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Old 30th September 2015, 16:01   #7846
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

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Originally Posted by blackwasp View Post
... ... ... I have been observing subtle changes atleast in my area. People are honking less, being considerate of others and being in general decent drivers. Maybe they have been reading this thread and are worried about being bashed here.
That's good news, I wish it would would spread to other areas, but, sadly, many of us are observing the exact opposite, especially from bikers and so-called professional (taxi, etc) drivers.

In another post, I mentioned that my current car may be my last. I am pushing for a ten-year life for it. I also mentioned that by the time the car is 10, I will be nearly 70, but the bikers will still be teenagers.
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Old 30th September 2015, 17:17   #7847
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

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That's good news, I wish it would would spread to other areas, but, sadly, many of us are observing the exact opposite, especially from bikers and so-called professional (taxi, etc) drivers.
Driving without honking is considered professional in many western countries and even considered offensive when honked without necessity. Not here!

I drive about 40 km every day up and down, out of which there are some areas, where people literally live on the roadsides. No, they are not homeless. They just use the main roads for socializing.
Some places they use the roadsides for breeding their cattle (Goats, Dogs, Cats, Hens and what not), and some use the roads for their self employment - making / selling craft work - such as making baskets, clay pots etc. Some seem to be still in 1960s and have an understanding that roads are just for walking, and those who need to drive on the road now and them should honk to inform them of their presence.
So, honking is necessary to alarm such road users. We need to honk at the sight of every person doing unimaginable things on the road. Many do not even mind the horn sound, and continue blissfully what they used to do. Here is where headlights, brakes come to our help. Brake just before them, stopping the whole traffic behind us, blink our headlights, honk multiple times, even put our neck out and speak to them in a pleasing way to plead them to move out of our way.

I have faced all this on the road with our fellow-men blocking the roads unnecessarily. Honestly I have found chasing buffaloes much easier.

On traffic, yes the situation is different. Everyone have the same intent - to drive. Even then, many have got this habit of "informing the road-blockers" of our presence, even in signals.

It will take a long time, before some sense prevails, and roads will actually be used only for driving, and footpaths for walking, and nothing else on road. After that, drivers will realize, it is no longer necessary to honk like a siren. Till then, we are all part of the honking syndrome blaming everyone for our discomfort hearing the horn sound.
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Old 30th September 2015, 17:46   #7848
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

Oh, sure, honking is necessary. I would rather honk, when coming up behind a group of pedestrians, than have one of them move in front of me when it is too late to stop. The correct usage of the horn, world-wide (as far as I know) is to make others aware of your presence, or to alert them to a potential danger.

Even on rural roads in the UK, I honk at blind corners. Friends tell me I am disturbing the peace. My answer is it is better to disturb it with a honk than with the sound of metal meeting metal and breaking glass.

Honking to inform is good. Honking to bully, or even to chastise, is not (but yes, I'm guilty of that too).

Quote:
Honestly I have found chasing buffaloes much easier.
You must have noticed how dogs almost always quickly respond to a honk, and get out of the way. Many other road users could learn a good lesson from them!
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Old 30th September 2015, 19:49   #7849
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
Oh, sure, honking is necessary. I would rather honk, when coming up behind a group of pedestrians, than have one of them move in front of me when it is too late to stop.
On two wheels,I honk to make others aware, I even keep my headlights on in day time to improve me being spotted.

In cars, I usually get away for the need of honking with a little patience or usually have others (cars behind me) do it automatically on my behalf!
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Old 30th September 2015, 20:22   #7850
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

I am not sure if this scenario has been posted here earlier.

I have encountered many a times when a vehicle gets a flat tyre and the driver stops at the extreme right lane(if the road is divided) to replace the tyre.

I had seen this quite frequently, especially with yellow boards and more so on city roads.
The last time I saw this, I wanted to stop and ask the driver , is there any advantage or ease in parking on the right lane and changing the tyre. It is not like their tyre will fall off the rim if they drive a few meters and stop on the left or at a place which hinders the traffic flow the least.
And they do this very proudly by pulling out the warning triangle or sticking a bush from the plants grown on the divider, on the car when they can use some of their sense and do the same on the left.
It is like, get a flat and the rule is not to move another inch , but stop right there and replace or wait for a replacement.
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Old 30th September 2015, 22:30   #7851
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

Bad drivers can sometimes also be very stubborn, like: never accepting there mistake, calling there known ones in the high and mighty after hitting or accidents, basically trying to bully around. Saw one of this kind yesterday, while traveling on Jammu Delhi ( NH1A) national highway, i experienced slow traffic, upon reaching the hot zone saw a mahindra pickup, carrying a load of 20 ft aluminium rooftop sheets(used in prefabricated structures) on its roof, had hit a swift dezire from behind.
What actually had hit the dezire was not the pickup but the sheets on the top. Pickup driver must have hit the breaks too hard so much so that sheets tied on the roof top slipped and hit the car in front, ruining its rear end. Looking at the scene only thing that came to my mind was, what if, it would have been a two wheeler instead of that swift desire, poor guy would have been pierced into two halves and to make matter worse the driver of the pickup instead of apologizing was busy calling someone and trying to boss around the crowd as well as the policemen gathered there, basically pointing to everyone that this truck belongs to a powerful person so don't mess with me.
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Old 1st October 2015, 01:33   #7852
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

Shifting loads are terrifying. Of course, nobody thinks of the possibilities when they load the vehicle. That is what safety is about: thinking of the possibilites.

And changing wheels in the middle of the road? Left or right: it's just another death-wish example.
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Old 1st October 2015, 10:01   #7853
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

Quote:
Originally Posted by amit_snk View Post
Bad drivers can sometimes also be very stubborn, like: never accepting there mistake,
===========
basically pointing to everyone that this truck belongs to a powerful person so don't mess with me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
Shifting loads are terrifying. Of course, nobody thinks of the possibilities when they load the vehicle. That is what safety is about: thinking of the possibilites.

And changing wheels in the middle of the road? Left or right: it's just another death-wish example.
It is flabbergasting when incidents as such are "experienced" (aka: seen) on our livid streets. Some I can think of:

1. Huge lorry truck packed with quarry stones. Tightly packed, but not held together by a mesh or wire frame. There is a high possibility that a 50 kg rock can fall out from behind. As usual, the truck is rampaging like a bull in a China shop.

2. Gas cylinders piled up high on the Sri Ganesh - 3 wheelers. I my self have seen them topple over on the road, to be picked up. Could there be a blast (if full)..? What if there is a car behind. Even empty, the LPG cylinders have a high differential weight.

3. Yes, people changing tires on the right side median. Is it not common sense: what if a car comes by and hits the person busy with the jack or spanner. If the left side tires are being changed. Forget about blocking traffic. It is literally begging to be scraped off the surface of the Earth.

4. Have an argument on the middle of the street. Due to some driving mishap or fender-bender. It chokes the whole network for eons. Plus people stop (or slow down)...groan..to view the carnage / spectacle / circus, or chime in their valuable 2-cents. Bikers park on the side and ring fence the 2-gladiators. Dumb.

5. Carrying sharp objects (equivalent to shrapnel) which is protruding from the vehicle back. How to prevent someone from being pierced: tie a waving cloth on it. Ya right. Why not hire a properly compatible transfer vehicle.

6. Something I saw 2 - days back. Two bikers. The pillion was holding a long horizontal wooden beam. It literally looked like a trapeze act on a bike. The wooden beam was ~6-7 feet on each side, with the back rider as a central pivot. They were maneuvering and balancing the bike which kept toppling to the side, due to an erratic CG. How idiotic is that.

This is how it looked:


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Plain dumb and moronic.

Last edited by asingh1977 : 1st October 2015 at 10:25.
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Old 1st October 2015, 14:26   #7854
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

Not sure if this situation has been discussed.
Post my move to the current place, there is a lot of TVS50 movement. The load it carries is green husk for cows. These guys take in atleast 20KGs of the plant leaves extending 3feet on either sides of the mid frame of TVS50. They have their arms over the load somehow managing to hold the handle bar.
This restricts the handlebar movement and also causes brushes to neighbouring vehicles.
They also get drafted out when a heavy vehicle like a bus or lorry drives past them at speeds >60kmph.
Perfect disaster waiting to happen, must say.
Has anyone encountered this species before?
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Old 1st October 2015, 14:44   #7855
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

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Originally Posted by hybridpetrol View Post

I have faced all this on the road with our fellow-men blocking the roads unnecessarily. Honestly I have found chasing buffaloes much easier.

Hybrid, in my personal experience I have found 4 legged animals crossing the road at pedestrian crossings and the 2 legged ones anywhere but.
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Old 1st October 2015, 14:50   #7856
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

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Originally Posted by asingh1977 View Post
Something I saw 2 - days back. Two bikers. The pillion was holding a long horizontal wooden beam. It literally looked like a trapeze act on a bike. The wooden beam was ~6-7 feet on each side, with the back rider as a central pivot. They were maneuvering and balancing the bike which kept toppling to the side, due to an erratic CG. How idiotic is that.

This is how it looked:


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---------------|---------------
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Plain dumb and moronic.
I have seen similar acts on roads. Two-wheelers carrying long iron rods about 10 feet length - pillion rider holding it lengthwise. If you are riding behind them, you need to calculate the additional space for the rod, and also the additional space for "what if he drops the rod on the move".
In the case you witnessed, the wooden beam is carried horizontally, so entire traffic would need to watch them perform the act, until the show is over!
Their logic of carrying such long objects on two-wheelers is, they need only one or only a few rods, and what is the other way to carry it economically?
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Old 1st October 2015, 15:33   #7857
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

It is sheet materials, held up in front of the pillion that gets me.

You can send the 6-year-old out to walk the German Shepherd Dog, on a leash. Everything will be fine as long as the dog doesn't get other ideas about where to go. If he/she does, the child does not stand a chance of stopping it.

It's the same with those sheet holders on bikes. What chance would they have in a gust of wind.

With all this stuff, people think it is fine, because they get away with it... until the day that they don't.
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Old 2nd October 2015, 12:08   #7858
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

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Originally Posted by saadat1992 View Post
Speaking of badly driven KA vehicles, this person with a pea sized brain thought it would be a good idea to park his zen like this. Look at the gap on the left! I had to get in through the passenger door!
Atleast you had central locking to get inside through other doors! I once had similar situation with my dad's omni. A Scorpio blocked my driver side and Omni can be unlocked from driver's door only, no central locking or passenger-side lock etc. I stood there for 15 mins waiting for the Scorpio guy, but realized that I could unlock boot from outside. So I crawled through boot and opened passenger door from inside, got out and locked the boot
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Old 2nd October 2015, 15:43   #7859
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

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... ... ... So I crawled through boot ...
I've had to do that a couple of times in certain places in Chennai, where they cram the cars in barely inches apart. Thank goodness for hatchbacks!
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Old 3rd October 2015, 16:05   #7860
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Re: Bad Drivers - How do you spot 'em

Well, I was almost making it to this thread, or to the newspapers !!

So, on Gandhi Jayanti, 2nd October, I had to work unfortunately, due to the nature of my project. As usual I started around 6:15 am from my home, so as to reach office by 7 am.

I was driving on ORR, Bangalore. It was drizzling, and I was doing around 60 kmph. On a very clear straight stretch of road, I pushed the pedal and it touched around 70 kmph. I was able to see atleast half a kilometer of road ahead of me.

Suddenly a cyclist dressed in white uniform (mostly a housekeeping guy), jumped the median with his cycle and did not wait or bother to even check if there were any vehicles approaching on the lane towards him.

He puts down the cycle from the median onto the road, sits on it, and straighaway barges into the middle of the road, in a hope to cross over to the left most lane.

I braked hard, tyres screeched and skidded (remember the drizzle, wet roads) and was approaching him, bad thoughts flashing through my mind, when he decided to abort his suicide mission and went back to the median.

I felt like stopping right there, getting out and slapping him so hard that his ears and eyes and brains would open up to being more conscious about his surroundings !!

Watch the video. I almost landed up behind prison.
Kindly ignore the video quality, it has been compressed to make it a quicker upload. Original video is FHD quality.

Unfortunately we don't have a Bad Pedestrian / Bad Cyclist thread.....because they are always right, as many people have debated here.
Hence posting in Bad Drivers Thread.

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