[anandseth01]

Hi All,

While most of us practice safe driving, I thought it would be a good time to discuss the concept of considerate driving. A few days ago while driving to work someone cut me off in order to make a turn, the road was empty behind me, he could have waited for me to pass and then made his turn but the driver decided to risk his life and mine just to save 2 seconds. It made me think, are we considerate towards others on the road or is it just about saving those 2 seconds?

While safe driving is trying to protect yourself and the occupants from harm, considerate driving involves being considerate towards others on the road, who are sharing the same space as you.

Disclaimer: Considerate driving is very easy to preach, but very difficult to embibe, just sharing some examples to make you Think about being "Considerate" the next time you are out for a drive.

Driving

1) Right of way - The concept of Right of Way in India is all about whichever direction I am driving becomes my right of way. For e.g. People merging onto a main road do not wait for the oncoming traffic to pass or a good considerate driver (a very rare find) to give way. While taking a U-Turn, drivers try and butt-into oncoming traffic. Many examples of such behavior can be shared. We should respect the right of way and also be considerate enough to yield to someone (whenever possible).

2) Driving at a high speed on the side of the road (to overtake from the left), spewing mud and debris behind you. While you may feel like a rally driver, those behind you, especially two wheelers and cyclists are left with a cloud of dust to deal with. Think about those behind you before attempting such a maneuver.

3) Giving way to emergency vehicles, while this is a law now, but preempt this, if you see an emergency vehicle 5-6 vehicles behind you, start moving aside, don't wait for them to come right behind you before you make your move. Your few minutes of pain might save a life.

Parking

1) A lot of people with the concept of "It will just take 5 minutes" end up double parking or blocking someone else’s parked car. Majority leave their car in Gear or with the hand brake up. If saving your 5 minutes is important to you, they are equally important for the person you have ended up blocking.

2) Parking in reserved parking/someone else's allotted parking. If you don’t have an option, atleast leave your number on the dashboard/let a guard know. Someone can get in touch with you.

3) Parking in front of someone’s house or gate. What if the person in the house has an emergency and needs to move out as soon as possible.

4) Parking on the footpath, walking path etc. Majority of our country’s population cannot afford even a cycle. We should be considerate towards those walking to their destination.

5) Parking by occupying more than one space, parking in a spot which causes inconvenience to others e.g. Parking at a cut/corner of the road where vehicles need to turn/turn around….you get my drift.

Honking

Indians love the horn, it is the third most used part in a car after the accelerator and brake.

1) Honking like a maniac in a residential area, honking late at night/early in the morning.

2) Honking near/inside hospitals, nursing homes.

3) A lot of people honk at pedestrians to warn them from behind. Exhibit a bit of patience and let them through, especially elders/mothers with babies/children walking on the road, a lot of people do become aware of a vehicle approaching and move out of the way naturally. Horns sound much milder inside the car than on the outside.

4) Honking at someone who has stalled their vehicle/bike, especially at traffic lights. Honking is only going to make them more nervous and delay the whole restarting process further, give the person a few seconds, they are not stalled in the middle of the road as a personal preference.

Pedestrians

1) While it is not always possible, however, when possible, please try and yield to pedestrians who are trying to cross the road, especially those who are using a formal point to cross like a zebra crossing, or an earmarked crossing. It might cost you 30 seconds and you might not get a thank you or even a smile. But take it as your good deed for the moment and drive on.

2) A lot of people consider pedestrians as nuisance. Many times I have seen people start speeding towards pedestrians when they are trying to cross the road, not only is this dangerous, but can lead to a serious accident if either side ends up making a judgement error.

The above list is neither exhaustive nor complete. Just some thoughts and examples put together. Please do let me know what you think and if this post made you think about being more considerate.

[NG_EV]

Hi! Great advice from everyone. I would like to add one bit.

This is regarding use of windshield wipers while driving. People should check for traffic and pedestrians around the vehicle before using the wipers. It splashes a lot of water on people who are near your vehicle. This is in addition to the fact that it obscures visibility and damages windshield if the water is not spread evenly.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by NG_EV

People should check for traffic and pedestrians around the vehicle before using the wipers. It splashes a lot of water on people who are near your vehicle. This is in addition to the fact that it obscures visibility and damages windshield if the water is not spread evenly.

If there is that much water on the windscreen, anybody around is going to be soaked already. Not a problem I have ever had or seen. Nor have I ever heard of windscreen wipers damaging the glass, unless they are used dry on dirty glass (the dust will be abrasive) or have grit caught in them.

Windscreen washer, yes. I accidentally squirted a passing biker once. He accepted my apology with a laugh .

[mazealot]

Hello fellow bhpians! It has just been 6 months since i have started driving and while going through some driving tips on the internet , the tip that stood out to me the most was "be predictable" . So i have come here to ask , what is "being predictable " for an indian driver mean ? From my limited experience of driving on indian roads , i have concluded that indian roads are anything but predictable . Would like to know your view on it .

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by mazealot

what is "being predictable " for an indian driver mean ?

My 2 cents from my limited experience:

1. Lane driving
2. Make yourself visible - Indicators on turns and roundabouts. Headlights in twilight, rain & fog. Never use hazards in such conditions.
3. Planning your turns - Placement and slowing down for a turn.
4. Watch out for traffic lights and slow-stop the vehicle rather than slamming the brakes.
5. Watch out for suicidal signal jumpers
6. Expect braking situations when nearing towns/villages or when vehicles are bunching up ahead of you - One such example is Parag's close call here (Your near-miss experiences on the road).
7. Let aggressive drivers through.
8. When passing look at the tyre position with respect to guidelines. This way you can understand whether the vechile ahead is moving to your overtaking lane or not. This specifically happens when you are passing a truck and the truck is passing a 2-wheeler that you can't see.

[skrao]

Over nearly 34 years of driving on both Indian and foreign roads there are certain habits I have picked up that have stood me in good stead. These are some of the things I do, would be interested in what traits you have picked up. Some will argue this is just good common sense, it would be a good set to compile

1. I always put on turn indicator even when it is not needed by law, eg left turn from extreme left lane, has saved me from two wheelers trying to squeeze in between car and curb
2. I don't honk at pedestrians or cyclists, esp very close to them. it is a hazard in many urban environments, but slowing down is way better
3. I am careful about splashing through puddles, very dangerous for two and even three wheelers to be splashed
4. no double parking or no parking near turns, creates blindspots, no opposite lane parking ( occupying opposite side of the street, when there is another vehicle already parked)
5. No phonecalls, even with blue tooth, in car call etc. too distracting

[CarNerd]

I agree with turning indicators on every time and not honking unnecessarily. But I have to honk at those who walk in a group taking half the road or two wheelers who go chatting side by side as if they are in a park.

Other habits include: Wearing seat belt as soon as I enter any car, asking others to do the same (not always),slowing down for those who want to cross the road, slowing for kids walking/cycling, keeping on my side of the road regardless of what others do to get ahead of traffic, always use low beam in city.
I also give the right of way to vehicles coming from the right but I don't get the right of way.

The thing that irritates the most is impatient people who honk at me for no reason. Even in Petrol pumps they cannot wait for few minutes till I fill up and pay bill as if they miss earning crores of rupees in those few minutes. Some of them honk even if I slow down for humps or potholes! And the Autos who go like rockets when they have passengers and like turtles when they are looking for someone. I also hate those who use high beams in city. This is not the end as there are many things to learn and improve our driving.

[adisan]

[1] Avoid sounding horn as far as possible. Try to anticipate when horn might be needed. First I try a short tap of the horn just once, for just a second. If it does not get the required attention, I try a series of 4-5 short taps of the horn. Only if this is also unsuccessful, I go for a long tap of the horn. Try not to suddenly sound the horn when very near to a pedestrian or vehicle.

[2] Once I saw a car splashing water into an auto-rickshaw on a water-logged road. Post that, I am very careful when approaching stagnant water on the road if two-wheelers, autos or pedestrians or bystanders are nearby.

[3] When there is a slow-moving vehicle, I wait for them to give way, or to move sufficiently ahead so that I can pass when it is safe and does not inconvenience them. Especially with trucks which are already struggling on inclines.

[4] When approaching an area where human settlements are there, or where a bus is waiting at a bus stop, I slow down considerably.

[Automotiv92]

Originally Posted by longhorn

There's no use preaching if no one wants to listen right?

Hello! This is my first ever comment on the platform. How can I find the main content of this thread? I am not able to figure out how to read this thread because there are many replies and comments. If someone could please help. Thank you.

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by Automotiv92

Hello! This is my first ever comment on the platform. How can I find the main content of this thread? I am not able to figure out how to read this thread because there are many replies and comments. If someone could please help. Thank you.

Head to the first page !:

[Sedate_Drive]

Originally Posted by longhorn

Rule:
The Hazard light is meant to indicate a Hazard. It should not be used for any other purpose. In the event your car is stranded due to a breakdown / flat tyre for something similar, or is being towed, then you use the hazard light to indicate to the vehicles approaching you, to proceed with caution.

Mistake:
The Hazard light must not be used to indicate that you intend to go straight at an intersection.
At an intersection, you use the right/left indicators to signal your intention to turn right/left. No indicators blinking means you wish to go straight at an intersection !

Thanks for this post.
After seeing many doing this, I thought that using Hazard light is a "best practice" while I am waiting to park my vehicle (especially while waiting to get a parking spot on the road).

Realized it today that I was following the wrong people and would stop doing it effective immediately.

[warmachine428]

Hi , Im a new member on Team BHP and a relatively new driver so I can be classified as a Learner Driver even though I hold a DL .

I've been facing a problem with the Duster that I drive (Manual 85PS 2013 RXL) , It seems to stop at turns or Speed bumps because of low revs at 1st gear , I dont know if it is me that is letting go of the clutch too quickly or the car on its own decides that I am not giving it much power or acceleration and decided to shut itself of .

This has happened many a times and in mid traffic , It becomes annoying and as I am a new driver I get anxious when people start honking for me to move . When I get the vehicle started and can finally move , at turns the car does this same thing when I am trying to move slowly and stops .

I did check many threads where people faced issues with the low rev problem of this specific model of Duster so was hoping to resolve this issue .

[raptor_diwan]

Hello! @warmachine428 Welcome to the forum!

Since you're new to driving, there could be two possible reasons for the stalling issue. It could be due to your own nervousness and quick clutch release, or the car might have a low rev point. You can either ask a friend to drive your car and see if they encounter the same problem, or you can check the idle RPM of your car, if is too low, it might contribute to stalling.

When you're in situations like making turns or going over speed bumps, you might need to apply a little more throttle to prevent stalling. Be cautious not to rev too high, but give the engine enough power to smoothly navigate and avoid sudden changes in throttle or clutch release, as these actions can lead to stalling.

Invest some extra time practicing with your car. Remember, practice makes perfect. As you continue practicing and gaining experience, you'll improve your clutch control and throttle management. With time, you'll become more confident in driving smoothly and avoiding stalling.

[warmachine428]

Thank You For Taking The Time To Help Me With This!

Its True , as you said that maybe its due to my nervousness that this happens , because when I drive on open roads when I dont have to worry about traffic I am doing a fairly good job driving .

One thing I had forgot to mention was that , I had my driving instructor take the car for a ride and he mentioned that the accelerator pedal is not level with the brake and clutch so I think half of my problem lies there . He mentioned that a change in the spring of the accelerator pedal will fix this issue maybe that is why I cannot , for the life of me get proper acceleration while turning because of the fear of over revving it .

[Mechy_74]

Hello, my two pence, some cars have tendency to stall owing to their low torque at low revs (for the weight of the car) and not to forget while turning, the hydraulic power for steering is also drawn from the same already meagre supply, if I am not wrong. My daughter, who did well while learning driving on a driving school's 'down-tuned' Wagon R, gave up driving altogether due to her failed apprenticeship in a Kicks Petrol 1.5L, which has high propensity to stall while starting from standstill. I have not given up though on her. High reserve power (product of low weight and low-end tune) at low rpms was probably one of the major reasons behind old Maruti's popularity. Only quick start and follow through mattered, as there were hardly any space or head room for high revs.