[Apex1815]

Originally Posted by mayukh42

Some of them are of course specific to the car you drive, but here goes in my 120k kms journey so far.

1. Pressing clutch is not required to start the engine.
   

Good takeaways from your points.
Actually clutch pressing is required to Start Tata Nexon

[SulemanP]

While riding my Unicorn 150CC along with a colleague of mine who was riding Apache 160CC, i realized he kept on going faster than me. I thought it is because of the machine that i am not able to keep up the speed.
Sometime later i switched over to Avenger 220 and the same sequence repeated with me, again the Apache was much ahead.

That is when i realized that i am inherently a sedate rider/driver and i can cruise all day long with no issues.

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

As per Indian law, the one with the bigger vehicle is always at fault.

For those who were wondering about this one:
Man jumps out of a bus window.
Gets hit by a passing car.
Dies.

Guess whom the cops are looking for?

[Vishwath P]

This is something I learnt with experience - When you are driving in an highway, you are better of with your braking and judgements, if you base it on vehicles moving beyond your immediate traffic. Multiple times I've experienced drivers doing knee-jerk braking which could have been totally avoided had the driver had an eye out for the traffic much ahead of what's moving just in-front.

[Slowjet]

While I do not drive at the night but there have been situation where I had to. I always clean the the front and rear glass using soap and cloth since that is always carried while travelling / readily available and then with paper as well few times. This is to ease visibility otherwise the light from the opposite side results in glare and poor visibility.

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by kaps454

Would not recommend holding a car stationary that way, the clutch is being burned.
....
PS: still trying to ignore folks who drive at 30-40 kmph in the overtaking lane with their noses buried in their phones.

Totally agree on not using the clutch to hold the car stationary.
And phones, whenever I see a car driving erratically, I say "must be on the phone" and invariably I am right.

Originally Posted by narayans80

Not just on inclines. But also on plains. Any wait more than 10 seconds. I trust the handbrake over my right foot.

Some cars do not have very good handbrakes though. I would hesitate relying on handbrake alone.

Originally Posted by Gummybear

There were a couple of things I learnt when I used self-drive rentals in Malaysia:

1. Right of the way, especially at the T-section and roundabout. We really don't need signals at every nook and corner, if people know and follow who's right is it to go first.

2. Humanity on the road: I saw a guy in BMW 7 series, coming out of his car in heavy rain to give a push to a moped, which got stalled in the middle of an uphill road.

Agree. Right of way is an alien concept in India. But also, most roundabouts have continuous cars coming in from the right, you'll wait for 45 min to get through.

Originally Posted by Satish Pari

One mantra I have learnt over my 26 years of driving - "Never underestimate the stupidity of the average Indian driver". There are various reasons for making this strong statement.

1. Impatient bike drivers trying to overtake you from the left, despite one having turned on the left indicator (happens regularly)

2. Bike's being driven in the wrong direction casually despite having the presence of traffic police (who aren't really bothered)

.

1. My grandfather used to say, "If someone is overtaking from the left, you are not following the 'keep to the left' maxim." So I generally keep to the left most lane, which is generally faster in cities as lots of 20 kmph morons occupy the right lane.
2. Agree - not just bikes but cars, trucks and all kinds of things.

[VikramCS]

Wow! great to read such comprehensive points shared by fellow members.

Some of mine...
1. Overtaking - simple rule i follow: unless you are able to see a clear path to overtake and be back in your lane, do not even start the act. Avoid overtaking in ghats, curvy roads and blind spots.

2. Driving at Night - only if there is no option. Personally, i do not like driving at night due to visibility issues and oncoming headlights. It's best to avoid driving between 2AM-5AM (peak sleep hours for most people; drowsy driving has caused tons of accidents at night)

3. Anticipation - the correctness with which one can anticipate potential dangerous/idiotic/rash move on roads, the better is his safety.

4. Stopping/Parking - if stopping to take a break or to capture some scenic views in my camera, i generally make it a point to find a place which is sufficiently off the road. Parking on the side can sometimes be dangerous as i once witnessed a rashly driven private bus knock-off the right rear-view mirror of a Ecosport.

5. Road-rage - in my early 20s, i used to be always 'ready' to fight. Over the years, to the extent possible i try not to engage with other road users. However, i still am unable to get over the habit of cursing or using cuss words (fully knowing that my co-passengers don't like it) - still need to find a way to keep my mouth shut.

[Edud Regnad]

1) If your vehicle has any insurance other than bumper-to-bumper insurance, you'll have to pay most of the amount (other than that covered by the insurance) from your own pocket. Even if you're the victim, the other party is only liable to pay approx 2k and the rest should be bared by you. This is a blessing and a curse, a blessing if you accidentally hit someone else's luxury car (even if they take you to court, the court can only demand you to pay approx 2k no matter the damage), a curse if someone hits your car.

So there's no point in taking it to court, ask the one who caused the accident if he's willing to pay for the damages (if he knows what I said above, he'll ask you to take the matter to court, which will further waste your time), if not, ask for at least 2k for claiming insurance (most people will give this if they're at fault). If still they insist, just move on.

Also if you're the one who caused the accident and if the other guy is demanding money, you could just do the same and refuse to pay more than 2k.

If you're the victim or not, if the other guy doesn't have proper documents (mainly insurance), then taking it to court is a good idea, it won't benefit you much but he'll be made to pay huge fines (make sure to keep your insurance in check).

If you have valid insurance and all your documents are perfect, there's no need to panic even if you caused an accident, the laws and systems are actually made more in favour of the culprit than the victim, so take it cool, panicking only makes everything worse.

2) Watch out for animals, especially dogs. Dogs just lay down on curves when they're bored so if someone comes, panics and causes an accident, it'll keep them entertained. They're drama lovers and they're smart enough to create it and have witnessed this a lot to confirm that dogs do this deliberately.

3) Don't drive fast through puddles, things can get really ugly quickly. If you see a puddle in a bend, slow down considerably.

4) Utilise engine braking while descending other than just relying on the brakes.

5) It's better to use the handbrake when going uphill from a standstill than to rely on the footwork.

6) If on an uphill and you feel like your vehicle is going to stall at the lowest gear, pump your clutch while pinning your gas pedal, this can prevent you from being stalled, but keep in mind that this burns the clutch faster.

7) On higher speeds, use only the minimum amount of clutch press to shift gears, this will help you gain speed faster and to prolong the life of your clutch.

8) Always turn your steering wheel smoothly, as smoothly as you possibly can. I've seen many drivers who've been on road for ages driving jittery and stuttery. The passenger feels this more than the driver, the driver might not even notice he's jittering.

9) Stop at zebra crossings is someone is going to cross but keep an eye on the rearview mirror and make sure someone is not going to rear-end you.

10) Road rages can get ugly, so don't get into one. If someone pisses you off, don't try to 1up them, just keep your cool and drive like a responsible person.

11) If someone wants to overtake you, give him the way. Always keep in mind that you're driving for yourself and not to impress others by being a squid. Nothing is worth taking a risk in while driving (unless you're actually racing professionally), so always drive safe.

12) Using premium fuel in most cars is a waste of money. Refer to your user manual for this, it should be stated the fuel quality that is recommended and use that mostly.

If you're someone who has to use premium fuel, Indian oil is the best, I've tested many premium fuels with my Husqvarna 250 extensively, ktm bikes with 250+cc performs much better with xp95 and gives more Kmpl and that extra money is worth the performance, smoothness and efficiency that it provides, so please don't be cheap on the fuel of your manual states you need premium fuel.

13) Learn how to use the vehicle jack properly, a lot of people still don't know how, doing it the right way is much simpler and faster and there are multiple youtube videos to educate yourself. This will come in handy and you'll save a lot of time and energy if you know the technic.

14) It's better to service your vehicle in a reputable and trustable 3rd party service centre after your free services. This can save you lots of money and you could get a much quality service.

15) Things related to wheels and tyres shouldn't be done in your ASS, always do alignment and balancing in 3rd party shops as their devices require to be calibrated periodically due to strict rules whereas ASS doesn't have to, so there's a higher chance they might be out of specs. In some ass, they might not even do it even if asked by the customer but instead bill them claiming that it's been done.

16) Learning basic servicing stuff can save you money, mainly for 2-wheelers. In the case of 2-wheelers, the labour costs more than most parts.

420) Help other fellow drivers while on the road. Don't be shy to point out simple things like not properly closed doors, flat tyres, non-retracted bike stands, forgotten turn signals etc. Be a chad and help others, you could make others happy with these simple things and one day you'll be helped too

[Ranabegins]

It's very hard to write down everything I learned but here are a few recommendations I will make:

• You should always assume that other people on road are bad drivers and try to keep enough wiggle room in case the car/Bike in front of you makes a mistake.
• Do not force a overtake especially if you are in 2 minds about the overtake.
• Night drives require extra effort as you need double concentration.
• Use the horn at every intersection, and every market you cross.
• Take a break every 2-3 hours if you are planning a very long drive.
• Don't wait till the last moment to refill.
• No textbook will teach you everything so make sure you take a lesson from every mistake you or someone else makes. This is not just a driving trip but a life lesson.

[amitoj]

Downshift rev match! I now look forward to slowing down
I just love the sound of the car slotting into the lower gear smoothly as I blip the throttle to match the revs to the lower gear.

[Livnletcarsliv]

Few of my takeaways, and lessons learned.

1. The longer the distance you want to cover, the more optimum the speed should be. Driving at high speeds to cover a longer distance in a short time will eventually make the body tired which will eventually extend the timeline to cover the same distance.

2. There are idiots, and morons everywhere all around when you are on the road. So it is "ONE and ONLY " your responsibility to drive properly and safely.

3. Almost all of the time (99%), the other party will always blame you (even if you prove that you are right). The remaining 1%, the other party will be someone related to someone in the power (Which means that you cannot do anything even if you are right and they agree that).

4. Reaching a destination 1 minute later doesn't make any difference at all. If you want to be there on time, then start at least 10-15mins earlier than the estimated timeline.

5. Rules are meant to be broken. And "ROAD rules" are no exception. This is what at least majority of the road users think in India. However, it is absolutely unsurprising that most of them adhere to the same rules in other countries (if they drive there).

6. In India, the more powerful the vehicle is, the more irresponsible the driver is. In fact, shouldn't it be the opposite? The more powerful the vehicle is, the more responsible the driver must be.

7. Indicators for heavy vehicles are only for aesthetic/design purposes. Most of the time they don't work.

8. Autorickaws/3-wheelers are a unique breed of vehicles and their drivers are unique species of people. They have their own rules, create their own roads/lanes, etc.

9. Road taxes are meant for the construction and maintaining road networks in the country. Unfortunately, 90% of the roads are of poor quality, especially during the monsoons. But the new vehicle sales increase year on year.

10. In a traffic jam or in a chaotic intersection, everyone (by mind) wants to go first and fast but doesn't want to do it (by action) by creating a space and patience.

11. Majority of the car owners in India think that more cosmetic features (doesn't matter whether they use it or not) mean a better car.

[TheDivineKnight]

I learnt that I should stay away from Auto Rickshaws/3 wheelers as much as possible.

[divirokr]

Such an insightful thread this is. Here are the lessons I learned during my 11+ years of driving majorly in Delhi NCR

1. These are a bunch of lessons I learned when I met with an accident for the first time when I rear-ended a bus during the initial days of my driving.

This happened back in 2012. I was driving my father's Maruti Swift. I was used to driving a Maruti 800 and had driven the Swift only in city traffic. This was a two-way road from Ghaziabad to Haridwar near Murad Nagar and I was behind a bus that had been overtaken by all the cars except mine. I had tried to overtake the bus but the vehicles kept coming from the front and I was still getting used to the highway dynamics of the car. I decided to take it slow and wait for the right time to overtake it. Right at that moment, my father's phone rang and he picked it up sitting on the co-passenger seat. Since my windows were down, I decided to roll them up to eliminate the outside noise. While doing that, I got my right foot away from the pedals since the bus was going slow anyway. Suddenly that bus applied its brakes in the middle of the road to pick up some passengers. Even the brake lights of the bus were not working. I decided to hit the brakes but alas, my feet went beneath the brake pedal since the foot was not in the right position and I was not used to sudden braking on the Swift whose pedals were, I guess, slightly higher compared to the Maruti 800 in my sitting position. By the time I could get my foot to the brake pedal, I rear-ended the bus at a speed of around 30 kmph, with the car bonnet crushed below the rear of the bus. Thankfully nobody was harmed. The bus ran away without a second thought. I was stunned, shocked. I was only 19 back then and I remember I didn't say a word to anyone in my family for the next few hours. We called for a taxi and went ahead anyway since the whole family was going to drop my sister to Dehradun for her new job. The car was towed back under my uncle's supervision since we had not come too far from our home.

Lessons learned that day:

(a) Always maintain distance, notably from trucks and buses. It is much more difficult to anticipate when a bus or a truck might apply brakes since you cannot see what's ahead of them.

(b) Never lose attention while driving. I never let my right foot relax. It is either pressing the accelerator or resting on the brake pedal, always prepared for a sudden braking situation.

(c) As a new driver, be very very careful on two-way highways where overtaking is super tricky. Preferably get enough miles on a car before hitting such a highway so that your reflexes are preparing for such situations.


2. Always keep cash handy whenever going on a long trip. You can still find places in relatively remote areas where they don't accept credit/debit cards or there is no internet network to pay via UPI. I have had situations where I needed to refuel my car and barely managed to have enough cash to pay. One time, I suffered a tire burst and had to buy a new tire from the highway. I was out of cash and had to find an ATM to somehow get enough cash to be able to pay for a tire.


3. Don't get distracted by the traffic around you. I used to get irritated when I would find a crazy driver behind me honking for an overtake when I knew there was no space. This is something I still struggle with but I feel I am much calmer than I used to be. I remember one time I was frustrated by one such crazy driver and before giving him the way, I got my hand out of the window and gave him a 'go ahead' gesture. The guy didn't like it at all. He overtook me and started driving slowly. Then when I tried to overtake him, he got his car in front of mine. I knew he was pissed. What scared the hell out of me was when he opened his window, took out a bottle of beer, and gestured 'I will hit you with this bottle. I was with my 2 friends so we were mentally preparing for the worst. I decided to drive calmly and slowly behind that guy. He copied my 'go ahead' gesture and gave me the way only to bring his car in front of mine and not let me overtake at least 3-4 times. This happened for 10-15 mins. Then the guy decided to race ahead. If I had decided to fight, who knows what could have happened? From that day, I never give out any physical gesture which could be taken harshly and simply let the crazy ones go away with a smile (okay, not always with a smile). Leave the racing for the race tracks and don't let anyone else (outsiders or fellow passengers) dictate your driving style.


Bonus tip: What helps me in driving safely is the mileage indicator. I often set fuel mileage targets for myself which keep me motivated to drive in a fuel-efficient way. This ensures that I don't focus on racing those crazy race drivers and save some fuel money on the way

[Ad1.KaM]

Originally Posted by Livnletcarsliv

10. In a traffic jam or in a chaotic intersection, everyone (by mind) wants to go first and fast but doesn't want to do it (by action) by creating a space and patience.

This. Everybody wants to get out of the jam fast but no effort made to give way for the few vehicles that are at the middle of the jam and have no way to go out.

[the_bat]

I enrolled myself in a driving school near my residence on Mar 22.
Since my mom and I enrolled, we planned to complete the 18 classes together and get the license simultaneously. It took 3 months to finally get the DL in my hand .

I have started to drive my Vento on empty roads now, stating to my mom that since it's diesel, it is supposed to run at least 10km every week, then I take it for a spin for 1 km or so.


One major thing I have learned is never to go bumper-to-bumper with auto walas. For god's sake, as soon as they spot a passenger, they would swivel to the left in such a way I wonder if even an F-16 could have such dynamics. I witnessed an accident before me due to chaotic behavior while my dad was driving. Always maintain a 2-3 feet distance between them.

As per my limited driving experience of maybe at max 10kms, this is what I've learnt