[rselva]

Originally Posted by lambuhere1

Just pass on the good done done to you to someone else in future. That way it gets passed and you will not feel guilty.

Pass it On

Thanks for the suggestion. That would help definitely in mitigating the guilt.

[Bh.P]

This morning, there was a traffic jam on the approach road to my office. There were many of us patiently driving one behind the other, when some morons started driving on the opposite lane and cutting in to the cars waiting in line. A moron in a Brezza tried to do that to me, and when I pointed that out, he was rude in responding to me. I just lost it, and wanted to make sure I do not let him get into the correct lane. In the process, I gently touched the car in front of me.
That guy came out, I apologized and said I would pay for any damages. He apparently worked in the same office so gave me his name.

However, when he proceeded ahead, I noticed there was no damage to his rear bumper, nor was there any to mine. However, I still found his email from our corporate directory and sent him a note saying I would pay for damages if any. I wanted him to confirm my assessment of no damage.

But he replied saying "I have no way to assess the damage, so we could arrive at an amount comfortable to either of us, or I could send the car to a service center and get an estimate". I asked him to do the later. I would have touched him at under 5 kmph, so I doubt there would be any internal damage, especially when there was no visible damage to the bumper.

But considering I did not take any pictures, I will have to go by what estimate he comes back with.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by Bh.P

But he replied saying "I have no way to assess the damage, so we could arrive at an amount comfortable to either of us, or I could send the car to a service center and get an estimate". I asked him to do the later. I would have touched him at under 5 kmph, so I doubt there would be any internal damage, especially when there was no visible damage to the bumper.

Please contact him at the earliest and try to meet him with his car before he leaves office today. If you both see that there is no damage to the bumper just tell him that since there is no damage there isn't a question of paying whatever estimate his service center comes up with.

Bumpers are made to withstand these 5kmph crahes (at least most bumpers) and they are flexible for the same reason.

Reason I ask you to contact him is if his car goes to the service center any work done on his car can be made to look like a bumper correction in the books (yes it possible) and assuming he's an honest guy the service center might just tell him that his bumper needs re-alignment or some fixing and still try to make a quick buck out of him.

Just go to the parking and close the matter today itself!

[no_boundaries]

Road rage gets the better of everybody over a period of time. Its like a suppressed energy in the subconscious and gets detonated upon the slightest provocation. This happens to me on the road more than any other place.

A 50 year old man walking across the road with absolutely no regard for the vehicles coming either side detonated me today.
Sensing a couple pull their car over to park I overtook the car to be confronted by this man right in front of me. He starts waving his hand and showing me his hand like he was abusing me. I lost my cool and blacked out with rage, rolled down my window and went "buffalo watch where you go". He crosses over and starts using all the english profanities loudly. I turned back and uttered similar words and drove off. Later, 5 minutes into my drive I was over come by this sense of guilt and self-pity. I've had a reasonably good day and this one episode ruined it for me.

All the things that I do to control my rage works 95% of the times and rest 5% I can only try to control. I'm trying really hard to overcome this and its not an easy path.

[neeravnaik]

Originally Posted by no_boundaries

All the things that I do to control my rage works 95% of the times and rest 5% I can only try to control. I'm trying really hard to overcome this and its not an easy path.

Yes it is tough being on our roads. There is just so much mess all around and people with no sense (civic/common/safety/self preservation/ any kind of ) are the absolute top of the list.

All of us spending so much time is so much aggravation on our roads is definitely not healthy for us.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by no_boundaries

Road rage gets the better of everybody over a period of time. Its like a suppressed energy in the subconscious and gets detonated upon the slightest provocation.

You summarized the entire essence of Road Rage so beautifully in choice of words.

In my opinion the reason why we are losing our best conduct is due to increased pressure at work and home front. We have so many things to attend to and so little time and road is a place where we spend significant time away from home and office. Instead of using this time to lament on our actions, many of us rush through it and end up angering others.

The worst is not even that, when we don't see remorse being displayed by the other party, everything snaps. I recently experienced this in a very personal issue of mine and I came to my senses only few days after that event.

I was the erring party. I took advantage of the situation and snapped when a I felt an opportunity was getting out of my hands. At that very moment I felt happiness of venting my anger, but when I sat and thought of my actions as a third party, I was indeed the one who crossed the line and it was not so "ME".

Neither am an Zen follower or Peace lover, but these events make us more strong.

I learnt a lesson and will never do same mistake in my life. No matter how much I am taunted. I will only think of my actions and take care that none are at disadvantage because of it.

[aaggoswami]

Confession :
Dont know how this happened to me today, but really lost my cool.

While trying to get on Old Padra Road, I had to take a right hand side turn at a junction. A lady driving Jazz squeezed in between on my right hand side me and the circle at junction. Then tried to cut across lane, and then finally going straight. Both ORVM were closed. Really lost it when she finally went straight. Next time, I will ride way too near to the circle; no options. Either car or two wheeler, somebody will try to slot into any gap.

First she almost managed brushing my car on right hand side , then cuts lane and finally goes in another direction. Something snapped in me, and am still angry. I dont how long this will last, but this incident has managed to spoil my day.

Regarding two wheeler riders, they actually managed to raise my anger level higher. Three individuals on a two wheeler, none of them wearing helmet and rear view mirror is something alien to them. Really, driving is becoming more of a tense activity. Complete chaos.

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Confession :
Dont know how this happened to me today, but really lost my cool.

While trying to get on Old Padra Road, I had to take a right hand side turn at a junction. A lady driving Jazz squeezed in between on my right hand side me and the circle at junction. Then tried to cut across lane, and then finally going straight. Both ORVM were closed. Really lost it when she finally went straight. Next time, I will ride way too near to the circle; no options. Either car or two wheeler, somebody will try to slot into any gap.

First she almost managed brushing my car on right hand side , then cuts lane and finally goes in another direction. Something snapped in me, and am still angry. I dont how long this will last, but this incident has managed to spoil my day.

Regarding two wheeler riders, they actually managed to raise my anger level higher. Three individuals on a two wheeler, none of them wearing helmet and rear view mirror is something alien to them. Really, driving is becoming more of a tense activity. Complete chaos.

I am totally lost with the illustration.

1. Why would you want to drive on the right half of the road at a round about?

2. Is the road ahead a one-way street?

3. Why would one want to turn left around the round about in the manner mentioned?

4. What is the thin line pointing to?

I can quite understand this illustration if it were in a Left Hand drive country.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by swissknife

I am totally lost with the illustration.

Attaching a google earth view.
I was coming from "Race Course Road", trying to get onto Old Padra Road.
The Jazz was coming from Old Padra Road and trying to get to parking in front of "Shivsagar" restaurant. Small star indicates where the Jazz trying to squeeze into me and the circle, and around a few meters ahead cut across lanes to get to parking in front of shiv sagar restaurant.

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Attaching a google earth view.
I was coming from "Race Course Road", trying to get onto Old Padra Road.
The Jazz was coming from Old Padra Road and trying to get to parking in front of "Shivsagar" restaurant. Small star indicates where the Jazz trying to squeeze into me and the circle, and around a few meters ahead cut across lanes to get to parking in front of shiv sagar restaurant.

Now, this is clear unlike the illustration.

A rule of the road which I wish to draw to your attention here;

At a round about, vehicles to ones right get precedence. In your case, I would say that the Jazz had the right of way at the round about.

[aqualeo2040]

Originally Posted by swissknife

Now, this is clear unlike the illustration.

A rule of the road which I wish to draw to your attention here;

At a round about, vehicles to ones right get precedence. In your case, I would say that the Jazz had the right of way at the round about.

The right of way around a roundabout: I think we can write a book longer than the Iliad about it.
Thad can add in more.

This ubiquitous British installation demands one to be on the outer lane if the exit is less than 12-o-clock(90 degrees) and in the inside lane if it is greater than 90 degrees.
The second rule of the roundabout is that vehicles merging into a roundabout should not cause oncoming vehicles to slow down or change speed. The vehicle merging should wait until they get the opportunity.

The roundabout has the most number of victims when it comes to UK Driving test.
So, did aaggoswami slow down/stop to let the lady go by?
Don't worry, even I wasnt very clear about the rules until I landed up behind the wheels on UK roads.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by prithm

The worst is not even that, when we don't see remorse being displayed by the other party, everything snaps. I recently experienced this in a very personal issue of mine and I came to my senses only few days after that event.

The reality is road rage is not normal rage, its a mix of our own emotions and the fault/perceived fault of the other motorist. More often than not it is justified because it comes from our natural instinct of self-defense and that of righting a wrong. Each time I've lost it on the road it is because the other motorists show absolute zero concern for the safety of others and do everything to put themselves and others in harms way. We got our licenses because we pledged to drive safe and keep the roads a sane place, most of the motorists out there abuse their right to helm a vehicle and that is simply not going to work for me.

Being a humble, good natured, non-violent person.. all great to me, in theory. Even "God" would be confused on what works on earth and what doesn't.. I'm an atheist and to me peace is more important than any religious person on earth and I wouldn't like to hurt a fly.. with people though sometimes a man has got to stick for himself and his family and defend everything that is fair and good about earth.. when that time comes I will fight, verbally or otherwise.

Road rage is not a disease nor a mental issue, its a few of us trying to keep anarchy from becoming the norm. Rash drivers who pick on other motorists for no reason and for not giving way - that is not road rage that is mental retardation that needs urgent institutionalizing.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Road rage is not a disease nor a mental issue, its a few of us trying to keep anarchy from becoming the norm. Rash drivers who pick on other motorists for no reason and for not giving way - that is not road rage that is mental retardation that needs urgent institutionalizing.

This is the gist actually.

Many a times, the wrong doers make a point of their action as a right and that is the breaking point for anyone.

Driving rash or outrageously on road is not going to do good to anyone. What is the end result ?

See so many kids now days driving Honda Activa (most famous and visible brand of non-geared scooters) when their toes barely touch the ground when they are seated. Yet, parents have no concern for their ward's safety or the public.

Public sympathize with these morons and blame the other party saying they are kids and we should have been more careful.

Some years back one guy in traffic signal put his leg under my motorcycle front tyre and started to blame me. He went from saying that had this happened in his "Area", things would have been different to extent of taking refuge under his religion and blamed me for "persecuting" him.

It is then I knew that Human tendency under these circumstances is to either to overpower the other person or play victim. My brother pacified both sensing it will turn into a uncomfortable situation since "sensitive" topic was being discussed.

Human and Human Tendency.

[procrj]

Not a confession but a moral confusion.

Yesterday on FB I saw a post where an old lady (50+) was physically assaulted by a younger woman (30ish). This was because the young woman was unable to move her car as the old lady's husband had parked his car in front of the the young woman's car and walked across the road into a shop for a few minutes. From the post & pics it looked like this had occurred on a relatively busy street in Bangalore, which is a no parking zone.

The post was put up by the old lady's son/daughter and all the replies on the post were only talking about how this was uncivilized and the young woman needs to be taken to task.

While I do agree that the young woman was wrong to physically assault the old lady but is not the old man at fault here as well? He parked in such a way that he was blocking the other car? (ignoring the fact that the other car was also parked in a probable no parking zone).

Unable to find the FB post now and hence not sharing.

[Jaguar]

I too had the same thought when I saw the post on FB. Everyone seems to be finding fault with the young lady.

I think there is more to it than what was written.