[honeybee]

If you are ready to settle the matter, talk to either the cop or his senior, explain the circumstances and see if they are ready to drop the matter.

If they aren't ready, or if you don't want to do it, get a lawyer and fight the case in court. The cop will have to attend the hearings personally while your lawyer can argue on your behalf. Once the case goes up for hearing and a lawyer is representing you, my guess would be the cop will try to settle this out of court.

It will help immensely if the lawyer is a relative

[dar3dev|l]

Originally Posted by vina

I don't know the situation now, but in mid-90s I lived in Mumbai (when I arrived it was still Bombay, when I left it was Mumbai) and I found the police and the public servants there really competent and helpful. Now I know there was a lot of corruption in those days too - but these guys were not shameless and wouldn't bother the little man on the street much. I never paid a bribe, and on 3 separate occasions when I asked for directions the policemen took me to the actual place.

I never spoke a word of Marathi.

Vina, asking for a direction and trying to get yourself out of an offence/sticky situation are two completely different scenarios. The situation in which furebo got stucked was something (in a way) due to his impatience. So now by touching the cops bike made him the one at fault. Thus the raged cop instead of a one who would have gladly helped in case he was asked for directions.

Bribing again is something we do to compromise on the time we spend to uselessly argue with the cop or to get out of a sticky situation where we are at fault. But at times i have seen a lot of people escaping from such situation just by speaking in their local language.

And yes i agree, the shamelessness by the authorities is increasing by the day as compared to the Bombay we lived in !


Btw @furebo, dont you think it would have helped you win the argument with the cop if you had a reverse horn/music of some kind

[mmxylorider]

Originally Posted by honeybee

If you are ready to settle the matter, talk to either the cop or his senior, explain the circumstances and see if they are ready to drop the matter.

Agree on this.
@furebo - if you concern is about getting a 'black mark' on your driving record, see if you can locate and talk to the cop (preferably when he is starting work). Maybe he will be more receptive in terms of any alternatives to the challan.

[coolboy007]

I feel deeply for you, in our country if someone's mood is bad then they just take out their frustration on you. I think the police guy got offended and you hitting his bike hurt his ego - he could have atleast honked when you engaged the reverse gear.

The same scenario happened to me once - i was in Scorpio inside a single lane in a parking lot at night and the same thing happened "In a SUV, you just cant catch small bikes in RVM and these bikers have a problem of not leaving even an inch behind". I had to back up and i had just moved an inch and i heard a scraping sound, i immediately went forward and heard a loud thud from behind.

The biker :
1. His lights were switched off and riding without a helmet.
2. 4 people on a bike - his wife, himself and 2 kids.
3. When i moved forward, he had the courage to smash his helmet hanging on the handlebar on my Scorpio's rear glass

He hit the car with that helmet two times but still i calmed down myself and moved the car forward to park and check if he was hurt + avoid a jam. I parked the car ahead and he hit my door with that helmet.

I opened my door with such a force that he fell on the road and i snatched his helmet + threw it off to the side, so wanted to slap him hard but seeing his kids and wife i told him to calm down where he threatening me that he would kill me and blah blah.

Called 100 immediately while he was busy calling his buddies, called my dad's friend who is in police and he said not to worry. The PCR arrived within minutes and then that guy was afraid because he had no documents of bike and license. PCR guys settled everything as the call by uncle worked and he told me to let go and noted the biker's number as i told him he threatened to kill me.

1. Bikers scratch my car multiple times but a small nick behind angered him saying you rich guys want to kill poor guys.
2. Hit my car with helmet 3-4 times, such is the anger.
3. Threatening to kill me for just touching his bike.

You cant do anything, fight it out in court if it needs to be and pay the fine to get your license, dont worry about that section 184 on you, you know you are a safe driver so others telling you are a rash driver should hardly matter.

[Jaguar]

The fact that you didn't see the cop because he was in your blind spot can't be used as an excuse. Like others have said, what if there was a kid in place of the cop?

Put yourself in the cop's shoes. What if some car backs up and hits (even slightly) you or your family? Will you keep your cool or would give a piece of your mind to the car guy? The police man also did the same thing. Take a chill pill and let it go.

Finally, if you can't park a vehicle w/o the help of a person outside guiding you, then you shouldn't be driving. Period. Even the concept of parking attendants is only there in India where we have no shortage of man power

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by dar3dev|l

Btw @furebo, dont you think it would have helped you win the argument with the cop if you had a reverse horn/music of some kind

Reverse horns are ILLEGAL already. In my personal opinion the OP is at fault because he tried to reverse without taking due precaution. Whether the mirrors had blind spots, or whether the reversing camera didn't initialize are immaterial to this basic negligence. I am not saying OP is a reckless driver, but in this specific instance, purely by the legal interpretation he does appear to be at fault.

Now the matter of whether this incidence was serious enough to attract a penalty under the specific section is a matter to be decided by a judge in a competent court, not the cop or the OP. If the OP thinks it was wrong, he can either convince the cop of the same and have the complaint dropped, or fight the challan in a court through a lawyer.

[snorting bull]

Hey buddy. Believe me. Your time is more precious than going to court and resolving issues. Just close out the issue asap. Take the cop to confidence and talk it out to him. I got a dozen of these challans(majority of them, I sincerely believe as not my mistake) and I still consider myself to be a safe driver. No Parking ticket, High Speed ticket, when I was driving at 40 , all of a sudden a cop will come from nowhere and show a stop symbol in a junction when I cannot stop. I am also a very defensive driver, ever since I bought my Honda. But it all happens and you never know. Add this to your caution list and take care in future. Happy and safe driving.

[raju2512]

If the guy had not been a police man, are you sure that you would not have blasted him for scratching your vehicle ?.

You were wrong and got fined for it. You may argue that the penalty was too steep for the nature of the violation. But think what could have happened (s small kid instead of the bike as many pointed out) rather than what happened.

Think back calmly as to what happened. You were angry (parking guy), irritated (swift, maddening traffic), and distracted (moving before camera initialised). Put together you were not concentrating to the extent you should when reversing a big SUV.

[vina]

Originally Posted by dar3dev|l

Vina, asking for a direction and trying to get yourself out of an offence/sticky situation are two completely different scenarios. The situation in which furebo got stucked was something (in a way) due to his impatience. So now by touching the cops bike made him the one at fault. Thus the raged cop instead of a one who would have gladly helped in case he was asked for directions.

Bribing again is something we do to compromise on the time we spend to uselessly argue with the cop or to get out of a sticky situation where we are at fault. But at times i have seen a lot of people escaping from such situation just by speaking in their local language.

And yes i agree, the shamelessness by the authorities is increasing by the day as compared to the Bombay we lived in !


Btw @furebo, dont you think it would have helped you win the argument with the cop if you had a reverse horn/music of some kind

Well when you ask for directions in several other cities, the cops on occasions do not know (incompetence). Also the best they do is point you to the right way.

What I was trying to say was that these guys went out of their way and walked me several hundred meters (via winding lanes) on three occasions - (professionalism) they didn't have to.

My point was that I didn't speak Marathi, I still don't, and they were sitll willing to help. Many, even most, accept bribes for petty things. Many, if not most, surely demand it. This should be condemned. However they must be given credit where it is due, and I request not to sully their name in Marathi - non-marathi terms.

Originally Posted by honeybee

If you are ready to settle the matter, talk to either the cop or his senior, explain the circumstances and see if they are ready to drop the matter.

If they aren't ready, or if you don't want to do it, get a lawyer and fight the case in court. The cop will have to attend the hearings personally while your lawyer can argue on your behalf. Once the case goes up for hearing and a lawyer is representing you, my guess would be the cop will try to settle this out of court.

It will help immensely if the lawyer is a relative

This is a matter for the traffic court - it is finished in one hearing. you go, judge decides, you pay (or not) and back to business.

Originally Posted by raju2512

If the guy had not been a police man, are you sure that you would not have blasted him for scratching your vehicle ?.

You were wrong and got fined for it. You may argue that the penalty was too steep for the nature of the violation. But think what could have happened (s small kid instead of the bike as many pointed out) rather than what happened.

Think back calmly as to what happened. You were angry (parking guy), irritated (swift, maddening traffic), and distracted (moving before camera initialised). Put together you were not concentrating to the extent you should when reversing a big SUV.

I wouldn't go that far - the policeman should have left some distance (may be 1 feet) between the bike and the car - being a policeman he should know the law and 1 feet behind a SUV is not so much that anyone will try to get in between the two vehicles (though it could have prevented the incident).


Both the parties are at a little bit of fault - though I wouldn't blame any. These things happen.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by vina

This is a matter for the traffic court - it is finished in one hearing. you go, judge decides, you pay (or not) and back to business.

It's over in one hearing only when you agree with the court's decision. Though the first hearing may take place in a special court set up for dealing with traffic offences, you can always appeal the court's decision. And so can the police.

[vina]

Originally Posted by honeybee

It's over in one hearing only when you agree with the court's decision. Though the first hearing may take place in a special court set up for dealing with traffic offences, you can always appeal the court's decision. And so can the police.

You can - in a higher court (as is the case with every court's decision except the Supreme Court's). Police can too - but wouldn't - they have plenty of other headaches and they can not furnish any proof either.

[Furebo]

Finally, I got my Endy bumper repainted today. No more tiny scratches.

About the case however; I decided to finish off the matter by paying the fine and apologizing again. The issue has been settled.

@All: Thank You for your support and wishes. I have decided to move on. I do not wish to discuss this further.

@Mods: Matter has been settled. Please close this thread ASAP.

[vina]

Originally Posted by Furebo

Finally, I got my Endy bumper repainted today. No more tiny scratches.

About the case however; I decided to finish off the matter by paying the fine and apologizing again. The issue has been settled.

@All: Thank You for your support and wishes. I have decided to move on. I do not wish to discuss this further.

@Mods: Matter has been settled. Please close this thread ASAP.

Congratulations on winning the battle with yourself - wish you happy and safe driving ahead.

[sriramv.iyer]

I agree that Furebo could be at a mistake.. Accidents do happen

He says he moved an inch backward and the guy behind's bike was not even visibly scratched. Can the cop do whatever he wants just because he is a cop?

Blaming Furebo, and taking side of the cop is indeed shameful. We should work out ways on curbing these officials who gets paid with our tax money! I'll NEVER accept that some cop can do this and get away!