[Dippy]

Very well put bensb

Growing up in Dubai taught me a lot about safe driving too. Even when I was a kid i used to buckle up my seat belt. Hence I was very surprised on seeing the driving style here after I moved to Mumbai. A horn was something i never heard in Dubai but here you cant drive without one. Never knew what hand signals are till i saw them here. Of course here they just give a hand signal and just cut the lane without looking behind. How can anyone drive without using rear view mirrors?

Its a jungle out there . When will India ever learn?

[zenx]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

But when you get behind the wheel most tend to forget their limits .. Its a fact ..

Very true. Its a toughie to remember to calculate the risks, and an art developed over time. Hope none of us are ever at the wrong end of anyone taking a risk at an inappropriate place/time.

[Aditya]

Originally Posted by Dippy

Its a jungle out there .

Nopes! It's not a jungle. A jungle is generally peaceful and quiet with animals killing each other only when really necessary.Our case is that of a warzone.

@mclaren1885: The cars were definitely racing. Else, if the Palio was behind the Swift and going slowly, it would have managed to stop in time. If it was side by side and going slowly, the impact would not have sent the Swift into the rickshaw.

[pjbiju]

Given the way we in India drive, we cannot be careful enough. In most of the cases, one person makes the mistake and several others end up paying for them. I think as responsible BHPians we should resolve to:

- Not to exceed speed limits in the city
- Wear seat belts at all times
- Slow down before crossing a junction even if your signal is green
- Not to get into racing except in racing events

Our life is precious to our dear ones in more ways than we care to understand. The thrill of a moment can simply kill. I think Normally_Crazy has set an example to be followed.

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Please do correct me if I have missed out on something .. Was anyone here or their relatives or friends a witness to this so called drag that happened between the palio and the swift ?? Or is it a case of the police and the media just blowing it out of proportion ?? The word "Drag" means money laundering for the cops from parents and masala for the prints ..

I have read the papers and it was not written "drags" as far as i can remember- it was written "racing" which I think you are aware is different than "dragging". I don't know who was witness to this , but whatever I have read in the papers proves that the vehicles were at speeds over and above the limit. And yes cops and media are the same everywhere - money making and making sensational headlines are 2nd nature to cops and media.

Because , with the current situation in bangalore almost every accident is considered as a case of street racing (with drivers under 30) which is not true .. Drunken driving is more of a worry in bangalore these days ..

its the same situation in any of the metro cities in our country.

Its nice to know that there are so many moral brigades out here , but do we practice what we preach ??

I do practise what i am saying.

But then half of us shouldn't be travelling in anything other than bicycles or bullock carts .. Because even an m800 can hit speeds of 100

So anyone travelling less than 100kmph should walk ? Is that what you are saying ? Just because you have a car that can hit speeds you have to test it ?

But when you get behind the wheel most tend to forget their limits .. Its a fact ..

Thats what we are trying to say , when you get behind the wheel you have to excercise control rather than loose control. And parents play an important part in this process.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Aditya

@mclaren1885: The cars were definitely racing. Else, if the Palio was behind the Swift and going slowly, it would have managed to stop in time. If it was side by side and going slowly, the impact would not have sent the Swift into the rickshaw.

Prove me wrong , I never said they couldn't be doing high speeds .. And since when does high speed driving translate to racing ?? Check the bangalore meet thread .. Cars all doing high speeds at times close to 150km/hr side by side and none were racing .. Couldn't that be the case here too ?? Two cars doing high speeds (not necessarily racing) met with an accident because of the lack of reaction time ??

Originally Posted by dippy

How can anyone drive without using rear view mirrors?

I remember my dad didn't use RVM , because in their days there were none .. Rudra didn't have them in his amby (or so i read , cant recollect) .. Does that make my dad or rudra or anyone for that matter horrible drivers ?? They didn't have seat belts in their days either and have passed all these years without a hassle .. They will continue to do so .. Do remember that it is these very people who never used RVM's or seatbelts that thought us all to drive ..

Originally Posted by normally crazy

but whatever I have read in the papers proves that the vehicles were at speeds over and above the limit.

Lets not get to speed limits inside the city .. I can vouch that none of us have maintained one .. Breaking the speed limit means breaking it by 1km/hr or 100km/hr its all the same .. Speed limits in MG.Road state 30kmph (when i noticed a board 2 years back) , I know for sure that unless there is a jam no one has follwed it ..

I do practise what i am saying.

Good to know that you are one of the million .. Sam being the other ..

Thats what we are trying to say , when you get behind the wheel you have to excercise control rather than loose control. And parents play an important part in this process.

Its easy to blame parents .. Do parents of men turned thieves nurture them to rob ?? No , they dont .. At the end of it its an individual's choice .. I can't make you drive faster by poking at you what a slow coach you are CAN I ?? It's upto you to stay in your sane senses .. Not your parents or your friends ..

Just because you have a car that can hit speeds you have to test it ?

Yes , thats the reason you see us go to track days to places 400kms away or drive all the way down 1000kms to bombay for a 1/4 mile that lasts for less than 16.488 secs .. So do we qualify for a discount ?? Lol ..

[lohithrao]

Sad....i think its common at late nights and early mornings...people to speed and race....and most of the accidents which has occured during these hours have turned out to be fatal....driving irresponsibily will make one who does pay for it... badly!....high time people realise....
1. Its not just about wearing seat belts....i think one has to be more responsible while driving/riding...should know that the city roads nor the hiway is meant to race.....and be as carful as possible...i think this is what once can do the most....more then this would be a sheer luck....

[invincible7]

I just feel with more money coming in.. ppl are becoming reckless in every sense driving being the foremost parents dont have time have money get the kids somethg which he/she fancies and yes i wud blame the upbringing the most one has to learn to value life and things both ones and of others. once this feeling is prevaling i dont think anyone would dare go beserk with anything in life we cant blame the system for non-functional lights or no speed limits for heavy vehicles when we have kids or anybody for that matter commiting blunders with vehicles if we dont have respect for our lives we cant have it for others i feel this crux is we dont follow traffic rules i dont think we can raise a finger on others or on the system. I hope this sets as an example for others who read them or came to know abt this incident through the media another set of morons on the road i feel are the cab drivers they are the moving examples of how not to follow traffic rules when driving. i lost 3 family members because of these guys

Note from Mod team - Please type in full english without the use of dots for the benefit of everyone around here. Read the rules and announcments before posting.

[suman]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Check the bangalore meet thread .. Cars all doing high speeds at times close to 150km/hr side by side and none were racing ..

So what were they doing Mclaren? Sorry if I'm a little stupid.........and I've seen the E-zen video by the way

[Aditya]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Prove me wrong , I never said they couldn't be doing high speeds .. And since when does high speed driving translate to racing ?? Check the bangalore meet thread .. Cars all doing high speeds at times close to 150km/hr side by side and none were racing .. Couldn't that be the case here too ?? Two cars doing high speeds (not necessarily racing) met with an accident because of the lack of reaction time ??

Two cars driven at high speeds at 3.45am on city roads entering a juction together is nothing short of racing. If they weren't atleast one of them would have had the sense to slow down before the intersection.

[zenx]

Chill guys. Both are valid points, its not pure velocity alone that determines risky driving - 40 is bad enough in the wrong context, and 120 may be fine in its own way, even within the city. The fact is that the judgement of what is the right context is something only the driver can make (even when you're driving within posted speed limits - which is very tough in many instances in India - you can err in your judgement) - and thats something that was obviously wrong in this case.

I like drifter's benchmarks of worrying about getting injured/injuring someone - and having to live with either case. A little 'fear' is a good thing, in this case. If one's "responding" to the automotive equivalent of a taunt or dare, one's clearly stepped over the line where good judgement ends. Ditto for proving a point, even to oneself, or even doing an 'extreme' test drive in the middle of "light traffic". The most dangerous moments are those when you forget to recognise that you're just-a-little drunk/tired/drowsy/medicated and do not factor in that teeny bit extra in terms of reaction times.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by suman

So what were they doing Mclaren? Sorry if I'm a little stupid.........and I've seen the E-zen video by the way

Did you see anyone making an overtaking manouvres or a dangerous one at that (maybe Im blind) ?? Thats when you call it racing .. Not when cars are following each other .. Do watch the other videos that will be coming up too ..

Anyways , I should considered myself stupid for having posted here .. Sorry for the trouble .. Next time Im expecting the same guys here to post similar comments on the bombay drive .. And yes I shall be reading ..

[suman]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Thats when you call it racing .. Not when cars are following each other ..

I thought we were just talking about cars side-by-side doing 150 kmph....anyway, to me it sounded that the Palio & Swift were racing each other (logic same as mentioned By Aditya, N_C and others).

Yes, the kids would not have expected the Tempo to be coming at them at high speed at that hour of the morning but that's how it all happens, doesn't it? Overconfidence, lack of anticipation & the adrenalin surge - nothing that cannot happen on an ordinary day in broad daylight & good visibility conditions

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by suman

I thought we were just talking about cars side-by-side doing 150 kmph....

I was talking about the hill climb (the video you saw) .. On the highway I had no clue where the zen was .. The first time I spotted it being driven hard was at the foothills ..

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Breaking the speed limit means breaking it by 1km/hr or 100km/hr its all the same.

In the eyes of the law they may be the same. But with every km/hr increase of speed, you are increasing the risk - considering the reaction time, stopping time etc. So they are not the same.

Parents/friends can educate one. But the decision to drive safely has to be a conscious decision of the individual. And once that has become a habit, you will not fall prey to other things very easily. There is nothing great about driving rashly at insane speeds on public roads. The more skilled ones may go a little further, but all are bound to get into trouble sooner or later.