is that nobody cares.

yep. that sums it all up! when i was in the US i was shocked to see how nice people were on the roads - yielding to traffic, letting pedestrians cross (stop at least 10ft away), no unnecessary honking, stopping at red light even in the middle of the night et al.

when i came back to Bangalore and tried to put them to practice i was horrified by the public's reaction! the public doesn't like people being nice! you stop to let someone cross the road, the people behind you will honk your brains out! you wait for the signal to go green, the vehicle behind you with start nudging you! you stop and ask people why they're going the wrong way and you'll be lucky if you don't get your arse kicked!

this is a thought that crosses my mind every day - WILL PEOPLE EVER CHANGE?!!

psst. i don't think so!

[suhaas307]

Did someone mention 'parallel parking'?

[aargee]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

this is a thought that crosses my mind every day - WILL PEOPLE EVER CHANGE?!!

psst. i don't think so!

I do the same thing every day IronH4WK here on Indian roads!!!
Remember this always - Be the change we wish to see - Mahatma Gandhi

I follow lane discipline on both two & four wheeler, respect every signal lights be it 3:00 AM or 3:00 PM, if people behind me honk, I don't care for few seconds, after which I look back & tell them, I cannot violate the law just for you.

PS - I'm still a bad driver/rider; I do not follow speed limits within the city or stick to highway speed limits

[sbraj]

At red signals, I always stop before the stop line. Something that I have noticed is that if I am the first one to stop, then most others after me too stop before the line. Then someone will appear who will not bother about the stop line and go much further. Others follow him.

To me this appears like there are three categories of drivers.
1) The ones who follow the rules.
2) The ones who ignore the rules.
3) The fence sitters.

Fence sitters can be herded either way. All it takes is one example of positive or negative behaviour.