I too agree with the, "live and move on" motto...
Have been trying very hard myself and i am making progress.
Yes, it does spoil your mood for the entire day that your car is damaged but atleast your fine the next day instead of further complications which might be dangerous.
Here are 3!!! (luckily no1 got hurt) incidents from my side-
The most recent one was when i wanted to get into a building on the main road,
i dutifully gave the left indicator and since its a narrow 2 lane main road, i was inches from the foothpath to take my left.
Just as i turn left to enter the gate, out of nowhere "BANG" and my left rear view mirror is badly scratched, and facing the opposite direction and my sister who is sitting on the left side is scared to death and so am i for her well being. (all this in under 2 seconds, seriously).
Then i realise that a bike has banged into the car (how he managed to get in between my car and the foothpath i have no idea bacause even a cycle wouldnt be able to fit in the space).
Now im expecting this guy to be civil and yes, i am angry, so i just yell at him and say "What the hell are you doing, dint you see my indicator???"
At this the guy has the audacity to reply "Indicator pehle dena chahiye tha, itna late kyu diya?"
I was dumbfounded...my indicator was on a good 30 feet before the turn as i knew its a narrow & more importantly MAIN road.
I got so pissed off but luckily the traffic behind started honking and my common sense prevailed and i drove into the building. Checked my car and THANK GOD there were no major scrathes on the body but unfortunately, there was this huge scratch on my rear view mirror and am reminded every time i reverse =( Feel so bad everyday
Luckily, i guess as a reward, 2 days back my good friend was messing around and realised the scratch was on top of the mirror so if i polish it, it will come off
2nd Incident (Not so lucky for me):
People who stay in Mumbai must be knowing that a whole bunch of cyclists come to Worli sea face in the morning. Yes, you guessed right, not a motorbike, but a brainless cyclist accident.
Now, i was on my way back home from dropping my dad to the airport in the early morning and was at around 80 kmph on sea face (who wont be), when ahead (near the u turn of the milk dairy on sea face) i see a whole bunch of cyclists on the left and the one most ahead coming to the right to take the u-turn. Now common sense tells me to leave the accelerator and keep the horn pressed as its too small a distance to come to a complete stop. The cyclists all aknowledge this and see the situation so the 4 or 5 at the absolute front make the uturn safely as they are way ahead and the others stop. I am at this point relieved, dumb dumb me to feel safe.
Just as i reach the point where i have to keep going straight and the u-turn is present, this cycle guy decides to chance it and starts peddling to make the u-turn before i reach the spot. IDDDIIOOOTTTT I immediately hit the brakes and realise this guy is right in front of me so the brakes are useless and that this guy is gone or i bang, so i decide better to bang myself and swerve to the right....
As chance would have it, by the time i swerved, the divider had ended which made way for the u-turn and i went into the opposite lane (which luckily had no car coming head on) instead of getting totalled...Do you know how close this guy was??? When i swerved, he actually hit my rear view mirror, broke it and fell down from the impact...
That was how close he was to being able to fly.
As soon as i stopped i got out of the car and saw that the guy is alright, i started shouting as expected "What the hell is wrong with you, are you freaking insane" Now seeing me alone the other cyclists come along and start shouting at me saying its my bloody fault....
The reason???? They say its his fault too (they acknowledge this) but i should have followed the speed limit of 50!!!!!!
(Even during peak time cars go at 60 because its a stupid speedlimit as it is)
Now my anger gets the hold me and start screaming away, luckily a few uncles taking a morning walk notice all this, come to me and say "we know its not your fault but just walk away"
So i do exactly as they say and realise the reason they said so after i came home.
Wise men these uncles, hehe. They had realsied i was alone and the cyclists were like 15.
Thats when i realised that it's better to walk away "live and move on"
Better be thankful that the guy dint get serious harm rather than stand there and fight for being right.
3rd (The LUCKIEST of the lot):
This one is pretty short actually. I am on peddar road doing 80 in an Innova at 2 in the morning when i notice an old uncle in a old e class (the one which was a BOX) stopped on the left hand side with the right indicator on. I honk (he sees me) and presume that since this uncle's car is stopped and that too on the extreme left, that he wont take a u-turn. Just as i am reaching towards him, he suddenly starts his car and takes the u-turn...(WHAT THE F****) I brake (screeching and all) and think, thats it,im going to get totalled but ill be fine with the airbags and since im in a innova but that uncle is dead and im in deep ****, mostly going to jail.
THANK GOD the innova stops (I still wonder how it stopped so fast but im definately thankful) within inches from the other car....
This thread is right, i mean have people lost it...This guy knows that an innova is coming at a good speed and that if he turns, HE (the driver side and not the empty passenger seat) is right in front of my car. I mean, dint he care for his life????? He would definately have died on the spot.
The icing is that after my car comes to a stop, he coolly takes the turn, looks at me and abuses me and drives off while i stay there for another 5 mins traumatized at what just happened....
Man i feel so much better after letting all that out.
Moderators, i would like to suggest to make a thread where BHPians can vent their anger and hence it will lower road rage among us
These above 3 incidents have changed my thinking from "Why should i be scared, its his fault, fight for it" to "Walk away, even if it's not your fault"
Thank you for reading this and feeling my frustation.