Team-BHP - Are VIPs exempt from following traffic rules on Indian roads?

Yesterday while driving towards Pune I saw a Maharashtra police Bolero weaving in and out of lanes with his siren and lights on, closely tailed by a giant (white, what else) BMW SUV (X7).
Although I was in the middle lane going at a decent speed the BMW kept flashing his lights at me to make me move (which I refused to do, as the right lane is meant for overtaking). He then passed me at the first chance he got, waving his hands and gesticulating angrily.
There was of course a white Innova filled with his security entourage who also roared past with the goons angrily leaning outside the window and telling me to move aside for them.
They even block off toll booth lanes for these parasites so they can breeze through, creating massive inconvenience for others.
Why do we tolerate politicians behaving like this? What gives them the right to break traffic rules, and why is their time more valuable than ours?

Nothing new, same old same old, we can cry hoarse as much as we want, but nothing is going to change. So what can we do ? We can perhaps give way and save heart burn and keep our BP in check :-). Compare our babu culture to this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUPo62ouU84
While this may sounds like a stunt, she really does drive around herself many times and in general with minimal security restricted mostly to her own vehicle, not an entourage. From what I read, she continues to stay in her modest 2 bedroom home guarded by just handful of DPS officers.

Of course we have had our fair share of such VVIP leaders who lead a simple life. Names from recent past that come to my mind are Manik Sarkar, Jyoti Basu, APJ Kalam, Manohar Parikar. Am sure there were more such leaders in the past, but I doubt we have any more such tall leaders standing...

This is such a big menace throughout the country. Down south I see lot of these goons (with a flag on bonnet) honking, gate crashing and intimidating other road users to make their way through the traffic.

As this is a topic of public concern, does this nuisance qualify to be addressed through a PIL in the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India - inconveniencing public due to VIP movement on Indian roads?

Spike

In such situations it is always best to get out of the way as soon as possible. Even park the car if need be and let these people past. Maybe they are in a hurry for a reason and even if they are not in any hurry, they will give in to their self-importance and ego and hurt anyone who gets in their way.

If I hear any siren coming up behind me - ambulance, police, fire engine or any such entourage I figure out their path and get to the side as soon as possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy (Post 5276544)

Yesterday while driving towards Pune I saw a Maharashtra police Bolero weaving in and out of lanes with his siren and lights on, closely tailed by a giant (white, what else) BMW SUV (X7).
Why do we tolerate politicians behaving like this? What gives them the right to break traffic rules, and why is their time more valuable than ours?

I actually had to double check the date of the first post, as I honestly thought things had improved in the past 5ish years. I too stay in Maharashtra, Navi Mumbai specifically, but have had the good fortune of not having had any such experiences.

Hopefully your experiences were just isolated incidents and not part of a larger trend which seems to have restarted...

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530 (Post 5276608)

We cannot compare politicians from New Zealand or Western Europe to our babus. They are in peaceful countries with no threat to their person. All they have to do is their job in a public office.

Here in India like other conflict ridden states like East Africa, North Korea, etc, our leaders lives is in constant threat. Very recently there was an assassination attempt on our beloved PM's life when his convoy was stopped on a bridge and he was vulnerable to rocket fire. Every politician or govt official is a representative of our country and his life is valuable and needs to be protected by a convoy.

What the OP did was threatening the life of the unknown civil servant. He should be grateful that he is not behind bars for the assassination attempt and putting our leaders at risk.

Hard disagree. This was not the PM of India, or even a senior government functionary. The fact that it was a giant BMW SUV means it was most likely a MH politician who purchased the vehicle through ill-gotten gains.

The attitude of bowing and scraping at the feet of government authorities is a legacy of our feudal times and British rule.
Most of these netas and babus can easily travel incognito in normal vehicles with no one giving them a second glance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvDriving (Post 5276635)

Ambulances and fire engines always need to be given right of way. India has thankfully come a long way in this regard, with most people creating a path for them to get through.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy (Post 5276753)

Ambulances and fire engines always need to be given right of way. India has thankfully come a long way in this regard, with most people creating a path for them to get through.

Of course they have to be given right of way. What I was trying to say is that if anyone is coming up behind me blaring horn or siren, I give them way at the first opportunity.

One incident happened with my boss a few years ago. He was riding a scooter with his young daughter on the pillion. Along came an entourage of sirens with the pilot car clearing way. He dutifully moved to the extreme left but did not stop moving. That angered the pilot car which had a lady cop sitting in the front and she let loose a barrage of local language delicacies even though she saw his daughter sitting behind him.

I mean a known menace but a menace nonetheless. However I had an unexpected experience with such a vip vehicle.

Once when driving from Bangalore to Chennai, somewhere after krishnagiri I spotted this VIP vehicle with a single Police vehicle as escort behind us. I could easily speed ahead and watch them catch up with me. But the fact was that while I could run away from them I would still get stuck behind some stubborn traffic and then these guys would be behind me flashing lights, honking et al.

At one point, decided to let them go ahead but stuck behind them - not too closely but literally in their wake. My speed never exceeded 110 - which was basically their max speed. But crucially my speed never dropped below a 100. These guys were just clearing the path ahead. Heck- I was even allowed to pass through a toll without paying. It was one of the smoothest stress free drives ever. Nobody to bother me or cut across. In fact somewhere down the line a figo too joined the 'convoy'.

This convoy guided me all the way till the outskirts - after which I felt it was bit risky to continue - they were jumping signals etc ( the kind of boorish behaviour these buggers indulge in). That said the escort vehicle stopped exactly at Prestige Bella Vista and by the time I reached Arcot road the VIP vehicle was right in front of me, stuck in traffic.

And also before anyone jumps in - I took my chance here only because we could identify that this was not a very high level official or politician - wouldn't have dared try this if it was a CMs convoy or anything like that.

I was stopped at a Traffic Crossing Lights, somewhere near Philadelphia - New Jersey border, when I heard sirens and saw Police flashes from opposite side.
Cars on the other side shuffled to make way for the Cavalcade led by Police Motorcycles in succession. These followed by number of Cars. Obviously, some VIP was travelling. As they zipped past the Traffic signal, Traffic Violation Cameras fired flashes continuously, recording violations, at each and every vehicle.
We laughed thinking of all those fines being cancelled or paid by one department to the other.
rl:

Quite sad, frankly. BHPian Normally Crazy too had an awful experience with another politician on the highway.

One more bone of contention I have = yesterday, in BKC, I saw a Consulate Camry with dark tints all around. As we know, all these consulate cars run around with tinted glasses when they are very clearly banned in India. Heck, why? Do you think the USA will allow the Indian consulate car there to break local road / traffic rules?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 5277113)

yesterday, in BKC, I saw a Consulate Camry with dark tints all around. As we know, all these consulate cars run around with tinted glasses when they are very clearly banned in India.

This tinted glass thing is strictly enforced mostly in Mumbai. All over Maharashtra I see everyone and their uncle driving around in cars with dark tints, including in Pune etc and specially in the rural towns in between. The tints don’t stop at the side and back. Some even tint up their front windows with dark glasses. :Frustrati

Same for vernacular written plates, which is clearly illegal - very common including in Mumbai. I have no idea if these get caught and fined successfully in all our speed cameras.