[GKR9900]

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. At one point, he attempted a very dangerous overtaking maneuver that steered us off the road and almost caused us to crash. It was only by God's grace that we were able to avoid a potentially fatal crash. I tried to overtake the bus, but he wouldn't yield, driving on the right side and not giving way even when space was available.

After a while, we overtook the above mentioned KSRTC bus and asked him to pull over. The process of overtaking was indeed rash, which is a mistake from my end. When both vehicles slowed down, the KSRTC driver accelerated and deliberately rammed the bus into the rear of our vehicle causing considerable damage. It was noted to be deliberate as just prior to this, both vehicles had come to a complete stop.

After this incident, there was a verbal dispute that occured between us and the KSRTC bus driver and conductor. A few fellow motorists who were behind us saw what happened. They stopped briefly stating that the bus driver had been driving erratically for some time. But none of them hung around for long. Even after repeated attempts, the KSRTC driver refused to give out his driving license details or even mobile phone number, and all that we were left with were the bus license plates. Unfortunately, we couldn't garner any sort of public support as the occupants inside the bus were completely oblivious to the dangerous driving of the bus driver and its consequent effects on other fellow road users. The occupants were blaming us for obstructing the bus route and wasting their time. And they got into another KSRTC bus and left. The bus driver and conductor who stayed back asked us to file a case against him and nothing else could be done. Filing a case would mean loss of even more precious time and effort, so we weren't ready to do so. The case would be against government as KSRTC is a state owned company, the outcome of which is guaranteed to be unfruitful. Besides, there was no evidence as such that proves the driver's irresponsible driving. And we couldn't even collect the details of those motorists who had actually stood in our support, while the bus driver collected the details of a few passengers who were in his support. There was not much that we could do in the scenario other than drive off with our damaged vehicle. I have filed a formal complaint via email at the local police station stating the bus license plates.

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.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

A KSRTC (Kerala state road transport corporation) bus was driving behind us. the bus driver was driving recklessly with multiple dangerous overtaking attempts.

We all know how most KSRTC drivers drive; it is an exhilarating experience for passengers but a harrowing experience for other motorists.

1. What he did to your car is just unacceptable. You must send in details of the incident to the Managing Director and the Transport Minister; don't bother about the outcome but create the record. It won't go unnoticed.

2. You must have driven several kms but had to experience this today; think of it as a lesson to keep your composure while driving.

3. All of us here have several thousand or lakh kms of driving experience, yet, we experience incidents in which we aren't at fault and some where we have erred; when such incidents occur, it is just hard luck and/or a lesson, that's all.

4. Kerala RTC drivers are forced to drive dangerously on the median-less winding roads in Kerala because they can't keep time otherwise; I'm not justifying their driving but this is the fact. In am sure one will not see them drive like crazy on 4 or 6 lane highways.

[deep_bang]

Having a dashcam would have given you better leverage and proof. Please invest in a dashcam and it will help not only preserve proof of others rash driving but also keep you safe in case someone else accuses you of the same thing (which may be untrue).

[akash_v12]

This is indeed a very sad story. The quality of Indian Road Transport seems to be decreasing instead of increasing and with more & more crashes occurring and the herd mentality of people (the driver was driving perfectly and you were wasting their time) is very wrong.

In this case, I'd recommend 2 things:-

1. Don't just let them go like that. File a case and use your car as evidence. You or your insurance would've had pictures of the unhit rear bumper definitely. Use those pictures or any recent picture of your car as evidence too.
2. Install a 2-Way Dashcam to avoid any hassles in the future.

[Turbanator]

Can imagine your situation. While, what you did was wrong like trying to stop a large moving vehicle on the road, we all are humans and sometimes these things happen.

You should have gone for the police complaint, even though they could have argued that you braked, the fault is usually of the vehicle hitting from the rear as he has to maintain a safe distance. In absence of any video, it’s your word against him or vice versa. Being a Government employee, they have to face a mandatory departmental enquiry in case a police case is registered.

You can still write to their Depot manager, they will hold an internal enquiry and can take a departmental action.

But I am glad you have opened a thread and have mentioned details transparently. It will definitely help other readers to be careful in such situations and rather than taking matters in our hand by stopping or arguing we should report such incidents to the authorities. Perhaps a letter to roadways depot with the number plate, route, time and date would have sufficed.

Anyways, if I were you, will get my car repaired & will watch out my BP regularly.

Invest in a good dash cam.

[typlo]

I'm sorry for what you had to go through.

There are 1000 idiots on the road for every 1 good Samaritan. I agree with what @vigsom said, file a complaint on PGportal, etc. with the managing directors of the corp, you will be heard. Make sure to give them a picture of your car's rear end (with numbers blurred out).

Besides this and the police complaint, you can't do much, unfortunately. I have been in your shoes in the past and it is pointless to engage in such situations because there are just too many idiots; you may teach one a lesson, but doesn't really matter in the scale of things/idiots.

I had my car rear ended by a tractor driven by a drunk driver 'just for fun'. I really thought of involving my fists but let it go and cut my further losses.

Edit: Forgot to mention, but start your claims process as well! Your ride will be good in no time.

[2000rpm]

What were you trying to achieve by stopping the bus?

Never get into an argument in any remote location on highway, especially with someone like a state bus driver.

I think you should be glad that this didnt take a turn for the worse, as this stopping the bus and pulling the driver stunt could easily have gone south if the passengers would have ganged up with the driver and conductor. Even without the passengers, the driver and conductor would have been strong enough to over power you and your father and cause significant damage?
Read up on some threads where BHPians have been manhandled by localites without any fault. Even if you have a lot of local contacts, any action after such an incident would have been post incident!

You had plenty of time to collect evidence by shooting the video on mobile phone, you should have done that and reported it to the police.

[McLaren Rulez]

Sorry to hear this. I can completely understand not being rational in the heat of the moment - happens to all of us. To move forward, definitely file complaints against the driver in all possible avenues. Whatever you did, there is no excuse to ram a stationary vehicle using a bus. You will be helping many many road users by doing so.

It is an unfortunate distinction but Kerala has some of the worst bus drivers in the country. The "superfast" KL buses are invariably driven with zero road sense and only chest thumping bravado and it's high time their management cracks down on this.

[Ithaca]

I sympathize with what you had to endure and I hope the repairs to your vehicle are not too exorbitant.

Speaking from personal experience, we have a dumper truck menace in my city. They are reckless and have zero care for road rules. In case I find myself ahead of a dumper, I quietly move to the side and allow that vehicle to move ahead.

On our highways too, if i spot aggressive driving in my rear view mirror, I move to the side, give way and pray that the driver has taken a part of my road karma with him.

As far as complaining to the authorities, be assured being a government entity, they will blame brake failure or some similar failure. The amount of time and money you will invest fighting this out in our country is not worth the trouble. Consider this a bad experience, learn from it and move on.

As everyone has advised, invest in a good dash cam and some companies also provide rear cams.

[sagarpadaki]

Here is what i do when i encounter such morons. I just pull over and take a 5 minute break.Get out, stretch a bit , splash some water on my face. It will calm me down and will allow me to think rationally.

It is useless to rub elbows with such drivers. Whichever class of vehicle it might be. It usually boils down to "Whose ego is bigger". I get it, when we are at the wheels of a powerful car, we feel that it is good to teach the fellow a lesson or two by blocking the other person with an intent of showing the other driver they are wrong and you will not yield easily. However, it is futile and they will not learn the lesson. Even if you succeed, the euphoria you get wont last for more than a few minutes and you would most likely forget it by the end of your trip.

Avoiding such situations is better than getting into altercations which may turn ugly.

[TheHelix0202]

Sorry to hear this, hope the better for you. Like everyone already suggested, get a decent dash cam. The more quality it offers, the more better.

Adding my own humble 2 cents to it, remember, in India, especially, it doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong: when it comes to a collision between a bigger vehicle and a smaller one, it’s almost always the smaller vehicle that’s at greater risk. No two ways about it. Nothing’s more valuable than our own safety at the end of the day. Regret in hindsight is a bitter, bitter feeling.

Drive safe, it’s a jungle out there!

[Gannu_1]

Sorry to hear that man. I can feel your pain after losing this but never ever let your ego clash with these guys. You should have just let the bus overtake you.

In all my years of driving and when I used to be a kid, I've been warned several times by my parents not to mess around with these government appointed drivers and the Aanavandi (=nickname for KSRTC buses in Kerala) they drive. They have nothing to lose.

That said, please invest in a dashcam at the earliest. We have countless instances of how a dashcam clip has helped car owners prove their innocence. And the footage is admissible as an evidence in court (link) although it has its nuances.

PS: Appreciate you venting it out here. Not many would!

[--gKrish--]

There quite a lot of inconsiderate, uncivilized and ill-mannered employees in KSRTC. They ruin the reputation of other well behaved employees and KSRTC as a whole.

From our experience, they do take complaints seriously. 7 or 8 years ago, when my mother wasn't very confident of her driving skills, used to rely on these KSRTC buses for the daily commute to and from the clinic. Most of us would know that there are reserved seats for the elderly, people with disabilities and women carrying/or traveling with newborn. The seats for those women and usually in the front where the ride is less harsh.

On one such day, a migrant labourer was seated in the reserved space for women (he probably wasnt aware of it then and might not have understood the board written in malayalam). When an expecting mother boarded, my mom politely asked the conductor to make a seat available to that lady and requested the man to move to another vacant seat towards the middle. This rude conductor didn't pay any heed and mockingly said that women are getting too much privilege these days and that he cannot do anything and went on with his rant publicly dispising women. My mom didn't speak any further but noted down the bus number and reported the incident over the phone. We didn't expect any response for something trivial like this but surprisingly, they did take the matter seriously and called back after a week to tell that they've suspended the conductor after enquiry and apologised. So, you can try reporting the incident along the bus no., route and time of incident. (The Kerala MVD facebook page is also active and they do look into such issues).

But in my personal opinion, a phone call or strongly worded email is the maximum effort one should put in and not to waste time pursuing further. More importantly, considering the age and quality of upkeep of our buses, never attempt to brake check. Infact, some buses have Schrodinger brakes and drivers themselves often have to check if they'd work. I stay clear of these buses and avoid confrontations. We should grow up and pick someone of our own size

OT:
A famous ad tagline - history makes way when some people arrive.
KSRTC's message - make way or you'll be history.

[mac187]

I have had a similar experience too. I was riding on a state highway and this KSRTC bus overtook another one and ran me off the road. The road was dug up for cable laying operations and I summer saluted into the bushes. Another rider who was trailing the bus saw this, picked me up and together we stopped the bus after chasing for few kms.

I was able to get hold of the drivers license (original) and mobile number, which I thought gave me some kind of leverage. He asked me to meet him after a few days as he was working and couldn't afford to take leave.

When I finally met him at a local eatery, he started his sob story that he is not really a govt driver but a temporary one (yes, state transport hire alot of temp drivers, something to do with union issues etc.) He earns X a week, needs support parents, siblings etc. All he could afford to give me was Rs.500. He was encouraging me to thrash him to get it over with as he couldn't afford to pay anything more.

I wasn't really affected by his story as I knew he was lying. Also, few days had past and all the initial angry had boiled over. I had few bruises and the bike had minor dents and issues. Even if remotely what he was telling was true, I couldn't live it down. I gave him an earful and walked away from there.

[Bigzero]

I can definitely relate to this situation. I think most of us who have driven in the two-laned roads of Kerala can. Caused me a lot of angry moments and near misses, but thankfully no incident yet, except for one road rage situation created by me which I am not proud of at all - it happened in Kozhikode sometime in '98 or '99.

I had this very aggressive city bus right on my tail, lights blinking and horns blaring on a narrow city road ( people from Kozhikode will know the Chalapuram road near Bhajana Kovil. ).

The mistake i did was to slam the brakes ( perhaps didnt think at that point of time on stopping distances the buses needed ). Thankfully for me and the folks in the bus, the bus driver was good enough to react immediately and stop right behind me ( I think he kissed my rear bumper very lightly. The car was an old Premier 138D ). I jumped off the car, approached the driver and shouted at him for being so aggressive and that there was no way I could give way in such a narrow road. Thankfully for me, the driver and conductor (who had by then ran across to meet me ) were sensible souls (except the driving part). They ( don't remember now whether it was the driver or conductor ) told me that it was a major risk to brake like that, as there was no guarantee the bus would stop in time. I glared and returned to the car and drove off (the only good thing I did - thanks to my wife who was quick to pull me back )

A major situation averted for sure, but I look back at that incident every time I get pushed by those pesky buses and tell myself not to take that kind of risk ever again.

The road situation in Kerala is very sad. The bus drivers have their own reasons, and you feel that sometime when you travel on some of those buses . It doesn't condone the rash driving, but too many vehicles on narrow roads with drivers at high stress levels, and effective average speeds of 30+ kmph means that incidents and altercations are just around the corner. Add two wheelers, autoriskhaws and jaywalkers to the mix, and you have the perfect recipe for disaster.

Thanks for posting this. It is very hard to keep one's cool on the roads these days, and it takes only a moment's indiscretion to spoil the day for you. The KSRTC buses and most Limited Stop (Maroon) private buses are best left alone. I just let them pass me when they come behind me. Reaching the destination on time be damned.