[ghpk]

hope you don't mind my 2 cents.

First, you started this topic, so you should be available or visible to let us know that you are interested in suggestion members post here, sorry to say but many people here are more experienced than most of the other members, and they might be able to pin point what could help you in real world.

You should get your Indica's clutch overhauled, and AC fixed, trust me its gonna half your pain, then try the methods suggested by other members I am sure you would find what fits you well.

I've seen people keeping slippers in their cars, they take off shoes and drive in slippers, they say their stress is over since this, and they hate shoes after 9 hours office job and their foot used to hurt in long traffic jams.

Keep enough drinking water, music and fuel, and don't stress yourself with any thoughts, personally I don't attend phone while driving, Whatsapp a Big NO, only phone call I take during this jam is family, that too short, I talk to them when I reach home. I am not a rocket scientist who needs to stop a rocket which is wrongly launched, call me later or keep ringing, I am not going to pick it up till I reach or I turn off the number which gets repeated calls on such instances.

No Offense, I will not risk my life for someone who doesn't even know what kinda jam I am into, even if its a family emergency they need to wait till I reach, my car doesn't has a tele-porter which will transmit me instantly, and most important I will not risk the life of fellow riders and drivers on roads either, lastly I don't want to bump into a guy who starts to fight like cats and dogs.

I Listen to some music, many times I feel better when RJ Naaved, Jassi and Recharge Rohit are online, Listen to it, don't learn it by-heart like a unior high school guy.

Anyway I drive 20-22 km (to and fro), 6 days a week, During winters I bought a bike to avoid traffic but in this NCR heat, I can't ride even if my boss doubles my salary or even fires me for being late.

The road I earlier took regularly, is mostly jammed like hell, reason being, every other vehicle goes either from wrong side, or took left hand sand/dust lane and then enters the single lane, stopping the people are coming in queue.

After a few days, I found 2 other routes, which are a few hundred meters shorter but bad road quality, you can just crawl thorough it in 1st or 2nd gear but it makes me reach home around 30-50 minutes earlier.

regarding your phobia about other things, mine was worst, someone near and dear one made me think that I am only going to be arrested in NCR for driving a car which is not registered in NCR, car is mine, papers are complete, DL is fine and I've never been caught yet then why, I was told that its NCR, outstation vehicle will be messy, but its nothing like that yet.

I've heard meditation helps, personally I tried couldn't do it properly, and haven't met a friend who could come along to learn it.

Revital ? better consult a physician and get a routine checkup done, if you are having any deficiency, he would suggest you the needful.

Live in a village? is it your preference or your stress ?

You have not mentioned if you are married or single, if married do you have kids ? think of them, put their photo in dash board if seeing them makes you calm and relaxed.

I hope you don't mind my suggestion as it includes some points which I've faced and thought might help you.

[jensjoseph]

capslock, Welcome to my world. I absolutely detest driving in traffic to the point where I would prefer to sit in office till 9 pm and then head home to avoid it altogether.

I stay about 5 kms from my office but the traffic can hold me up for an hour. So I leave early, say before 8 am. If I want to avoid traffic in the evening, I leave early, like before 5 pm.

I take a bus sometimes and leave the stress of dealing with traffic to the bus driver. It makes sense since there no price to peace of mind.

[nuew]

Driving through thick traffic is draining on mind and body. I experienced this first hand when I moved from Wayanad to Bangalore around 12 years ago. Even though I was pretty experienced with bikes and cars, my first 2 weeks in Bangalore was a nightmare.

After driving for a couple of months, and getting used to the traffic, I felt like I developed a sixth sense of the vehicles around me. May be it was giving more attention to the rear view mirrors, the sound of the vehicles around, anticipating when one would cut the line etc. Thought it was tough, over the course of time, I got used to it and it became second nature. The best part was Bangalore traffic definitely helped to reduce my general stress levels. The realization that the only solution to signals, traffic jams were to wait out rather than getting furious was somehow self calming.

While all this was going on, the traffic was piling up in Bangalore as well as Kerala. The number of cars on the roads of Wayanad had gone up significantly and it made a mess off the 2 lane highway passing through the town that I live in. Inconsiderate drivers were always creating unnecessary traffic blocks with some new gen biker dudes, autowalas and some cars always going zig-zag through the traffic. In conditions like this, I actually started preferring walking and taking public transport more than using the car.

It was time for my brother to get his driving license and we decided to get a car for him. Although the first considerations were the likes of Fiat Punto, we decided to get a Tata Nano GenX for now due it's small footprint and easy maneuverability which would make a bliss for the first time drivers. I researched extensively on the Nano, took feedback from current owners, and decided on it. My uncle had also got a Tata Nano GenX as the third car (along with Cruze and Esteem) and his feedback was also reassuring.

Now I find myself taking the Nano out for drives much more often than when I used the Swift. Compared to a Swift, it was almost like the difference between a bike and a scooter when tacking city streets. The merits of Nano over the Swift or any other B segment car are:

• Small foot print makes it much easier to manoeuvre around busy streets.
• Finding parking sports are much easier.
• Making U-turns are way easier, hardly requiring a 3-point affair.
• The large glass area and higher seating position gives a better view of the surroundings.
• The car is peppy till about 60-70kmph.
• Taking narrow roads are easier.
• With high ground clearance and short wheelbase, the car never bottoms out on B-roads.
• Although not related to driving, many have been surprised by the space on offer that puts many B segment hatchbacks to shame. Some had even wondered how my 6’2” frame fits in the driver’s seat, and still leaving ample space for the rear passenger, before seeing the space in the Nano.

All in all, the Nano somehow frees up mind compared to a bigger and wider car. Of course there are some shortfalls like the drum brakes, narrow power band, small boot etc. But none of them is a deal breaker if used primarily as a city car. From my experience, I would suggest to take a look at the Nano if your primary concern is tackling city roads. It’s decent for highway drives too if the speed is kept within general speed limits. Opting for the Automatic variant might bring greater peace of mind as you don’t have to bother about the gearshifts. If budget is a concern, you could pick up a used Nano GenX or Twist for the price of a 250cc bike now. I feel it would be a much better choice than giving up on driving altogether. In addition to this, you could definitely try some Yoga, meditation etc which would benefit you in terms of reducing general stress levels and better health. Wishing you happy motoring..

[deathwalkr]

Love it or hate it, fact remains that traffic has become a way of life and with each passing day it seems to be getting more chaotic or it would imply that my tolerance level is coming down.

All what we can do is to drive safe, be aware of idiots on road, follow the law of the road, listen to music and take your time to get home/work.

What else can one do? Embrace thy phobia and beat it and let ye gain confidence :P

[RajaTaurus]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Embrace thy phobia and beat it and let ye gain confidence :P

Perfecto. That is the bottom line. Any length of discussions, suggestions, advices and opinions would only confuse you more. Just Beat it.

[ravi.ochani]

Originally Posted by neeravnaik

=I have got myself into a mindspace where driving is like my "Me time" - it is one part of the day when daily jhanjhats of work or home do not matter and you cannot do anything about it even if you want to- switch of mobile notifications. something I like doing on flights also - time when you are at peace with yourself and you leave everything behind.

This echoes.

Driving is the buffer zone. I compartmentalise so well during this phase. The only thing that irks me is other drivers when i am in a slightly speedy gonzales mode. But otherwise driving through cubbon park in bangalore is definitely my calm before the storm (office).

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by vpillai

The smaller and older the car is, the more you remain relaxed while driving in traffic. Whenever I drive my 8 year old Alto, I will be completely relaxed and step out of the car with a happy face, mostly, at the end of the journey. On the other hand, whenever I take out my 1 year old Elite i20, I have to be very cautious (and hence a bit tensed) to not get any scratch on it by the bikers and other careless drivers.

This is astonishingly relatable! With an aging Omni and a newish Polo in our garage, you'd think it'd be the Polo getting all the attention but the reality is that the Omni is far easier to use in crowded conditions. The added visibility + maneuverability makes a huge difference to "traffic phobia" and I think this is where the Eon scores too.

I imagine driving an S-Class in heavy traffic and tight spaces would be an absolute nightmare. If you're an S-Class owner and need help, I'm willing to selflessly devote myself to this cause and trade the Omni with you for as long as you need

[CapnCook]

Dear OP, I drive a fairly big car (a manual Honda City) in the bumper-to-bumper crowded roads of Bangalore. So I can fully understand your phobia. I drive 60 Kms daily through one of the most busy corridors of the city, Whitelfield to Electronic City. Here is how I handle this:

Professionally:
1. Speak to your Boss : Have a clear agreement with your manager/superior that you drive a long distance daily and may sometimes get stuck in traffic due to circumstances which are well beyond your control. This will take out one of the biggest stress off your mind that what will your manager think if he sees you coming late.
2. Meetings : Whenever possible don't schedule your meetings or accept any meetings which begin within 1 hour of the usual time you reach office. Say you reach your office daily by 9 am, so schedule your meeting only after 10 am. This will give you sufficient buffer time for the unpredicatble traffic and you don't have to drive fast or panic when you are getting late. You can also recover from the triedness in the meantime while going through your emails and be fresh for the meetings. For me this is one of the biggest stress in traffc while driving to office.

Physically:
1. Adequate Sleep :I have noticed that the stress experienced while driving in traffic is inversely proportional to the sleep. Lack of sleep slows down your reactions and the simple things like engaging a clutch or brake etc become cumbersome. It is also very dangerous to drive while sleep deprived because of a phenomenom knows as (micro-sleep ). I think you should never drive to office when you feel that you did not enough sleep the night before.
2. Get Fit: I used to get some back pain while driving few years ago. Lately I have started running and have got fitter while losing considerable weight. Now I can drive without any such pains for hours. It is very difficult to drive daily when it is discomforting for you physically.
3. Empty your bladder: Many others here have suggested to have lots of water. But what is also important is to empty it before getting into your car. You never know how long you are going to be in it .
4. Get sunglasses : Sunglasses helps a lot and keeps your eyes fresh.

Car
1. Service your car regularly and regularly monitor things like tire pressures, wheel alignments. Consider it as your friend or family member and understand that in traffic, it is also suffering in all the heat and pollution.
2. Replace your wipers when they are old and regulary top up your wiper fluid. You don't want to get stuck in rain and not have your wipers functioning properly. On the same lines, you need to have wiper fluid stock when it stops raining as the spray of mud from the cars in front of you can make you totally blind.

Driving
Think of driving a fun game. I like to play a detective like Sherlock while driving. I like to profile drivers with the type of cars they drive. I will share some of my observations :
1. Whenever I see some car with black films or modified exhausts or a spoiler or over the top alloys I resort to defensive driving. 99% of the time they are the so called auto "enthusiasts". It is better to keep a distance from them and always expect something stupid or rash.
2. I also watch out for dents on the rear and right hand sides. Dents on the back suggest that the driver can have a tendency to panic brake or brake late leading to a rear ending. Dents on the right side of the body can indicate that the driver can have a habit of not checking the ORVMS while driving. I know these are not true everytime but good pointers none the less. Similary an older car in immaculate condition indicates a nice and resposible driver.
3. Stay clear of any car registered with HR26 :-)
4. When going past a vehicle stuck in traffic in the other lane also keep an eye on it's tires. Tires turning or already turned towards your lane incdicates an intention to cut into your lane. So I watch out for any movement.
5. This is important, keep distance between you and the car in front. Bumper to bumper traffic doesn't mean that you also have to drive bumper to bumper. In my opinion the minimum distance should be such that you are able to see the road between your car and the tires of the car in front of you.
6. Following other vehicles : Personally I don't like to drive behind vehicles which are not transparent like tempos/buses/trucks. Apart from the car in front of me, I always keep an eye on the car in front of the car I am following. If that car brakes then automatically the car in front of me will also brake. So keeping an eye on that car will give you ample time to brake comfortably.
7. Whenver I see that I have got into a pickle in the trafic, I try get behind a big BMTC bus. To be honest these buses are big time bullies and can bulldoze their way past traffic. If you follow them from a distance, it can become easier for you to weave through the traffic. However these busses are not transparent so watch out for any sudden braking and stuff.
8. Always use your ORVMs. Apart from a driving aid, they are also your first line of defence or warning system when you get close to some other vehicle. ORVMs can be replaced/repaired cheaply as compared to a dent or big scratch on the side of your car.
9. Never under estimate the manouverability of the auto-rickshaws. These funny things have a tendency to weave in and out of even the tighest gaps in the traffic. Keep in mind when you see one while in traffic.
10. Never get fixated with something in your rear view mirror or on an exotic car passing in the opposite lane. Never take your gaze off the road ahead even when travelling with your friends or even your beautiful girl friend. By taking your eyes off the road you lose the situational awareness and your brain will take some time to re-focus and re-adjust. For example, in the time you were glancing at the wonderful earrings your girl friend is wearing, you might not notice that two guys out of a group of three has already crossed the road and the third one is kind of confused whether to go for it or not. Chances are that he will make a last second dash to cross the road and you will be left wondering what the hell just happened. This happens a lot of time and I think has lot to do with our group psychology/mentality. So it is important to never take your eyes of the road and always keep scanning the road ahead especially for senior citizens or kids especially in a group.
11. There is always dirt or dust on the outer lanes of the roads hence the braking/grip will also be less.
12. Be careful on the weekends. Sorry I mean no disrespect, but some of the people who drive only on the weekends might not be that polished as the one who drive daily and may be prone to make more mistakes .
13. Reduce the music system volume when approaching a crowded area so that all your senses are working on the task ahead.
14. Try developing a sense of humor. Don't get worked up if somebody honks at you or cuts you. It's India,unfortunately yahan sab chalta hai.
15. And finally accept that people make mistakes,so drive slow. This particular video changed the way I look at driving forever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvLaTupw-hk

Disclaimer: These are just my personal observations from being on road for the past decade and have no intentions to hurt anyone willingly or unwillingly.

[naturaldisaster]

I live in Noida and I used to suffer in Delhi traffic till i got a job in Greater Noida now. So i drive at 80kph from Noida to Greater Noida in peace, listening to music. I know everyone cant do it, but nothing feels better than to be able to avoid traffic altogether. My health has improved, my mood is better too, fuels costs have gone down considerably, i can spend more time with family, etc. etc.

If you can, definitely do it. Even if it means a slightly lower salary than that fancy office far away. What will you do with the extra money if you dont have the energy or health to use it?

[arch_hornet]

Finally there's a thread on this!

I guess we all suffer from this to some point. I have been driving for close to 20 years now (I started driving early), yet the phobia of traffic especially in Bangalore, more specifically Whitefield, remains.

I do what most of the good folks here have suggested: listen to good music, roll up the windows to cut out the noise, go slow and easy, etc.

Personally, one thing that works for me is a quote I read somewhere: "Life is all about reactions" and I remind myself of this every time an auto or a cab or a bus or a truck gets impatient and cuts me off, or honks incessantly in peak traffic. All I do is take a few deep breaths, and repeat to myself "I will not react". Works for me!

I also leave early from home and from office to avoid the mad rush (those in Bangalore would know of the "beautiful" KR Puram traffic scene). Next on my list is to get an automatic to reduce the fatigue further.

Whatever works, I guess.

But the more important thing, like you said CapsLock is that "We are the traffic". So while we may do stuff to keep our sanity, I guess if we all (or at least a majority of us) followed the traffic rules and maintained some sort of decorum, it would help all of us in return.

[Rahul_]

There is a truck coming in wrong direction on the one way, there is another one on the left which has blocked the way for unloading stuff. There are people overtaking the wrong side approaching truck (mind you they are already on the wrong side). I have half a kilometre of jam behind me and have spent last 40 mins to cross 200m.

This happens on a regular basis outside my office in Bangalore. This service lane has been made into a one way. However, it starts with bikers, cabs and then it moves to big commercial vehicles and educated people disobeying the one way. The irony in bangalore is that it is the "IT" city and it is the place where people should have understood the basic computer-science principle of deadlock avoidance. Absolute chaos with people driving next to the traffic police in the wrong direction and the cops just let them go.

Collectively, the loss of productivity would roll into millions of dollars. By the time I reach office I end up in bad mood and it takes time to normalise and same for the way back. I feel I am super productive the days I do not encounter such insane traffic.

Its not the traffic which make me angry. It is the offenders like wrong sided driving and others which make me angry. This is an intentional offence and should be treated absolute severity,like with DL cancellation and heavy fines.

[capslock]

Now that this thread is out of the "hot threads" section, I would like to summarize all the replies by fellow BHPans. Hope it helps others.

Once again, thank you all for your suggestions.

Fix The Mode of Transport:
1. Get an Automatic (If possible)
2. Love your car. Keep it neat and clean. It should smell nice. Fix any niggles ASAP.
3. Use cab services / public transport / ride a bike whenever you do not feel like driving.
4. Carpool (If possible)
5. Use smaller car (If possible)
6. Try bicycle (If possible)

Fix The Drive:
1. Music touches your soul. Listen to good music. Avoid loud music. Invest time to build a great music library. Try podcasts and audio books.
2. Use AC 100% of the time.
3. Drive sedately, no sudden acceleration or brakes.
4. Understand the mentality and predict the behaviour of people. Let people cut across. Cursing others doesn't help. Deduce the mentality of other drivers by looking at their cars.
5. Try alternative routes, use technology (maps) to avoid congested routes.
6. Maintain safe distance from next vehicle, minimum lane changes, drive defensively. Honk only if absolutely required. Master the clutch for an MT.

Fix Yourself:
1. Make it a habit to leave early to & from office.
2. Be calm. Be fit. Exercises and Yoga always help! Meditate. Always sleep well.
3. Face the traffic, try to enjoy it because traffic is something you cannot control. Change the way you think about traffic. Everything's relative.
4. Divert your mind from the traffic issues, if there is a co-passenger, keep talking with him/her, if not talk to yourself! Day dreaming also helps!
5. Try playing games like Real Racing 3 to understand others & learn techniques. On the road, there are no prizes for getting there first. There is nothing more important than the safety of you and your family.
6. Give yourself a break. Try initiatives like "No Car Week".
7. Keep yourself hydrated. Happy tummy means happy drive. Have Vitamin C in the diet as much as possible.
8. Change job/home to a manageable distance (If possible).
9. Never give up, driving is fun.
10. Embrace thy phobia and beat it and let ye gain confidence.


Request for moderators: Would it be possible to merge this post with the first post so that this one does not get lost
(Too bad I will have to wait more to increase my post count though )?

[akshay81]

Originally Posted by Rahul_

Attachment 1515119
Its not the traffic which make me angry. It is the offenders like wrong sided driving and others which make me angry. This is an intentional offence and should be treated absolute severity,like with DL cancellation and heavy fines.

I hope India gets a system where fine is directly deducted from the offender's bank account linked with the vehicle with no haggling required with the cops. Heavy monetary fine may detest the offenders the most.

[Rahul_]

Originally Posted by akshay81

I hope India gets a system where fine is directly deducted from the offender's bank account linked with the vehicle with no haggling required with the cops. Heavy monetary fine may detest the offenders the most.

Absolutely !! A solution like every traffic offence of severe nature captured with a proof would increase your vehicle insurance for subsequent years,this would make a lot of people fall in place.

[shankar.balan]

The simplest old dictum - Early to bed and Early to rise.

Leave early from home (say around 815am). Park at work and do your work. Enjoy your day.
Leave early for home (around 530pm), beat the traffic, reach home and enjoy your home life while still being available for your work related requirements.

Use UBER or similar once or twice a week - less stress for sure!