[Vikram8891]

Originally Posted by Shanksta

My only question is why you chose to return in the same route on your way back? You already had a bad experience so you could have taken an alternative route. Why have the bad experience on your way back too?

By any chance is this the route that passes through Barwara.

Hi Shanksta,

I was kicking myself as to why I took the same route. The thing is, as we left from there, we totally forgot to choose a separate route. This was plain carelessness on my part and there is no excuse for going head on into the situation again. At least on the way back we saw a convoy of cars and hence it wasnt as scary.

I am attaching the route we took. Not too sure how to make attachments in the thread so forgive me if you cant see it.

[humyum]

Although I am a very calm person by nature, today I had an incident of road rage which ruined my morning.

I keep hearing in the news all the time that because of road rage, X got killed, Y got stabbed etc and hence I have made it a point to just move on.

Below the Gandhinagar flyover straight goes to powai, right goes to Kanjurmarg and left goes to Vikroli. I was in the middle lane and the lane for the left had started moving, I put my indicator out and started moving the car to the left, some cars passed and since there was no place for the Xcent who was a cab to pass, I moved to the lane only to find him trying to squeeze in even there was no space. That kind of irked me that I have put an indicator out, there is no space, still this guy is trying to squeeze in why?

I moved to the right, shifted to 1st from second and jammed the accelerator, got ahead of him and just turned the steering left, he had to brake. ( This was my mistake and a typical road rage scenario). He then brakes comes to my right and tells me to lower my window, by this time I am fuming and I lower my window, an old uncle and a guy who looked like a typical gunda tells me 'Itna ghai kya hai tere ko'? I tell him 'tere ko ghai hai kya'? And then he abuses me and that is when I start abusing him back, he pulls over to the right and tells me to get out, I pickup my spanner from the backseat pocket where I keep it always 'just in case', and show it him.

He just staring at me and I keep looking at him, by this time I am so angry that I can feel the heat in my ears. I keep the spanner in my hand thinking 'What if'?

Later when I take my turn I realise all this was for nothing, absolutely nothing. I want to go back to that guy and tell them 'Sorry' for getting angry but then I can't do that as I have taken the turn or I don't know what people plan to do about these things these days.

I just sit in my office chair thinking 'How for nothing I ruined my day'.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by humyum

Below the Gandhinagar flyover straight goes to powai, right goes to Kanjurmarg and left goes to Vikroli. I was in the middle lane and the lane for the left had started moving, I put my indicator out and started moving the car to the left, some cars passed and since there was no place for the Xcent who was a cab to pass, I moved to the lane only to find him trying to squeeze in even there was no space. That kind of irked me that I have put an indicator out, there is no space, still this guy is trying to squeeze in why?

You were actually in the wrong. Just because you showed your left indicator does'nt mean you can change lanes. You're supposed to wait till that lane is clear of vehicles and then move. Imagine if everyone changed lanes at will, only cos the traffic in the left/right was moving faster than their lane. That would be chaotic, would'nt it? We all hate it when someone cuts us off, even if he has used his indicator.

Anyways, glad that better sense prevailed finally, and there was no real harm done. Have a good day buddy.

[Nav-i-gator]

Originally Posted by humyum

I was in the middle lane and the lane for the left had started moving, I put my indicator out and started moving the car to the left, some cars passed and since there was no place for the Xcent who was a cab to pass, I moved to the lane only to find him trying to squeeze in even there was no space. That kind of irked me that I have put an indicator out, there is no space, still this guy is trying to squeeze in why?

You are the kind of drivers who make my blood boil while on the road. Indicators are to "request" space for turning/cutting lanes, not to squeeze in the lanes going faster. Please understand, the guy following the lane discipline have every right to "not allow" you cut into his/her lane in front of them.

Good that you realized your futile rage, and I hope you realized your mistake as well. And apologies if I may sound rude.

[paragsachania]

Guys I don't think Humyum actually assumed that turning on his car's indicators gave him the right of way, invariably.

I am sure he meant he found a gap (safe enough for his and others' speed) by assessing the mirror and then indicated anyone approaching behind this gap which is something we all do.

But the fact remains that even the most patient driver who is driving with all peace will suddenly surge forward the moment he sees someone invading the space ahead of him even if that is going to hardly matter to him at all - Do we not see this every day?

This is exactly what I think happened here unless I have understood it all wrong.

I know we are a country where the wrong party turns on headlights to caution and shoo away the right one.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Nav-i-gator

You are the kind of drivers who make my blood boil while on the road. Indicators are to "request" space for turning/cutting lanes, not to squeeze in the lanes going faster. Please understand, the guy following the lane discipline have every right to "not allow" you cut into his/her lane in front of them.

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

You were actually in the wrong.

I am guessing he means to say that he let cars pass, and when he got an opportunity he started moving to the left. When he was moving to the left, an Xcent (Uber/Ola) that was behind him on the left lane decided to hurry up and squeeze his car in before Humyum could get his car in (even though the Xcent was probably off to a slow start that resulted in the gap forming in the first place).
So while an ordinary driver like you, and me; would let Humyum's car pass as it had already come into my lane - the Xcent guy tried to squeeze his car in further.

Honestly, it's not humyum's fault entirely but the Xcent guys too for getting an ant in his pants after seeing humyum entering his lane (when there was space).

I could be wrong in my understanding, but given how a lot of these yellow number plate cars drive in Mumbai - this is how I see the situation playing out. Probably not a reason enough to get riled up about, but definitely annoying.

Unfortunately in Mumbai, some junctions see so much traffic that you are forced to squeeze in, or you just end up maintaining status quo.

Originally Posted by humyum

I put my indicator out and started moving the car to the left, some cars passed and since there was no place for the Xcent who was a cab to pass, I moved to the lane only to find him trying to squeeze in even there was no space. That kind of irked me that I have put an indicator out, there is no space, still this guy is trying to squeeze in why?

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

I am guessing he means to say that he let cars pass, and when he got an opportunity he started moving to the left...

..Unfortunately in Mumbai, some junctions see so much traffic that you are forced to squeeze in, or you just end up maintaining status quo.

So basically, we're now advocating changing lanes if you see the traffic moving faster there, and while we're at it, lets also shift to a lower gear, ram the accelerator and cut off the other guy who is legitimately sticking to his lane. Oh and yes, lets not forget to also typecast him if he's a cabbie, bus, truck, etc. Those yellow plate guys, I know how they drive, really bad that he got ants in his pants.

Keep this up and then wonder why our roads are chaotic.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

So basically, we're now advocating changing lanes if you see the traffic moving faster there, and while we're at it, lets also shift to a lower gear, ram the accelerator and cut off the other guy who is legitimately sticking to his lane. Oh and yes, lets not forget to also typecast him if he's a cabbie, bus, truck, etc. Those yellow plate guys, I know how they drive, really bad that he got ants in his pants.

Keep this up and then wonder why our roads are chaotic.

Actually - the whole point of this thread is road rage confessions. It isn't something for us to be proud about and coming out here and admitting it is one step towards curbing it.

And no where did I say change lane because traffic is moving faster. You change lanes only when you have to, and Humyum had to change his lane when he spotted the gap. However, the xcent didn't like it (shouldn't have left the gap in the first place, right?) and decided to squeeze his car in even though there was no space - that means humyum had enough space to get his car substantially into the left lane before the Xcent driver decided to act smart.

As for cabbies & busses - yes, we do know how they drive. Which is why we go out of our way to protect our cars from them. Trucks though are pretty decent thankfully
But on a serious note, yes - biases/perceptions exist, for a reason, based on past experiences - be it the KTM Duke riders, be it cars with dents, or be it cars with yellow plates. Heck, even traffic police are biased towards people from certain states, and certain vehicles!

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by humyum

Although I am a very calm person by nature, today I had an incident of road rage which ruined my morning.
....'.

Relax! These kind of things happen. Only thing is you shouldn't have reacted in the first place. We do not have ideal driving conditions and i frequent powai so I can understand what you were going through.
Over the time I have realized that arguing with people on the road will yield no results. Neither are they educated about road rules nor do they have basic civic sense. Everyone is driving around with inflated ego's and are ready to burst and abuse. I only roll down the windows of my car when I have to apologize, rest of the time I make sure I ignore idiots on the road. It's simply not worth it. Just down shift, accelerate and move on. You shouldn't expect a lot from the people of a country who justify wrong side riding or driving just to save their fuel costs at the cost of their own and fellow road users safety.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Actually - the whole point of this thread is road rage confessions. It isn't something for us to be proud about and coming out here and admitting it is one step towards curbing it.

..Heck, even traffic police are biased towards people from certain states, and certain vehicles!

If you took the trouble to read Humyums post in its entirety, you would know that he decided to switch from the middle lane to the left when he saw the left signal opening up and traffic moving there. He did'nt even want to go left, he just wanted to change lanes to move to the faster lane. There were some vehicles which went by and then Humyum thought he could squeeze in, but the xcent sped up to close the gap. Once Humyum saw that he couldn't make the switch, he moved from 2nd to 1st gear, accelerated in his lane, and cut off the Xcent with a sharp left turn.

Is this acceptable behaviour to you? For this you also went to the extent of blaming the cabbie for having ants in his pants. Sorry mate, you are biased against cabbies but most importantly you're ignorant of driving rules and etiquette.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

If you took the trouble to read Humyums post in its entirety, you would know that he decided to switch from the middle lane to the left when he saw the left signal opening up and traffic moving there. He did'nt even want to go left, he just wanted to change lanes to move to the faster lane.

I completely agree with you - if he didn't intend to turn left, I'd be one of the first people to be cursing him out (I see enough such people everyday who end up blocking my left turn), but quoting from his post:

Later when I take my turn I realise all this was for nothing, absolutely nothing. I want to go back to that guy and tell them 'Sorry' for getting angry but then I can't do that as I have taken the turn or I don't know what people plan to do about these things these days.

Also, I am negatively biased towards taxis - Because most of my near misses are due to them, and given the amount of time they spend behind the wheel everyday, they should definitely have better mannerisms. If I wasn't biased, I wouldn't be as careful around them, and my car would have a lot more scratches.

That being said, I do agree that not all taxi drivers are bad. Heck, my current chauffeur is an ex-taxi driver. But he rarely honks, he gives indicators for everything, avoids potholes, keeps the car clean, and is patient.

EDIT: Just wanted to add that the reason I still put part of the blame on Humyum (in my first post) is because he wasn't in the left lane when he wanted to take the left turn.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

You were actually in the wrong. Just because you showed your left indicator does'nt mean you can change lanes..

..Anyways, glad that better sense prevailed finally, and there was no real harm done. Have a good day buddy.

No man, I turned on my indicator and started moving to the left after letting a few cars into the moving traffic. Only when there was no space behind for the accent to pass is when I moved a lot more to the left and he squeezed his car like an mm away from my bumper to not let me through, I was not cutting him off.

Originally Posted by Nav-i-gator

You are the kind of drivers who make my blood boil while on the road. Indicators are to "request" space for turning/cutting lanes, not to squeeze in the lanes going faster. Please understand, the guy following the lane discipline have every right to "not allow" you cut into his/her lane in front of them.

Good that you realized your futile rage, and I hope you realized your mistake as well. And apologies if I may sound rude.

My mistake I think was cutting him off purposely by punching the accelerator in 1st after he squeezed his car in. I had to turn left and hence I was moving to the left.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Guys I don't think Humyum actually assumed that turning on his car's indicators gave him the right of way, invariably..

I know we are a country where the wrong party turns on headlights to caution and shoo away the right one.

This is exactly how it happened Parag.

Originally Posted by lamborghini

I am guessing he means to say that he let cars pass, and when he got an opportunity he started moving to the left. .

Honestly, it's not humyum's fault entirely but the Xcent guys too for getting an ant in his pants after seeing humyum entering his lane (when there was space).

I could be wrong in my understanding, but given how a lot of these yellow number plate cars drive in Mumbai - this is how I see the situation playing out. Probably not a reason enough to get riled up about, but definitely annoying.

Unfortunately in Mumbai, some junctions see so much traffic that you are forced to squeeze in, or you just end up maintaining status quo.

I got angry for nothing, I totally agree. I should not have opened the window and answered back too, just behaved like nothing happened and moved on.

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

So basically, we're now advocating changing lanes if you see the traffic moving faster there, and while we're at it, lets also shift to a lower gear, ram the accelerator and cut off the other guy who is legitimately sticking to his lane. Oh and yes, lets not forget to also typecast him if he's a cabbie, bus, truck, etc. Those yellow plate guys, I know how they drive, really bad that he got ants in his pants.

Keep this up and then wonder why our roads are chaotic.

Bhai, the first attempt to change lanes was with indicators and proper gap, it's like if you are overtaking someone on a single lane highway and he suddenly rams the accelerator to not let you pass, will it be really nice?

The second time I deliberately sunk the accelerator down and cut him off and I agree that is completely my fault and road rage on my part. I am 100% guilty of that and I feel sorry for it too and not an iota of me is proud of it.

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Actually - the whole point of this thread is road rage confessions. It isn't something for us to be proud about and coming out here and admitting it is one step towards curbing it.

And no where did I say change lane because traffic is moving faster. You change lanes only when you have to, and Humyum had to change his lane when he spotted the gap. However, the xcent didn't like it (shouldn't have left the gap in the first place, right?) and decided to squeeze his car in even though there was no space - that means humyum had enough space to get his car substantially into the left lane before the Xcent driver decided to act smart.

Yeah, somehow he did not like that and put his car there like literally squeezed it in there.

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Relax! These kind of things happen. Only thing is you shouldn't have reacted in the first place. We do not have ideal driving conditions and i frequent powai so I can understand what you were going through.

Just down shift, accelerate and move on. You shouldn't expect a lot from the people of a country who justify wrong side riding or driving just to save their fuel costs at the cost of their own and fellow road users safety.

I agree, moving on is the best bet.

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

If you took the trouble to read Humyums post in its entirety, you would know that he decided to switch from the middle lane to the left when he saw the left signal opening up and traffic moving there. He did'nt even want to go left, he just wanted to change lanes to move to the faster lane. There were some vehicles which went by and then Humyum thought he could squeeze in, but the xcent sped up to close the gap. Once Humyum saw that he couldn't make the switch, he moved from 2nd to 1st gear, accelerated in his lane, and cut off the Xcent with a sharp left turn.

Is this acceptable behaviour to you? For this you also went to the extent of blaming the cabbie for having ants in his pants. Sorry mate, you are biased against cabbies but most importantly you're ignorant of driving rules and etiquette.

I was moving to the left lane because I had to take the left turn. If you know this road you will know that when you enter this left turn area, there are two lanes and these 2 lanes bifurcate to 3 lanes a little ahead where in people who want to go right, go to right lane, left go to left lane and people who want to go straight stick to the centre lane. Sometimes the traffic is so much for the left lane that the left and centre lane are occupied by the left lane. Add to this khichdi there is a bus stop here too which when a bus stops, all the lanes are blocked as its on the road which has two lanes, its a mess!

Originally Posted by lamborghini

I completely agree with you - if he didn't intend to turn left, I'd be one of the first people to be cursing him out (I see enough such people everyday who end up blocking my left turn), but quoting from his post:.

EDIT: Just wanted to add that the reason I still put part of the blame on Humyum (in my first post) is because he wasn't in the left lane when he wanted to take the left turn.

I wanted to turn left and hence was moving to the left lane so that when I go ahead I would not be in a situation where the people going straight are standing still and I am stuck behind them.

[jayded]

Originally Posted by humyum

I just sit in my office chair thinking 'How for nothing I ruined my day'.

Appreciate you keeping your cool at the end and not getting into a very dicey situation which would've ruined your life, let alone your day. I don't think you owed him an apology whatsoever, but should've just ignored him and moved on. Going that extra mile to be pleasant to people nowadays will just let them behave the same way every time. Just look elsewhere and keep driving.

@ People talking about driving rules.
Please give it a break. For once try not to be judgmental and hurl textbook rules around, instead try to read and understand the tone of a post. It's a confession for god's sake. He is not proud of what he did.

And yes, the majority of Cab drivers are terrible.

[mkpiyengar]

Originally Posted by autospeaker

2 things I am feeling guilty for - not paying the full toll fee and blocking the way for 2 rs. :(

So instead of pocketing Rs.2 you helped in pocket Rs.10 since he did not give
you the toll receipt.

Cheers
MKP

[autospeaker]

Originally Posted by mkpiyengar

So instead of pocketing Rs.2 you helped in pocket Rs.10 since he did not give
you the toll receipt.

Yeah. Realized later though. My bad.