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Old 12th July 2020, 23:54   #76
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

Sorry about your experience, but being a staunch follower of all rules in general and traffic rules in particular, it is not worth getting into such face offs. I don't mean any disrespect to blue collar jobs but they have nothing much to lose. I know the feeling of being cut off badly, someone almost ramming into your car/bike etc, but it is best if confrontation is avoided. Some day he/she will pay heavily for it. Let karma do its job.
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Old 13th July 2020, 12:49   #77
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

Something similar to this happened with me in 2015. In Pune the local city buses are called PMT (Pune Municipal Transport). I was stationary at a traffic signal behind a PMT bus, which suddenly started reversing, the road was at an incline, so I guess the bus brakes malfunctioned or the driver was just distracted. Since there were other vehicles behind, I could not back off and the bonnet of my i20 was totally dented by the rear of the bus. Thankfully no damage to the engine or the radiator. Got the car and the bus stopped after the signal. Thankfully my another friend was just behind me in another car.
Confronted the driver and he said that the brakes malfunctioned. By this time the people sitting in the bus had already started disembarking to get on another bus since they heard us saying that we intend to take the driver to police station.
My friend stayed in the bus and me driving my car, got to the police station and gave a written complaint. The driver tried to lie saying that I hit him from behind, but I asked the police to check the CCTV footage from signal, this made him back off and go on the defensive. The police asked us how did we want to proceed, they asked if we want to get the driver to pay for the damages, I refused, saying that it will be covered by insurance. Anyway my intention was not to extract any money from the driver. I just wanted to cause some inconvenience and instill some fear so that he is more careful in future. I asked the police to let me take a picture of his license and have a copy of the complaint, he suggested that if I approach PMT, they may suspend him for a couple of days. I did not want to do that, but just to instill some fear I said may b I will think of going to PMT. Later that day the driver called again and apologized and requested me to not approach PMT, which I never did.
But I really appreciated the approach of Pune police in how they handled the situation.
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Old 14th July 2020, 22:43   #78
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

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Originally Posted by GKR9900 View Post
Now this is one incident that I wish I could have avoided. And it's one of those experiences that one wouldn't want to share, but if there was a place to share it, team-bhp would be it.
Someone who cannot be removed from his job, driving something that does not belong to him, who will atmost get a suspension (paid leave) from his employer even if he kills someone on the road.

Do you expect such people to be good samaritans who understand logic and humility ?
The job changes these guys' personality. They are bullies wearing uniform. The earlier you learn this, the better it is for you. Sorry to read about this incident.
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Old 20th October 2020, 00:07   #79
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

Hmm. I can feel you. Can’t say much other than take this as a lesson. One thing we could have done is seeing his erratic driving and the fact that these buses are in a race against the clock we could have yielded and let him pass. For our own safety. But yes, even my blood boils when I witness such recklessness.

Since you are from Kerala you would have seen the Malayalam film Kali. The story you narrated is kind of exactly what happened in the film and even though truth is on the side of you, but finally you had to pay the price.
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Old 20th October 2020, 10:55   #80
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

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Originally Posted by GKR9900 View Post
Now this is one incident that I wish I could have avoided. And it's one of those experiences that one wouldn't want to share, but if there was a place to share it, team-bhp would be it.
Thank you for sharing. It could happen to anyone, and in the heat of the moment I can imagine any of us reacting the way you did. We learn from such incidents and are grateful that it was just vehicle damage and not something worse, which can easily happen when such situations escalate.

A long time ago, my wife and I were on a road trip, had entered TN from KA and a TN-registered lorry tried to overtake badly and ended up scraping the side of the car. My wife was driving and unfortunately we lost our cool and did something similar, overtook the lorry and got him to stop. Got down and started arguing, which was again a stupid thing to do, even though I can manage in Tamil somewhat reasonably. Finally ended up getting them to follow us to the nearest police station as well. It was obvious that the cops were least interested, they were going to tell us to get lost, when to our good fortune, a senior police officer showed up. He inquired what had happened and when we told him, he directed the cops to file a report. By then the lorry owner showed up and the lorry driver and cleaners changed their tune. Finally we spoke about it amicably, just filed a report for insurance purposes and we all left. Ultimately, the insurance company didn't even need the police report for us to claim insurance! So we really achieved nothing by following the lorry and getting them to go to the station! In fact we put ourselves at more risk at each stage - overtaking them, arguing with them, and even going to the police station where they clearly would have an advantage being locals. Were it not for the chance arrival of the senior police officer, the cops would not even have bothered filing a report.

So, lesson learned- just chill, stop at the side, drink some water and move on, claim insurance. If we can, take pics of the erring driver's license plates and send to the cops...not that they will do anything, unless you get lucky!

Last edited by am1m : 20th October 2020 at 10:57.
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Old 21st October 2020, 16:53   #81
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

I feel sorry for what happened with you, but I think like many have pointed out, the best way to handle this is to pull over and take a break. Thankfully you guys are safe and that matters most.

I remember my incident with a local bus Durgamba on a ghat road enroute Kodachadri. It was a blind curve and the bus from opposite direction hit me almost head on! I gave way as much as possible but had to take a hit. I remember being almost 75% off the road and yet the driver had the audacity to tell me to watch the road Had i deviated any further, i would have ended up in the big ditch which connected to the river up ahead!

He anyway stopped the bus, called his manager and i spoke to him. All i could get is arrogance and more of it from each person i spoke to. I spoke to a lawyer as well, though he encouraged me to lodge a complaint, he also told that both the vehicles will be impounded and i may have to report to the police station many times. It will in no way matter to the bus company but will surely affect my schedule is what he mentioned. Now to save all these and also since we all were safe, i just let it go, pulled up on to the bridge where there was ample space to park and inspect the damage. We had to pull the front quarter panel out which was hindering the front right wheel.

The damage - Bonnet jammed, quarter panel fully damaged, driver side door jammed and some damage under the hood. I had to take a big hit even after insurance claim.

Just when we were assessing the damage, the same bus returned on his route back and honked at us continuously, like he was teasing us. The conductors standing on the foot board were giggling looking at us. Also, we had atleast 4 people passing by who stopped and asked "Durgamba na?"which indicated that it was a common sight and their rash driving had no control. Hope karma caught on to them.
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Old 23rd September 2022, 23:09   #82
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

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Originally Posted by GKR9900 View Post
Now this is one incident that I wish I could have avoided. And it's one of those experiences that one wouldn't want to share, but if there was a place to share it, team-bhp would be it.

On 06-07-2020, my father and I were returning from Aluva to Perumbavoor via Aluva-Perumbavoor road in our Hyundai Elantra. A KSRTC (Kerala state road transport corporation) bus was driving behind us. During the course of his drive, the bus driver was driving recklessly with multiple dangerous overtaking attempts.
I do understand that the actions on my part were irresponsible as well and is bound to be condemned. I should have noted the number and reported to the near by bus depot. The heat of the moment caused me to seek instant justice and it ended up being a loss to our mind and wallet. Also, we are a family who absolutely pampers our cars and a damage that is caused as a consequence of such an action is very hard to digest as well. But posting this here in team bhp so that others can learn from my experience.
Dear GKR9900, Thank you so much for sharing this unfortunate incident, it's indeed a lesson for me - while even reading your post, my blood is boiling on that mad driver.

I can very well imagine what you may have gone through - we risk a potential fatal crash because of KSTRC driver's murderous driving, but, are expected to swallow this injustice and keep quiet. That's near impossible. So, i do not think your reaction was unjustified. I will not preach that you should have kept calm blah blah...in the heat of the moment, we all know how tough it is - guess even zen monks can get agitated in such situations!

Was there a better way to block that idiot and drag him to road-side, or, were you forced to block his way on the road, which gave him the opportunity to deliberately crash into your car?

Anyway, it's easier to type on the key-board, facing such a situation is very tensing and mentally draining. While seeing our beloved cars being damaged is heart-breaking, the whole episode is mentally disturbing. Good thing is you and your family were safe.

I wonder why such morons shouldn't be caught and punished severely (without going the legal route). Also, if that driver had tried such a thing to some very influential VIPs - like local MLA/his strongman/minister's kin etc, what could have been his fate? I'm sure he'd end-up losing this body-parts; i have heard such a story before in Karnataka (no news in media/local papers) . Sadly, regular folks suffer here, VVIPs get away with anything.

I'm observing that these days people are getting very frustrated and easily agitated. I believe it's due to:
> Too much crowd - in cities, on highways, small town, large towns, state highways: just too crowded
> High traffic density, due to aforementioned point
> No road manners, no discipline - trucks and slow moving vehicles always occupying fast lanes, two-wheelers every where trying to squeeze in any small gaps, wrong-side driving..list goes on and on
> No respect for fellow road-users: many chaps feel they 'OWN' the road
> Most importantly: lack of stringent punishment. Punishment should be such that it instills fear in the heart, nobody dare commit the mistake again.

There are no simple solutions either.....
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Old 28th September 2022, 11:03   #83
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

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Dear GKR9900, Thank you so much for sharing this unfortunate incident, it's indeed a lesson for me - while even reading your post, my blood is boiling on that mad driver.
Dear Vikram, Thank you for empathising with my ordeal. It has been around 2 years since the incident. I had same or similar experiences with KSRTC drivers after this incident also. From what I've learnt, it just isn't worth sacrificing our precious time just for the satisfaction of proving these idiots wrong. I've tried to refrain myself from engaging with such morons ever since. I can't say I was 100 percent successful in that. There was this one incident while travelling in the Wayanad Ghats when a KSRTC bus came overtaking a lorry dangerously pushing other cars off the road. I just stopped my car as I had no where else to go and sarcastically applauded his driving. He stopped and mumbled something taking the bus back to its original lane. That's the worst I've done after this incident. If you were to follow the news, there are n number of incidents reported with respect to KSRTC from road rage to deliberately ramming onto two wheelers murdering the riders, to bashing up people coming to their offices. Fair to say that things have just worsened. A colleague of mine once said that if you want to rectify the mistakes of everyone around you in the name of principle, good luck doing that and better stock up some antidepressants at home. The only safe course of action that we can take is to record the offense, file a formal complaint or share it on social media, although I doubt there will be much effect.
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Old 28th September 2022, 18:02   #84
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

-> Remove "pension" from govt jobs.
-> Remove 'trade unions' completely from non-factory jobs.

80% of India's problems will vanish. The entire country will be more efficient.
But alas, it's a pipe dream.
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Old 29th September 2022, 10:28   #85
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

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-> Remove "pension" from govt jobs.
-> Remove 'trade unions' completely from non-factory jobs.

80% of India's problems will vanish. The entire country will be more efficient.
But alas, it's a pipe dream.
How ?

If you remove pension, most govt jobs will remain vacant - that's it and the public will suffer. The only proper way is to have a proper "appraisal" system without retribution.
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Old 29th September 2022, 10:43   #86
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

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How ?

If you remove pension, most govt jobs will remain vacant
That is a myth. What pension are you referring to btw?

Central govt jobs don't have the earlier lifetime inflation adjusted pension anymore. They all are subscribed to NPS and that is their pension.

A few states have gone back to old pension recently but otherwise most have the NPS as the only pension. And NPS performance is linked to market performance, partly.

Also, most government jobs have good salary and it is adjusted every five years. So salaries are actually good - except for large cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, etc. where cost of living is expensive due to high real estate prices.

Otherwise most government jobs pay well according to the job profile/work expectations.

So pension is not the motivator for majority of the employees in public sector. It is simply the guarantee that they will get the salary regardless of the output and also progress up the ladder regardless of the performance at defined intervals. Mix in the reservations, you will see how it is a high reward job when compared to the effort that you put in into it.

Last edited by sunilch : 29th September 2022 at 10:44.
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Old 29th September 2022, 21:29   #87
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Re: Dangerous tiff with a KSRTC driver and walking away with a heavy loss + heavy heart

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Originally Posted by GKR9900 View Post
Dear Vikram, Thank you for empathising with my ordeal. It has been around 2 years since the incident. I had same or similar experiences with KSRTC drivers after this incident also. From what I've learnt, it just isn't worth sacrificing our precious time just for the satisfaction of proving these idiots wrong. I've tried to refrain myself from engaging with such morons ever since. I can't say I was 100 percent successful in that. There was this one incident while travelling in the Wayanad Ghats when a KSRTC bus came overtaking a lorry dangerously pushing other cars off the road. I just stopped my car as I had no where else to go and sarcastically applauded his driving. He stopped and mumbled something taking the bus back to its original lane. .
Thanks GKR9900. If it's a one-off incident, it's ok, but if the rogue KSRTC drivers routinely indulge in such reckless, mindless murder on public roads, it's high time Kerala Govt. steps-in with proper measures. I'm wondering what are they waiting for - may be some powerful minister/CM himself must witness such scary things before they wake-up. But, given that these VVIPs fly even this is a rare possibility. Wondering whether the High Court can step-in, or should they be forced to by PILs. It's high time authorities take action to save precious life's of ordinary citizens.
Kerala is a tourist destination, and, i'm sure lot of cars from neighboring states also use the roads there - just thinking how much prepared such folks should be while driving to Wayand, Munnar etc.

Regards.

Last edited by VikramCS : 29th September 2022 at 21:31.
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