[amit_purohit20]

I just want to vent out one event here. I relocated from Mumbai to Pune. This happened on the road adjacent to my house. This road was initially a one-way road but now its no more a one-way but users still think of it as a one-way road.

I was coming back from office. And as usual Puneites have filled all the three lanes of this road. I was already on the edge of the road on my motorbike. When a santro car coming in opposite direction comes straight on to me. I properly remember the guy adjusting his steering such that I come exactly in the middle of his car. To achieve this he drove one side of his car off the road to ensure he hits me.
I turned sharply and got out off the road to avoid a head on collision which was being caused purposefully with a bad intent. There was enough space for the Santro to pass beside me, but still the driver chose to hit me bang on.

When the driver and his colleagues all who were drunk didn't succeed in knocking me off they hurled abuses on me and spitted on me. Luckily I wasn't affected and I drove off without even stopping and having a look behind. This spot is right in front of my balcony.
Had I stopped I would have been beaten up and left to die in the darkness of the road and that too in front of my own house. And I bet my housemembers wouldnot have even noticed this. I bet these were one of the so called "Goontha mantris" (Goontha stands for a meaure of land area in Marathi) who think they still own the land even after they sold it long back.
I was lucky not to hit the car or fall down and thank god for the situation to be majorly uneventfull.
As someone has said no body is going to feed my family after I am not there. So it really doesnot makes sense to pickup a fight with these modern Ravan's.

[Macfreak7]

That's quite a tough situation. Good thing you were able to get out of it without any physical injury, or more serious violence.
My advice to you is to take up some self defense classes. Your impulsive reaction to such situations will automatically become curtailed and in addition give you the self confidence to deal with the guy (or 4 guys) by actually stepping out of your car. Of course it's a long term commitment before any self defense technique will actually be useful, but it seems to be the need of the hour to at least begin.

Here's my suggestion:
http://www.kravmagaindia.in/locations/mumbai

Be safe, and Happy Diwali!

[SmartCat]

One thing that has worked for me very well over the years is my "SMILE & WAVE" technique.

Whenever somebody yells at me on the road, I make eye contact, smile broadly and wave my hand (like you do when you see an old friend from a distance). This action simply puts them off guard - such people never expect a reaction like that. One they gather their senses, I think they keep wondering if I know them (or they know me somehow).

They always leave the scene perplexed and drive on, rather than stop to pick up a fight.

This has worked very well for me over the years, in many cities across India, and in both cities and highways. And you end up having the last laugh, without saying a word.

[S2!!!]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYYLhfjxYgw

Came across this video on how to deal with road rage.

Warning: Use of expletives and violent behaviour. Can be an entertaining and learning lesson for many on how to deal with such rogues.

Mods: Please delete if inappropriate.

[sinharishi]

Its really hard to drive here in Delhi/NCR without getting irked by the way people drive here.

Driving here, is a challenge. You really need to be patient.People here,no matter what background they come from are always ready to fight! They don't fear the law.

I have had an equally horrifying experience,not with the political goons though. Was threatened to death but thanks to a couple of cab drivers who took the situation under control.

Like most of them said, we should ignore these morons and move on.

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by smartcat

They always leave the scene perplexed and drive on, rather than stop to pick up a fight.

Hi smart cat, this is one of the best piece of advice I have read! Its best to catch these people of guard like this! Like everyone has said, these hooligans are not worth breaking your head. So why not just puzzle them and leave them wondering?

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by sinharishi

Its really hard to drive here in Delhi/NCR without getting irked by the way people drive here.

Driving here, is a challenge. You really need to be patient.People here,no matter what background they come from are always ready to fight! They don't fear the law.

I have had an equally horrifying experience,not with the political goons though. Was threatened to death but thanks to a couple of cab drivers who took the situation under control.

Like most of them said, we should ignore these morons and move on.

It is the other class which gets equally rough and bad. They are not rich and influential like politico but they are tough, street-hardened and frustrated (with their lives) people who look for an opening to vent out their ire on some soft targets. And they can get very nasty and get down to fist-fights like they were itching for one. The difference is, politico type would bash you and drive away whereas these guys would bash you and seek compensation for damage to their cabs. Often they launch a premptive strike to press for damages even when they have caused the accident by their rash driving ( which is often the case ) and even before you get time to react.

Thus, we have two extreme rough elements to deal with on road. And not to speak of errant bikers, autorickshaws, horn-happy state buses, jaywalkers etc. etc. The weakest class appears to be the law-abiding car drivers who are sandwiched from all sides.

[acroback]

I was cut off like a dead Eucalyptus tree last week by a Qualis.
Had I not braked hard in time, my front bumper would have been history.
Surprisingly, I was starting from a stand still after signal turning green. Still so much mad dash. So less patience on signals is sad.

Noticed the moron had a Govt of Karnataka sticker on number plate.
I think I should get a in dash cam. People cut you from all the sides like maniacs, some people just do not care about your and their safety. They are capable of pulling out a political/govt/local/groupism/* card and you can end up in trouble. So, I think it is in our best interest to have a Dashcam installed, considering lax laws which let powerful go clean and free without any solid evidence.

[sansvk]

Originally Posted by StrangeWizard

Lesson learnt -
While driving in India everyone except you has right of way, no matter which direction he's coming from.
Avoid any type of eye contact or other forms of contact like honks or gestures with such people.

Good points. It really really difficult to to avoid hand gestures. I have experienced it myself. There was one instant when I thanked an Auto driver using a hand gesture, but that guy took it in a different sense.
So hand gestures can be really misleading, I try to keep my hands on the steering wheel to control it. And now a days I hardly look around to see whom I am overtaking or who is the driver on the opposite lane.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sansvk

Good points. It really really difficult to to avoid hand gestures. I have experienced it myself. There was one instant when I thanked an Auto driver using a hand gesture, but that guy took it in a different sense. So hand gestures can be really misleading, I try to keep my hands on the steering wheel to control it. And now a days I hardly look around to see whom I am overtaking or who is the driver on the opposite lane.

Simply salute the guy to thank him! No question of any misunderstanding there!

In the hills we had an unwritten gentlemanly gesture of blipping the horn twice in quick succession to acknowledge or thank a passing motorist for some courtesy, usually for giving one the right of way at a narrow passage or for allowing one to overtake etc.

All vehicle drivers, tractors, lorries, buses, cabbies etc used to unfailingly follow this rule. There was a 'code' at work there!

Now,at the risk if being labelled elitist etc, I state that my greatest lament is that with the huge recent increase in wealth, the re-distribution of the same and the creation of these class-less new age nouveau riche types, it appears that all the better elements of good manners and consideration seem to have gone out of the window, literally and figuratively!

[bblost]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I state that my greatest lament is that with the huge recent increase in wealth, the re-distribution of the same and the creation of these class-less new age nouveau riche types, it appears that all the better elements of good manners and consideration seem to have gone out of the window, literally and figuratively!

I know Shankar. Would it not be nice if the vast majority of Indians could go back to the poverty levels of the past century.
or even better they all just disappear.

So our country can be clean and well mannered. This will ensure that realy rich sorry I mean the only people who matter don't get their beautiful shirts dirty.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by bblost

I know Shankar. Would it not be nice if the vast majority of Indians could go back to the poverty levels of the past century. or even better they all just disappear. So our country can be clean and well mannered. This will ensure that realy rich sorry I mean the only people who matter don't get their beautiful shirts dirty.

Your thinly veiled sarcasm leaves me cold.

I only lament the lack of decency and good manners. It may or may not be important to others here but it is to me! Our big problem is over population.

Our own people or at any rate, descendants of our own people are so much more well mannered and decent in a country like Mauritius!

Why can we not have the same standards here? Is this too much to ask?

It is nothing to do with poverty or similar but everything to do with attitude, culture and education.

[arun_112]

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[drsingh]

http://m.ndtv.com/india-news/25-year...s-gaya-1403992


This is just crazy. Unless more details come out, there might be more to it. Previous rivalry perhaps.

But bullets flying/killing on the road for hurt ego is going overboard.

If this sort of thing continues and the institutions (police, judiciary) keep failing to keep this in check,this will only increase.

[apachelongbow]

For a moment ignore the political class. Let's see how many of our habits irritate and enrage other road users. I have observed most of these actions arising from the so called elite educated white collared IT / banking/management professionals who self drive.
1) driving slow in the fast lane, not yielding to honk or flashes
2) speaking on the phone, sometimes texting and driving, obviously slow driving and holding up traffic
3) nervous driver who breaks for every bump and curve thereby setting up a chain of hard breaking behind
4) cutting and weaving through traffic to reach work on time.
R
There are many more such habits which irritate other road users especially cabbies or bus drivers. Imagine driving for 12 hours each day putting up with such morons. When we get frustrated by one bad cabbie or politican's car, how mamy of us frustrate others?