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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-7.html)

While cornering - I follow what I learnt in a colin Mcrae rally game long back - brake while going into the corner, hold your momentum while in the corner (no braking), and accelerate out! :D

I got a question.

I always used to see/still see drivers (cab/chauffeur/taxi) braking when they see speed breaker and braking till they hit it (nudge it). The Car never bumped & stayed settled whereas its the opposite when you bring in pot-holes come to picture. The Car crashes heavily if you brake till you hit it.

I too always used to finish my braking just before hitting the speed-breaker and the Car is always unsettled with the front suspension bottoming. But when I brake as I hit the speed-breaker the Car stays unruffled & is composed. Why?

Food for thought. I'd say that you should achieve the speed for crossing the bump before hitting it. Breaking causes the front of the car to be down. Like cornering: break before, power through, accelerate away. I apply acceleration just as the rear wheel is about to drop off the hump.

Sometimes we see the hump or pothole at the last minute, and have no choice but to hit brake.

This is what I was stressing upon, braking just as I am nudging the speed-breaker doesn't unsettle the Car or its suspension and remains smooth. Whereas if I brake few cms prior to a S-B the Car's suspension travels down (the braking effect) and then it springs back to its normal position & then it tackles the S-B.

During normal driving, you won't notice as most of the time you don't come to almost a stop. The S-B are the gigantic, big ones capable of scraping the belly of a Car.

Cornering is a different ball-game. I am yet to perfect it & try not to unsettle the Car & finish all my braking/ gear changing antics prior to apex. I am a 'new' driver. lol:

S-B--referred as speed-breakers.

On corners, you should finish your gear changing and braking prior to entering the corner.

After reading your previous post, I took note of one speed hump that has to be crossed slowly. On approach, I changed down to third, gentle breaking to the speed of crossing the hump. Close to the hump, I changed to second to cross and accelerate away from the hump. This procedure is entirely smooth. On the other side of the same road is a slightly less high bump: if other traffic has not slowed down too much, I can take this one smoothly in third.

If you are not finding your speed humps smooth: slow down!

Err.... I guess that's what they are for!

Is it acceptable to turn on the Hazard lights when driving wrong way? (Sometimes necessary)

I have always been turning them on but this discussion got me confused.

^ Why would you ever want to drive the wrong way !! No amount of hazard lights can help you ever if you drive the wrong way. You are not only putting yourself but others too at risk.

Where I live, around 500 meteres+ stretch of road is in very bad shape and its very risky to go on it as it might cave in any time plus its also VERY uncomfortable for the people in the car and for the car. So I have to drive wrong way every other day on that stretch.

It is not not acceptable to drive the wrong way! It is not necessary, unless the other side is actually out of use, or in such bad condition like Abhinav says.

Let me relate an incident that happened in one of the roads inside the AIIMS campus around 9:30 AM today.
I was slowly driving on the road toward Cardiothoracic center in my Santro to pick up my Dad, when I noticed a Wagon R tailing me quite closely.
Anyways, Dad spotted the Santro and got in, and pick-up over, I signaled the Wagon R behind me, that I wanted to make a U turn.
Now on this road, space is a major constraint, so the only way out is a 3 point turn - which I proceeded to do as quickly as possible.

Right in the middle of executing this 3 point turn, the Wagon R, coolly steps in and parallel parks right behind me, leaving me no space to reverse.
:Frustrati
I saw RED. In a fit of rage, I moved ahead, put the car in Reverse, and deliberately backed into his driver door - and then drove away. Obviously he has a dent. Nothing happened to my Santro.

Right now - brooding over my action. I guess on the one-hand I wanted to get even, and on the other hand thinking perhaps should have ignored the aggression of the Wagon R driver.

Normally am a very placid driver, and choose to ignore others rashness/aggressiveness/bad driving - but I guess today was an exception.
Did I do wrong?

The WagonR driver was indeed stupid and careless but this is not the way you deal with them.

Road rage will not take you anywhere. This guy is just one among the million.

Where was the guy when you hit his car ?

You are lucky that this did not develop into a fist fight :)

It's possible the Wagon R guy was just careless rather than aggressive and didn't realise you would need to make a 3 point turn. He may have seen you start the u-turn and just assumed you would complete it without needing to reverse.

If you were able to move ahead, then deliberately back into him and then drive away, it sounds as if you had space to manouevre, even if less than ideal.

@straightdrive: Yes, it is possible that he was careless and chose to ignore the plea of a fellow motorist. I recall having made the hand signal for a U after specifically having caught his eye by looking out the window.
I could only drive away - once some space was made for me by the security guy who was manning the (movable) road divider - you know the ones which are the police barricade kind - except that they have wheels under them.

@para_7k: When I backed into his vehicle , he was casually leaning against his own vehicle and finishing a cigarette.:Frustrati
I guess - his nonchalance offended me to the point of my breaking the rules.

That is like comparing a rude comment with a punch in the face. One is bad manners, the other is criminal.

I can understand that you lost your temper, but you should not have done that.

Would like to take this furthur. I agree with you that the speed you enter corners should be reached before as breaking or changing gear during the turn may cause the wheels to lose grip.

However, one cannot do this at all times. It has happened to me on the highway. (NH4 ghat from Banglore just before Nipani)

Am at 100 or so and see a turn on the highway, reduce to 80 take the initial part of the turn at 80. then see the turn becoming sharper so have to reduce speed. now I'm already in the turn so have to apply break of downshift. Tyres squeal. No alternative to this?