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-   -   Driving Guide : Rules, Tips, Etiquette & Common Mistakes To Avoid (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/73270-driving-guide-rules-tips-etiquette-common-mistakes-avoid-25.html)

Well for defensive driving you need to prepare not for the "normal" but abnormal. Here are some scenarios that you might want to consider

1. The car you are following has a tyre burst.

2. For some reason there is a visibility problem, a curve where an idiot has parked or the is a wild animal or the holy cow etc

3. In any scenario where the car in front has "superior braking" (technically infinite). This "braking" can be "achieved" by rear ending another car, bursting ones tyre or any of the numerous "techniques" that we Indian drivers are well versed with.

I think you really need to think of the car in front as a something that can metamorphosis into a brick wall at any point in time. If that is your model of the car in front what I said is the inescapable conclusion.

No I am not conflating distance with time. If you are following the 2 sec rule (say rather strictly) then at any point of time the distance between you and the car in front is proportional to your speed (speed * 2 ). I am objecting to this rule.

Modified 2 sec rule

Here is how I think two sec rule should be implemented in practice.

1. Set a threshold speed say 40 kmph below which you are comfortable with using the 2-sec rule. I will call this the 2-sec threshold.

2. For every 40 kmph additional speed add 2-sec to your the "following time". This can be summarize as follows


2.1 Till you hit 40 kmph follow 2 sec rule
2.2 Between 40 to 80 follow 4 sec rule. Or say 40-60 (3sec) and 60-80 (4sec)
2.3 Between 80 to 120 follow 8 sec rule
2.4 Beyond 120, you should not be driving on any roads in India


In practice you might want to have a different threshold. May be due to slippery roads or you are driving a heavy vehicle or you are growing old and do not want to trust your reflexes too much (case in point me). Then you may choose a lower 2-sec threshold. Say you choose 20kmph as your 2sec threshold. Then for every 20 kmph increase your "following time" by 2 secs. As with the usual two sec rule, you will need to adjust your following time depending on the hazard. In our case it amounts to lowering the 2-sec threshold.

Even if the car in front will have a tyre burst, it won't come to complete halt. That's why 2 second rule is there to invade such abrupt scenarios to take evasive actions.

As in my previous statement, 2-Sec rule isn't for adverse weather condition. Also this rule is for 2 vehicles in motion (with zero relative speed) and not one among them stationary.

Now this is an hypothetical situation. How would any-sec rule behave if the car in front reverses and front ends you ? I don't think its possible to have solutions for all arbitrary situations.

If I will think in that direction, then I would be safe in a stationary car and wont be able to drive it on the roads

It's a MINIMUM 2-second rule, cardinal sin to break this, specially on expressways where high speed traffic is encountered as Consequences can be severe. If somehow one isn't comfortable in maintaining that, the person can always increase the gap with which he's comfortable.

Traffic/Safety engineers have some general guidelines they have developed over the years and hold now as standards and Min 2-Sec rule is among them.

The only point I am making is that one needs to understand the assumption behind 2-sec rule : "normal driving" where every one is braking and following the 2 sec rule. It also gives people a reasonable rule of thumb which is easy to implement in their daily life. Unfortunately I think it is not good enough for a defensive driver more so in India.

My modified 2 sec rule was my (feeble) attempt at getting to a simple rule for the defensive driver which I think is better justified than the base 2sec rule (or 3sec rule or k-sec rule; the numbers do not matter what matters is the principle).

Needless to say I am not advocating "blind following 2-sec rule" while ignoring the other aspect of defensive driving like anticipation etc. Also I do understand that it is MIN 2-sec not max. It would be absurd for me to suggest that if the distance between the car is greater than 2 sec then speed up and close the gap.

Guys, let us stop knocking our heads against the theory and the rules of thumb. What matters is to keep enough distance. All I can say is, when you think it is enough, increase it. And if someone is tailgating you, double it: you need stopping distance for two.

I know, in most cases it is physically impossible for the car in front to come to an instant halt. But it is not impossible for it to almost-instantly lose a lot of speed with heavy braking. Pretty sure that is the story of my last rear-ending: I didn't stop, but had to brake very sharply, and the guy behind me couldn't match that.

Let me tell my two-second rule: For two seconds, meditate on the sound of breaking glass and scrunching metal. I find this works wonders at moderating my driving! rl:

Can't help it. Does it for a living actually :D.

Same with me. Not just once but 1 1/2 times.

1. I anticipated, braked rather smoothly and yet was rear-ended (ever so slightly) by a truck. A very minor tailgate deformation (even the rear camera was working) but had to
leave our month old car at the body shop for about 2 weeks.

2. Almost got rear ended by a brezza (caught on dash cam). Again braked very smoothly.

Nothing beats this 2 sec rule for sure.

:D

But, seriously, I do do this! It's an antidote to getting cocky, and even I, nearly 73 years of age, can get cocky!

I don't like to stick anything on the Rear and Front Windshield. I try to see what is ahead of the car I'm following through the windshield, and I believe others to want to look through and that's where I advocate no sun films, stickers & writings.

Namaste to all my fellow BHPians, and actually not fellows but my elders because I am sixteen years old and pretty convinced that all here are mostly north of my age. Since I am sixteen I am eligible for a learner's license and my queries are:

1.What are the vehicles I can ride with the learner's license?
2.Are there any separate rules for Uttar Pradesh.

(I am asking these questions because i found the internet's result confusing and unclear)

While on the road,you can see behavioral patterns ranging from,very elegant spaced drive with minimal honking,lane keeping ,indicator driving to the next extreme of driving absurdity.Its interesting to see the many behavioral tendency of drivers.Driving etiquette seems to be consumed by the urge to overtake, honk the next person out of the way,or more dangerously to wrong overtake. I find the lorry drivers to be most humble,giving hand signals to help us overtake ,unlike the median hugging steering leech,who stays put,till maybe his mother in law calls him.I spend more time watching the left hand mirror nowadays,because of intruders who sneak in like our neighbors at the border.If you do not watch it ,you are done.Then we've got the horny fellows, pun unintended. They have one foot on the accelerator and another on the horn,now if you ask me these are the tormented souls.They get up from their bed cursing the alarm,and that sound ankles them to create more noise.Next comes the high beam maniacs.These fellows think that they are dutifully bound to illuminate the world with their xenons,washing us with celestial light which many times ends with many becoming celestial. I stop here and ask petrolheads to put in their two bits.Happy honking...sorry happy driving.

Posting this here, as I couldn’t find any other suitable thread.

I have been issued a challan by traffic police today for “driving dangerously by jumping a red light”, and the challan has been referred to virtual court for further proceedings.

Dashcam footage of the incident below - it is clear that the signal was green when I was crossing and turned to red only afterwards.

https://youtu.be/w_qkwSPnKKc?feature=shared

Challan copy and status as below:






I have 2 questions:

1. Have I committed an offence?
2. If the answer to above question is no, how do I go about correcting this?

The incident is in Kozhikode (Calicut) city, Kerala.

Hi fellow BHPians, I am quite new to driving, and here is a confusing dilemma I face while driving on main roads and encountering an intersection with a pole right in the middle. Maybe this is just a tier 3 city phenomenon (shoutout to Kanpur’s brilliant civil engineers), but these poles being right in the middle is a common thing here, and it presents a frustrating dilemma during high traffic driving. This can better be explained with the picures I will attach here.

Case A: This is where I am confused about what to do. A thin pole like structure right in the middle of a busy intersection, no traffic lights, no traffic police, just you and your judgement. (Now I faced this type of roundabout today and finally decided to ask you guys about the correct course of action here.) Are you supposed to treat it like a proper roundabout or are you allowed to take a shortcut and turn left before crossing this pole, or are you supposed to cross the pole first (like a proper roundabout) and then turn. Keep in mind there is very heavy unorganised traffic here, and at this particular intersection, the pole is not even in the centre, it is a bit off entered (again, shout out to our awesome civil engineers), in such a way it leaves a little less room to turn right after crossing the pole ( like a proper roundabout), so it feels all the more wrong to do it.

Maybe this is very straightforward for you guys but it confuses the hell out of me as someone new to driving, with not much practical experience on the road (just vanilla ideal Cities Skylines type ideal road conditions knowledge, where if there are intersections, they either have proper traffic lights or a big roundabout).

Case B: Big roundabout: Here there is no confusion, you are supposed to drive around the circle like any normal roundabout one makes in games like Cities Skylines. (Even here some people do whatever they feel like, but I am pretty sure one is supposed to do whatever I have drawn in the picture here.)

Thanks!

Irrespective of the size of the pole, any barrier in the centre of an intersection will be passed on its left. As in you stick to the left lane (as we drive on the left side of the road in India), your first illustration is correct, second one showing the green line is correct and blue is wrong.

Never turn prematurely and pass the pole on it’s right, this is dangerous and ensures you cross with a potential blind spot as the pole is now obstructing your vision of oncoming traffic. You’re also getting dangerously close to cars turning left from the road perpendicular to yours.

Don’t get intimidated by other drivers, they often won’t stop on even red lights late at night, doesn’t mean you follow them. Under flyovers, even in metros, you’ll often see people turning prematurely and entering your (left) lane. When in doubt, always remember the left side of the road is yours and oncoming traffic must pass on your right, flipping this order is illegal and dangerous.

Makes perfect sense, thanks! I am now finally clear about what to do in these situations, I usually treat every pole like a proper roundabout, and turns out that is the correct way of driving.

When I had just begun to drive, I often felt intimidated by other drivers, but have now learnt to take it easy and follow the traffic laws, and most importantly not panicking if I mess up and stall my car in stop and go traffic :P

(Also, I have accidentally flipped the order of cases and photos, Case A is the 2nd photo with 2 potential ways and Case B is the 1st photo with only 1 potential way.)

Every time you drive, you’re in charge of not just your safety but everyone with you on car. A few simple habits — clear signaling, proper mirror use, having proper distance and defensive awareness — go a long way toward smoother traffic flow and fewer near-misses. Read on for a quick, professional refresher on the essentials.

Signal Clearly
Always use your indicators for turns and lane changes—no guessing games. Hazard lights? Only when you’re stopped on the roadside with a real problem(Tyre burst, vehicle breakdown and so on).

Mirror Magic
Angle your side-mirrors so you just glimpse your door edge, and set the center mirror to frame the full rear window. Together, they all but erase blind spots—just don’t skip that quick shoulder check!

Keep Your Distance
Aim for a two-second gap in dry weather (three seconds when it’s wet). That cushion gives you the time to brake smoothly and keeps everyone safer.

Overtake with Confidence
Only pass when you can see well ahead. Signal first, glance in your mirrors and blind spot, move over briskly—and once you’ve cleared the other vehicle, signal again and slide back into your lane.

Respect Roundabouts & Crossings
At roundabouts, yield to traffic coming from your right; signal only when you’re exiting. At unlit zebra crossings, pedestrians have priority—stop and let them cross without a fuss.

Drive Defensively
Stay alert: scan the road several cars ahead, anticipate sudden stops or lane-changes, and avoid distractions. Keep both hands on the wheel and leave the phone alone.

Adapt to Conditions
Rain, glare or darkness demand extra care—use low beams, slow down, and increase your following distance. On clear roads, maintain a steady speed and let cruise control do the work when it’s safe to do so.

This is an ongoing T-BHP controversy, with no agreement in sight.

I'm on this side: There is no such thing as hazard lights being only for use when stationary. They are to warn of danger. That danger could be a cow on the highway ahead.

Others have a different view. But we all agree that they are for danger or emergencies. They should never mean, eg, "I've just gone to the shop for one minute. "
You should be able to see a little of the side of your own car. It helps the brain to judge angles and distance.
Absolute minimum! And please double the distance on a wet road.

adding... Never in the face of oncoming traffic.