Team-BHP > Shifting gears


View Poll Results: Are we responsible enough??
Yes very much. 11 29.73%
No!! at time I have been a hypocrite 26 70.27%
Voters: 37. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 31st May 2010, 00:28   #16
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Your point may be
Quote:
... that if you are not perfect and you are doing stuff which you should not do then why blame others when they do the same thing and get into some mess.
Mine is that none of us are perfect, and if I wait until I become the perfect driver before I pass on any of my experience, then I'll wait forever.

Generally, I do not lecture people about the things I do myself, or if I do, I freely admit my fault too. But then, not being perfect, I expect I even break that rule sometimes!
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Old 31st May 2010, 04:51   #17
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My words, Thad.

We're humans. Learning is a life-long process. And sometimes we're so blinded by, I dunno, some kind of rush, we can't really see what we're doing. Heck, we never knowingly do something wrong. The point is, you can't knowingly do something wrong. Either you're not thinking, or you're justifying your actions deep inside, some way or the other.

I don't really see the condition of roads, or for that matter, any place/organization/community if people don't point out each other's mistakes just coz they've been on the wrong side of their law sometimes.

I drive with a learner's license, as in, drive without a licensed co-passenger with a learner's license. But to myself, I'm right. Coz license, at least in India, is just a piece of paper. It doesn't assure a stranger that you are safe on roads. My mom applied for a gearless scooter license, and got a gearless, geared, and 4 wheeler license. And I know that if the US govt. thinks that a person is qualified to drive at 16, there is no reason why the Indian govt. shouldn't. And I drive well enough, and safe enough that I'd get an Activa license in US if someone shot a video of me driving and showed it to the licensing officials there. That's how I justify myself, to myself, even if I'm wrong.
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Old 31st May 2010, 05:59   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lamborghini View Post
There is no doubt that I have been a hypocrite.
- I started learning below the age of 18.
- I have been significantly over the speed limit a number of times
- I have done stunts in my car and have come quite close to hitting others due to this.

However, the main question here is -
Have I learnt from all these incidents, and T-BHP? Yes, I have!

I personally believe I have become a better driver, except that I might speed a bit at times. My excuse being that driving at 50kmph at Marine Drive at 1am, can get a bit tiring.
I completely agree with Lamborghini here....

I started driving /riding at the age of 12 and I have done speeding and all those tasks which people think are dangerous for other road users a lot of times. I have even been in 2 serious (and I mean serious) accidents and find myself lucky as my angel guardian was working hard. But to be honest, as I see myself grown up, I have never broken the law in past two years. Today, I discourage speeding and putting others life in danger ('Accidents in India' thread has helped me a lot to have a control over my surge/temporary rush to have fun). I feel myself to be a responsible driver and a responsible T-Bhpian and I always encourage safe driving to my relatives and friends.

And I thank T-Bhp for that.

Last edited by Ace F355 : 31st May 2010 at 06:01.
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Old 31st May 2010, 08:53   #19
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LOL. This thread is funny. Are people supposed to get some sort of Certificate of Good Behavior now before pointing out someone's mistakes?
When an advice is given, the mature thing to do is to value it based on its merit. The immature thing to do is to discard it by throwing mud on those giving the advice. This is no court of law where witness credibility is on the table.
At the end of the day, its the individual's choice. Whether they want to learn from their mistakes or whether they want to run away from the lessons that their mistakes are throwing up.
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Old 31st May 2010, 09:49   #20
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I don't understand OP intention here.

Does it mean that as a father, you cannot ask/expect your children to be responsible since you have been irresponsible your entire life?

My take on this would be that in such circumstances, it is always better to put yourself in the other persons shoes, and then judge or understand the situation and act accordingly.
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Old 31st May 2010, 09:53   #21
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@ amitoj: no buddy, we are not saying that giving good advice is wrong or that you need a certificate for that!

but sometimes the 'advices' are given without interpreting the posts properly or without actually understanding the actual issue/problem. many often throw their comments which are the most 'ideal' thing to do but that DOES NOT work in real life. when you are in such a situation, there are a lot of things running in your mind & you will most probably do what you seem is right at that moment. people should understand that.

most importantly, many comments these days have been too personal & insulting, which is definitely not right.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sanjayc View Post
My take on this would be that in such circumstances, it is always better to put yourself in the other persons shoes, and then judge or understand the situation and act accordingly.
exactly what i mean to say.

Last edited by raj_5004 : 31st May 2010 at 09:54.
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Old 31st May 2010, 10:02   #22
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I totally miss the point of this thread.

NO ONE is ever clean. Everyone has erred more often than not.

Yes, people will judge others and pass holier than thou comments at times.

So what? Its an imperfect world. But we already knew that, didn't we?
What is this thread achieving?
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Old 31st May 2010, 10:20   #23
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Ah... so you have my attention now.

But before I answer to the thread which is purely based on assumptions and an effort to troll.

Let's analyze this:

Quote:
Originally Posted by prateekm View Post
Wear a helmet when driving my Dio (for which I have a gearless license).
Now look at this link:

Motor Vehicles Department ( R.T.O.) , Maharashtra

One line I want to bring to your notice from the above link.

16 years old if you are to drive personal vehicles below 50 cc with parents concern.

And specifications of a Dio:

New Stunner CBF (The link may say Stunner CBF but it opens the Dio's specs)

The one specification of interest to us:

Displacement(cc): 102cc

You see what I want you to see.

You my friend are obviously breaking a lot of rules other then the two you mention - free left and speeding. And a major one being you actually riding the DIO. LOL..

What we have is a hypocritical situation here.

To admit one is wrong is godly.

To say you are wrong because others are too is well...(too derogatory to mention here)

PS: Yes I am a saint.

Last edited by Spitfire : 31st May 2010 at 10:26.
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Old 31st May 2010, 10:50   #24
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Ah!! I see the point here very clearly; its the question on bad, worse & worst & not between good & bad drivers. I'm seriously thinking, if we do need this topic at all, better to remain closed. Everyone, I mean everyone including the Govt official, RTO inspector breaks one rule or other at some point in life. Finally it all boils down to how much of violation and at what time? Riding a cycle on wrong side was considered a big mistake & riding cycle without a light was serious offense at one point in time. Its quite common to see vans & buses plying on wrong side of the road these days. In few more years...
- it will be common to see a car theft taken lightly (like a stolen moped); people would go on to claim insurance & buy a new car.
- stunters in motorcycles will jump off the bridge to escape from traffic jam
- last but not the least, I wouldn't be surprised to see people waving hand to stop the rail engine to cross level crossing!!! And if the trains don't stop, there's a news all over stating how a poor pedestrian was run over by a train & the carelessness of the railway officials

Point - What is wrong today will become right tomorrow, there's no point discussing whether we've violated things or not today as it will become legal tomorrow. As a TBHP member, I'm sure, we'll be the last ones & the least to violate any traffic rules.
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Old 31st May 2010, 10:50   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raj_5004 View Post
@ amitoj: no buddy, we are not saying that giving good advice is wrong or that you need a certificate for that!

but sometimes the 'advices' are given without interpreting the posts properly or without actually understanding the actual issue/problem. many often throw their comments which are the most 'ideal' thing to do but that DOES NOT work in real life. when you are in such a situation, there are a lot of things running in your mind & you will most probably do what you seem is right at that moment. people should understand that.

most importantly, many comments these days have been too personal & insulting, which is definitely not right.
Raj, what you are saying and what Pancham has said in the first post, are two entirely different things. I am not contesting what you are saying above. Of course, one should show some empathy before passing a judgment.

But you can not throw the baby out with the water as well.

As for people getting too personal or insulting, you can always report them to the mods and rest assured that they will be dealt with accordingly.
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Old 31st May 2010, 14:14   #26
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Quote:
16 years old if you are to drive personal vehicles below 50 cc with parents concern.
I knew someone would make this point in this thread Well, I can't justify myself other than saying that there isn't any <50cc vehicle available in India. Yeah, I could drive the Yo Bikes and other electric bikes (for which you don't need a license), but then what's the use of the gearless license?

Also, when I was taking a license, I asked to the guy at RTO as to which all bikes I could drive after getting the gearless license. He said you can use any gearless moped. I even confirmed it from the Asst. Commissioner who takes a test here before issuing the license. Even the traffic police consider that you can drive any gearless vehicles. I have been stopped once for license checking and didn't have to shell out any fine (or even a bribe). But, I know that what I am doing is wrong

Last edited by prateekm : 31st May 2010 at 14:18.
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Old 31st May 2010, 14:49   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prateekm View Post
But, I know that what I am doing is wrong
And you are fine with that?

Because everybody in your college, locality and across the length and breath of the country does it?

Like many said this thread is a meaningless attempt to try and justify wrongs by calling names to people who do religiously follow the rules all their life.

And coming from a person who is not even 18 (the so called future of our country) it is very depressing.

I think we understand why we have this situation on our roads today.

From illegally riding around in town now is fine to killing innocents by raming into them coming up the wrong side 5 years from now.

And the justification: Everyone does it, why not me. I am not a saint.

Sad..

Last edited by Spitfire : 31st May 2010 at 14:55.
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Old 31st May 2010, 17:10   #28
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I guess the point of this thread is not to proclaim or declare oneself as 100% responsible/mistake proof or whatever you may want to call! As many have commented, no one would be 100% responsible everytime, everyplace & on everything! The point should be how much are we on the right side!

One can not be sitting on the fence and complain the whole world is at fault! As a responsible member of this planet we are all duty bound to do our bit to help improve the situation in everyway we can.

I follow what I call as 80/20 principle. What it means is I should try to be on the right side 80% of the time (I don't have scale to measure this but have a strong hunch based on what I do or not do!) when It comes to driving there is one rule that I apply ...
1) Drive defensively (expect other road user to cause mistake). This puts us in all time alert and chances that we will miss a signal, miss a lane, miss a turn etc would be minimal! I do drive above 100 kmph if I am on a familiar road/which has good strech to reach that speed and less traffic such as Nice road/highways, ORR very early in the morning or late in the nights etc.

The reason I write/reply on this thread is. I am really frustrated when I see most of the folks who show absolute disregard to lane descipline on city roads are educated lots. I hope Team-BHP are better lots who follows lane and my appeal to ones who do not ... Pl & Pl follow lane atleast on weekends and make driving real fun for all road users! Thanks
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Old 31st May 2010, 19:00   #29
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So here we are !! Confessing to the whole world how we break rules..be it exceeding speed limit or breaking license rules etc etc.. But this was needless. (and some seem to be cool with whatever wrong they are doing).
REASON: Everybody is doing then why not me. As mentioned by Spitfire this is the reason why Indian roads are in this condition. We are just talking like the auto and lorrywalas whom we abuse everyday for their driving style.

Anyway, getting back to the topic-I want to put forward an example. Please read through it carefully and then reply,

Suppose Mr. X is a Bhpian and he drives a Chevy Cruz. He meets with a serious accident while doing 160 Kmph on Indian Roads. He decides to share such an incident with the members here so that a lesson is learnt by all. He posts the entire experience. He gets the first reply- Man you are lucky to be alive.. Second reply- Man you are lucky to be alive. were you crazy doing 160 Kmph on Indian roads. Its dangerous. Great!! ADVICE TAKEN!!
Third reply
: You know what.. you should not have done that. Its dangerous for bystanders also. You are a very bad and irresponsible driver. and then it goes on and on and on. A hundred replies and its the same thing.. You should not have done that. If I were you I would have stuck to the speed limits.
Nice the advises given are very nice to hear.
When researched it is found that atleast 5 of those 50 have a pic in their gallery showing off their speedo doing more than 160 Kmph in a maybe much much inferior car which is more dangerous.

Its not want you have done in the past and now you have changed and then you are advising other people. Its about still doing the wrong things(in the present times) and then giving hypo-critic gyan to all about what we should do and what we should not and I am a saint and I dont do all these things!!!
This has existed here and I have felt this.
Disclaimer: The above example show no resemblance to anyone living or dead. Just an hypothetical example.
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Old 31st May 2010, 19:42   #30
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Learn from other's mistakes so that you dont die from doing your own.

Overall, good and bad are a certain set of generic principles mixed with common sense that don't have any defined borders.

If you follow the good stuff, then statistically you're less likely to become roadkill.

Beyond that statistics, you're just as vulnerable as anyone else.
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