[ninjatalli]

This is about 2 months old but relevant. I was heading back home from a different part of the city on my Interceptor 650 when a slightly elderly man asked for a lift as I slowed at a signal. I said fine as his destination was close to where I was heading and I asked him to get behind me. The man was slightly shorter in height and he asked me to hold the bike at an incline for him to take the back-seat.

I could sense he was quite uncomfortable and I drove slowly but that didn't seem to make him feel better. Not sure what was exactly causing a problem but about a km or two later, he asks me to stop at the next signal and gets off the bike, muttering something that I couldn't hear. I asked him if he was sure as the destination he had mentioned was still quite far away. He quickly walks off, clearly a bit miffed at his discomfort and the lost chance of getting a free ride

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

This is about 2 months old but relevant. I was heading back home from a different part of the city on my Interceptor 650 when a slightly elderly man asked for a lift as I slowed at a signal. I said fine as his destination was close to where I was heading and I asked him to get behind me. The man was slightly shorter in height and he asked me to hold the bike at an incline for him to take the back-seat.

You have done a good deed with pure intentions. However, I would advise you to never offer rides to anyone you meet on the road. This person was uncomfortable and luckily he got off without any issue. Imagine if he sways behind you, while falling off, tries to grab you and you also take a tumble.

Hope you see the risk/danger in this and don’t repeat it again. Even if the pillion who you don’t know falls off without dragging you down, imagine the trouble legal and otherwise if he/she gets seriously or lightly injured.

Cheers

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

You have done a good deed with pure intentions. However, I would advise you to never offer rides to anyone you meet on the road.

Hope you see the risk/danger in this and don’t repeat it again. Even if the pillion who you don’t know falls off without dragging you down, imagine the trouble legal and otherwise if he/she gets seriously or lightly injured.

Cheers

+1 to what you have said. I once gave a ride to a juvenile pick-pocketer dressed in school clothes who actually picked my wallet from my behind. I had to run to police station only to be ignored at first and then waste my full day in chasing everyone to get the fix done. That is a long story that I may have already posted here some time back but don't remember if I indeed did

But ....

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

This is about 2 months old but relevant.

Not everyone is bad and I don't want to get into the negative thinking process of doubting everyone. We are humans after all. Long back, when I had less money than my needs, I was helped by such people. Saving Rs 5 of the Auto-rickshaw was also helpful in those days. So it is good to be careful and cautious and yet open to help others when they ask.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by sunilch

Not everyone is bad and I don't want to get into the negative thinking process of doubting everyone. We are humans after all. Long back, when I had less money than my needs, I was helped by such people. Saving Rs 5 of the Auto-rickshaw was also helpful in those days. So it is good to be careful and cautious and yet open to help others when they ask.

Sunil, unfortunately times and human behaviour have degraded from 20-30 years ago. Believing in the overall goodness of people generally can be very costly nowadays.

I never give a lift to anyone unknown, two or four wheeler, it’s simply not worth the risk. Even if the person is genuine a two wheeler is even more dangerous as the pillion may fall or cause you to fall because they may move/sway behind you.

To each his/her own at the end of the day

Cheers

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

This is about 2 months old but relevant. I was heading back home from a different part of the city on my Interceptor 650 when a slightly elderly man asked for a lift as I slowed at a signal.

A similar incident happened with me, about 17 years ago. I was returning from college on my Kinetic Honda and an elderly man flagged me down. This was on a road, between two big chowks, that was being concretised so the only traffic on it were people staying somewhere in between those two junctions - no buses / autos. This gentleman stayed about 2km beyond my place but I thought of dropping him anyway given that he did not have any other option, and it was the middle of the day during summer.

When we reached his place, his entire family was already at the society gate since he'd taken too long to return. They then insisted that I come to their place for lemon juice. This was all quite embarrassing, a) you're not used to going over random people's houses for juice, b) you're absolutely not used to elders pleading.

I went over, had that glass of juice and just as I was leaving, got the classic, "try to talk some sense into this man if possible", directed at the elderly gent. Apparently our old dude had a history of fainting in intense heat and was out for some bank work (national favourite passtime: passbook printing probably) against all advice.

[adisan]

While on the topic of giving lifts to unknown people, there was an incident where someone had to pay a fine for doing so in his white-board vehicle.
There is a separate thread which discussed it: Giving a lift to an unknown person is illegal

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Even if the person is genuine a two wheeler is even more dangerous as the pillion may fall or cause you to fall because they may move/sway behind you.

Once a guy got on my bike and dozed off almost immediately (probably he was going home in the morning after a night shift). Every time I braked, his head would bang on my helmet. Promptly stopped at the next bus stop and asked him to catch a bus.

[IndieGooner]

The discussion on giving lifts reminded me of an old incident narrated by a friend. My friend took pity and gave lift to a disabled man. After dropping this guy at some junction, he proceeded down the road. On his way back from his errands, he found some commotion at the same junction and there was police too. On enquiring, my friend came to know that the guy he dropped earlier was a dreaded hoodlum! He had asked to be dropped there specially so that he could go extort money of some poor shop keeper at that junction. Without any knowledge whatsoever, my friend had become accomplice in a crime.

Luckily for my friend, no one identified him as the guy who dropped the hooligan just a few minutes back and he could get away. If it was today, police would have certainly picked him up from some CCTV footage.

[the_joker]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Once a guy got on my bike and dozed off almost immediately ...

This actually reminds me of an event that happened during my college days. My friend an I had an interview at 8 am. Since we stayed more than 20 kms away from the spot, we planned to leave early, about 6:30 am, on my bike and have breakfast somewhere near the interview venue. We did this, attended the interview, and were on our way back after lunch.
I took the same route that I took in the morning. My friend kept asking me why is it taking so long on the way back, and that he doesn't remember any of the landmarks. He insisted that I've taken a wrong route on the way back.
I was a confused by this, and after some discussion, we figured out that he had slept through most of the ride in the morning. He wasn't a morning person, and the 6:30 am start time meant waking up before 6 am, which he never did. Apparently he had fallen asleep on my back, and I never noticed. We had to go through the Outer Ring Road, and it was like a highway back then with smooth roads and no traffic at all. It made the bike ride smooth enough that he didn't fall over.

[ninjatalli]

These are recent incidents that could fit in the road rage thread but since it was funny for me as a side-audience, so I'm posting here.

Incident 1
We are in a cab heading from one end of Bangalore to another end that lasted more than an hour of driving in somewhat heavy traffic. As we came close to our destination, the last part of the road was a small lane with lots of speed humps. With the driver included, we were 5 folks in the car so the driver was going over the humps diagonally to prevent scrapping.

There was another car behind us in a hurry and he got really irritated with the moderate speeds of our driver and that he couldn't overtake him at the speed humps, and was honking at us like an idiot. After two back to back humps, he finally got the chance to overtake us and then in typical revenge style, dropped his speed to around 20+, and drove blocking the lane. Our driver by then was pissed off, and started the honking business and tried hard to overtake him, but there was no space.

Co-incidently, we both headed to the same gated society so it was quite comical to see our car literally following him bumper to bumper at ~20kmph, and honking constantly. At the gate in front of the security guards, both drivers got out and started shouting at him.
The other driver was like "I'm in a hurry, and you were driving so slow"
Our driver "if you were in a hurry, then why did you drive at 20kmph for over a km"
and lots of cursing thrown in.

The amusing part was the look on the security guards who were still trying to figure out who's house both cars were heading to and at the same time trying to stop this fight. Thankfully, it ended without any blows being shared and we ended the ride right there, while the other car quickly headed to their destination apartment.


Incident 2
This was in front of Garuda mall (Bangalore), and I just stopped at the signal when this old chap in a scooter came behind me honking like crazy. After a few seconds of non-stop honking, I turned back and told/pointed to him that the signal is still red.

His face is all angry and he shouts back "I'm honking at this idiot on a bike next to you who's been doing this (honking) at the last two signals behind me. I'm giving him a taste of his own medicine!" The other guy just shrugs and looks ahead.

After a min of further honking, the light turns green, and I give both vehicles enough space to continue their "fight" till the next signal.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by the_joker

We had to go through the Outer Ring Road, and it was like a highway back then with smooth roads and no traffic at all. It made the bike ride smooth enough that he didn't fall over.

Talking about coincidence, my experience also happened on the Outer Ring Road over 10 years ago.

[simplyself]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

A similar incident happened with me, about 17 years ...

I went over, had that glass of juice and just as I was leaving, got the classic, "try to talk some sense into this man if possible", directed at the elderly gent. Apparently our old dude had a history of fainting in intense heat and was out for some bank work (national favourite passtime: passbook printing probably) against all advice.

My father's favourite passtime too used to be this, going to bank for passbook printing or withdrawing cash ( even though he had an ATM card). He used to start around 11.30 am - 12 noon, walk about 3 km to bank, and come back by 2 pm, all in mid May. My mother used to go bonkers and shout at him but he never heeded her .

[arun_josie]

All is well that ends well. A close encounter with a puppy on the highway few Kms before Electronics City:

This happened on the Attibele - EC stretch. The traffic was moving at a decent pace and I see a Santro stopped on the middle of the road with hazard light ON. I was on that same lane and I slowed down and came to a stop behind the Santro. Then I saw a puppy walking beside the Santro and going under it.

Two things: I was worried that the puppy may get run over by some vehicle and I might get rear-ended right there. I couldn’t and didn’t want to open the door and get out as the lanes on either side of me had free-flowing traffic.

Meanwhile, the puppy came out behind the Santro and decided to walk right under my car. I waited for few seconds and kept checking my mirrors to spot the puppy. Thankfully one two-wheeler stopped behind me and when it came out from under my car, he carried the puppy to the shoulder. Also, another guy who was standing little ahead on the roadside and watching the whole episode signaled me to proceed. A close-shave for the puppy and a nerve-wracking hold-up for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irjrPgGxdv4

[ashis89]

A new petrol pump is coming up near to where I stay. While the pump is not ready yet and workers continue to complete the pending items, some commuters think otherwise. Every day I see some gullible guy going in to the bunk (past the small rocks deliberately kept at its entrance) for a refuel and then, coming out dejected.


Earlier today, while returning from my morning walk, I see an Alto in the petrol bunk but with one of the rear wheels in the air. I looked closer and realized that it's front right wheel had fallen into a manhole (over the underground fuel tank). A middle-aged gentleman (probably the car owner) was angrily looking at the car while one of the worker was trying to place a jack under the sunken wheel.

In the past, I have recovered couple of cars which were 'sunk' in similar fashion and hence, went to help them. Asked the owner to open the left rear door and climb onto the door sill to create counter weight. It wasn't enough and as such, I asked a worker to sit in the boot. The front wheel had risen considerably from the pit. Two of us pushed it out of the hole. Got a thanks from the owner and I let him continue scolding the workers while I resumed my walk.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

A close encounter with a puppy on the highway

More than a decade ago, I underwent a similar experience in the city traffic of Pune. A tiny kitten was darting in the middle of the road and almost got killed as another vehicle in front of me went over it. I stopped my car in the middle right there, picked him up and then parked on the left side shoulder. Tried looking for its mother, couldn't see any adult cat. It seemed like somebody had left him on the road - he was extremely used to human contact too and got comfortable with me, very fast. Needless to say, I couldn't leave him there and I brought him home.


That's how I got my first pet cat in my life (and the first of many more), with absolutely no prior plans to have one.


most recent pic of the fella