[DDiSLover]

Incident which happened today. I'm driving my car down one of those small roads in Kerala. A lot of cars parked on the left hand side, and one car was parked on the right. There is just enough space for one car to pass between the two parked cars. I'm almost at the the tip of this constriction, when I see an auto coming opposite me go full throttle and squeeze by! Had I not stopped completely, he would have banged into me. I smiled at him and told him, there are vehicles on my left, I cannot move my car anymore to the left. As I look ahead, a second auto does the exact same thing! Jeez!

Question.
Who has right of way?
1. Person who is closest to the constriction?
2. If both of them are equidistant, (and even otherwise), isn't the person who has space to his left who should stop? From the below pic, isn't person A (red) supposed to stop?

In my case, I was keeping minimum distance from the left row of parked cars, and I had a clear stretch in front of me. The guy coming from the opposite side, if he stuck to his left lane, would have an obstruction in front of him!

In my experience, I have found it easiest to come to a halt in my lane and let them maneuver their vehicle through the gap. It is a very frustrating situation.

[Soumyajit9]

Just found this piece of gyaan on facebook. Thought would be appropriate here

[amit_snk]

Originally Posted by asingh1977

Quite shocking to read something like this. It highlights how there is a lot of crime being committed on our streets. God forbid, the man reversing on your car by brute force was putting the latent passenger to high risk. Why would someone even do this because of a two minute marginal delay..? The average temperament of the street driver in India is really really volatile and foul. Basically.

Yeah, rather then shocking, it was a nightmare, I still get goosebumps thinking about that scene. Old man was a govt officer, why he did that? Only reason I can think of is, he might have had a bad day at the office. But thank god my family was safe at the end of all this

[Dieseldunk]

Road rage is becoming more rampant due to so many reasons. Few I can think of

Misaligned work life balance - frustration shown by the oppressed employee whilst on the road and wants to give vent to his emotional disturbance.

I am in a hurry and you are not attitude of people. I have been witness to this many times. A biker overtook me risking his life and limb and a few kms down the road I saw him oxygenating (smoking) his lumgs out.

Might is right and for wrong reasons.
I have always wondered why good drivers are selectively few and own not so big vehicles (no offense to anyone but a very generalized point to give a little poetical view). Govt buses volvos and trucks are often the culprit for road rage bottling up in the already disturbed mind.

On a lighter note even a zen master will be changing his attitude of peace within to pieces without if they ply on Indian roads especially cities.

Value based driving is out of the window and will continue to be so if we do not use restraint and inculcate the same amongst our fellow drivers.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by DDiSLover

Question.
Who has right of way?
--

In my experience, I have found it easiest to come to a halt in my lane and let them maneuver their vehicle through the gap. It is a very frustrating situation.

There is no concept of right of way in India. It may be there in the rule books which are long forgotten, but there is no value for it, as long as people do not follow it diligently.
What I would do in this situation - if the opposite vehicle is aggressive, and probably will not stop, I would stop in advance, giving him enough gap to pass through, and then a moment later, I would get a chance to move. No need to get frustrated. Bad that many people do not follow rules, but then, does our Government puts any emphasis on clearly understanding the rules, or know the right way of driving before giving license? Everybody who can move in first gear without license (in some cases, those who can pay for it) can get a license!
So, the situation will not change any time soon, so give way to others even if right of way is yours.

[DDiSLover]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

There is no concept of right of way in India. ... right of way is yours.

Completely agreed. There is no concept of right of way in India. I still want to know who has right of way in this situation, had it been in a country where rules were followed and due respect was given to fellow citizens.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by DDiSLover

I still want to know who has right of way in this situation, had it been in a country where rules were followed and due respect was given to fellow citizens.

In such countries where rules are followed, in the first place you would not have vehicles parked haphazardly on both sides of a narrow road!
Usually, parking will be on one side of the road, so that the traffic can flow smoothly. On a straight road, there should not be much need to turn your steering wheels end to end.
In your case, the problem initially was created by the person who parked the car in a wrong way - if anything the law has to do, it should first tow that wrongly parked car to the police station, before discussing the right of way between you and the auto!

[DDiSLover]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

In such ... between you and the auto!

Point noted!

I wonder if we will ever learn to drive sane. If not obey rules, the least I would want my fellow Indians to do is observer basic driving etiquette. Alas, with the way things are going, I believe this request would remain a dream forever.

[CliffHanger]

Originally Posted by vin11

Even if you don't have time for MMA or boxing, being regular at the gym also brings the much needed confidence and strength.

Don't confuse going to gym with getting the ability to defend yourself in case of an attack. Both are different. Don't be that regular gym goer, who does 4 days of biceps training in a week, and walk with his sleeves folded and an artificial air of superiority. The supposed confidence you get in gym can even lead you to fall in soup.

I started going to gym from 17, now I'm 30. Till 26 I was of the opinion I'm invincible to almost anyone just because I'm 189cm tall and built my body to 100kg. But this opinion changed when I met my friend who returned from the US and who was of same height and weight as me, but a professional in MMA and Boxing.

Imagine this - when he starts practising boxing in the gym, the gym goes silent, such is the speed. The sound and speed of his hits just takes everyone by surprise and everyone will stop whatever they do to catch the action. A few weeks spent with him, I realized I just don't have any ability to defend myself in case anyone makes a swift attack, I realized I am as good as anyone with respect to defending myself, I realized anyone with even a bit better agility and decent strength can knock me down.

But all these changed once I started training with him, I was fully motivated and very sincere in learning both the arts, and one month into the training I realized that I can knock almost anyone down in a fraction of a second.

Have to say that because of my height and weight I always get the respect of people and people rarely play the fool with me. And after two years of training with him, now I don't react for anything that happens on the road, because I know even if I let my temper a little loose, I will end up in jail.

Humans are animals and I believe learning self defense skills should be a part of every man, it was there since humans originated and it will be there till humans get extinct. Unfortunately men nowadays focus on getting the latest Apple iPhone and uploading pictures on facebook, only to get knocked down on one fine day and lose every ounce of confidence they have and end up feeling lost and turn philosophical in search of identity.

Almost everyone of us are in the rat race, I hope people realize that life is a miracle and there are so many things to be learned and experienced and one of the basic things among them is learning self defense skills, to protect ourselves, our families and our dignity.

Please start learning self defense skills and spread the awareness. You may never get a chance to use them, but you will always have the self assurance that your honor and dignity will never be breached by anyone.

[aqualeo2040]

Originally Posted by DDiSLover

Question.
Who has right of way?
1. Person who is closest to the constriction?
2. If both of them are equidistant, (and even otherwise), isn't the person who has space to his left who should stop? From the below pic, isn't person A (red) supposed to stop?

From my driving experiences in UK and across EU:
1.Unless specified with a clear marking on who has the right of way,if the cars are parked on the right lane, then vehicles on the left lane have the right of way and vice versa. Basically, if there is a car parked in my lane, then I will have to cross over to the opposite lane and cross back. Which means, I will have to make 2 manoeuvres to cross the parked car and hence I should not be impeding the oncoming traffic.
2. Even if I am closer to the vehicle, and the car is parked on my lane, I should not make the move if that entails the oncoming driver to slow down or brake. The aim again is to not hamper the flow of traffic. The easiest way is to ensure that the person does not have to make any changes to his driving. If I have a car parked in my lane, it is my responsibility to ensure that oncoming cars are not impacted. So, if I notice a car at a distance and he has to slow down for me to pass, then I am making a illegal move. During the driving license test, this will be a significant error and you will be failed.

Now, coming to desi traffic sense. We must go to the root of the problem. How does one learn to drive? Mostly parents/uncles/brothers or local driving school. The theory tests for Learner's License is a joke. The practical tests are even bigger ones.
So, a monkey can drive on Indian roads based on the current processes and regulations. Under such circumstances, I would safely assume that the oncoming driver is closer to his simian roots than I and hence yield. No use getting my lovely ego mixed into this as I can not and will not be keen to teach the person any kind of lessons, which would mostly be lost in translation(plus the colourful languages!)
You can try the desi dip technique : flash your dippers to indicate that you demand the right of way. Again, all depends on the depth of the understanding the oncoming person has. That means leaving too much on speculation and out of your control.

Funnily enough, there's a firang dip technique as well : If I flash my headlights, I am requesting the oncoming vehicle to pass. Yes, logically the more correct thing to do as I still remain in control of the situation as I have requested the person to go. In the other way around, if someone flashes their lights at you, it means that he/she has seen you and is requesting you to pass. Now that's proper road etiquette!

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by DDiSLover

Incident which happened today.

I was a witness to a little similar situation yesterday evening.

The person 'A' in red was a loaded Tata 407. The parked cars were at first, not parked in an arranged manner. To allow the 407 to pass, they were arranged. Me, i.e. green, was on my bike, and was waiting at the left most possible, giving sufficient space for the 407 to pass. Behind me was the other traffic (2-3 bikes and an Ace) waiting for the 407 to pass. We had kept our right side empty to allow space for the 407. All set and done, the 407 driver cranked his engine and crawled up some distance and reached the spot, where he was in between the parked cars. And suddenly, two auto rickshaws come from my right behind and overtake me and stop besides me after seeing the oncoming 407, blocking the 407's entire way. One of the rickshaw driver honk and peep out and try to say something to the 407 driver. The 407 driver and two other men came out and beat the auto driver black, red and blue. Seeing this, the other auto driver came to rescue the first, however he got beat and his rickshaw windshield was smashed. In all this fight, one thing I noticed was the public watching this scene was making dark fun of the auto drivers. Nobody showed any sympathy to them. When the police came, the 407 people backed off. The police too, did not sympathize with the beat up auto drivers and took them. It took another 20 minutes to clear the jam.

Question.
Who has right of way?

I would anticipate and allow the faster driver to pass and then move. In case the oncoming vehicle is a slow but heavy vehicle, I would allow that to pass.

[vin11]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Being polite & accepting/acknowledging your mistake works always.

Even in front of a supposedly "goon" with flinging a rod to attack you, full of rage, punching at your window?

Originally Posted by Sheel

The goon got furious because it was apparent, he was knowingly being held up. At least I would have shouted/screamed had someone held me knowingly for 15 mins.

Agreed, but what if you were driving on a part where you're not supposed to drive, i.e. left wheel off the road on sand and right wheel beyond the white line which means the end of the left-most lane (just to eliminate and get ahead of the traffic)?

Driving in a bad manner and still expecting people to move out and give you way? Being a BHPian, I sincerely expect sir that you would have helped someone like me in changing the tyre (or at least came out to inspect) rather than shouting/screaming to give way if you were driving off the road?

Originally Posted by Sheel

What would you have done Tau if someone took 15 mins to put the spare back?

Firstly, I wouldn't have driven on that part of the road if I had seen a parked car, witg hazard lights on and two guys changing the tyre (clearly indicating that the car cannot be moved). Secondly, if I was driving somehow on that part of the road, I would have tried to merge on the next lane (instead of standing on the other guy's head) and even helped them (or asked them for any help if they needed) if my way was blocked for so long.

Originally Posted by PGNarain

I am infact surprised that the safari guy waited that long and did not find space or a gap in the traffic to merge.

He made many attempts to cut into the other lane, but most drivers in UP (Uttar Pradesh, Meerut side) usually come from a rural background and are very aggressive. After 4-5 minutes of trying, he was left with no choice than to honk at me at 2-3 minute intervals.

But I do agree it was totally my mistake. Had I not held him up for that long, the chapter would have closed then and there. In those early years of driving, I was a crazy driver trying to correct/punish every wrong driver on the road. Eg - I would try and correct every car with high beams at night, I would not let anyone cut across my lane, and even let anyone closely tail me. As time passed, I stopped caring for them and ignore these people totally.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by vin11

In those early years of driving, I was a crazy driver trying to correct/punish every wrong driver on the road. Eg - I would try and correct every car with high beams at night, I would not let anyone cut across my lane, and even let anyone closely tail me. As time passed, I stopped caring for them and ignore these people totally.

Didnt this happen just lat year?

Safari guy really rocket-powered your road education, didnt he?
Just Joshing, man.
In UP , specifically, unless you have a party flag/sticker, or an acronym on you r plates, or a Lal/neeli/orange batti, stay in your lane, carry your speed, let all people through.

[vin11]

Originally Posted by mayankk

Didnt this happen just last year?

Yes, but I've clocked 86k km now and that happened somewhere around the 30k km mark - so that is some amount of driving to develop better driving skills and thinking.

Another similar (less severe) incident occured in March 2015 after which I have really learnt to ignore such trouble-causing people. Also I have completely lost my trust in Police after the 2nd incident. They are there to catch you at every signal but can't figure out "Which station a case belongs to" when you need them the most.

Originally Posted by mayankk

In UP , specifically, unless you have a party flag/sticker, or an acronym on you r plates, or a Lal/neeli/orange batti, stay in your lane, carry your speed, let all people through.

Very true. You forgot jet black tints!

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Being polite & accepting/acknowledging your mistake works always.

People are neither a saint there nor here & my work profile introduces me to people of various strata of society having all sorts of background.

Almost everyone, appreciates when one acknowledges one's mistake.

The goon got furious because it was apparent, he was knowingly being held up. At least I would have shouted/screamed had someone held me knowingly for 15 mins.



What would you have done Tau if someone took 15 mins to put the spare back?

IMHO, the Safari guy was a coward, had he got guts, he would have confronted the OP within the next 5 mins instead of honking/flashing.

OK - I think we're both aligned on the approach, just not on the timing.

I think the time to apologize and proactively and nicely reach out was while that gent was trying to merge back into the traffic from behind the OP's broken down car.

When that gent was raring for a fight and had already gotten into a "I'll beat these swift punks to a pulp" mode, then the other swift guy may have unknowingly gotten a badgering even before realizing what hit him. I don't think that gent was in a mood to discuss / observe in detail after vin11 "got away"!

But I could be wrong.