[Glass]

I was driving my Fusion today night on Hyderabad's Necklace road in the heavy rain that was pouring down, with my kids in the back seat. Puddles on the road were to their brim and there was a little road visible in the middlemost, the sides holding several inches of water. Net net, you can not drive a car without water splashing around even at the slowest of speeds.

Then suddenly I see two fully rain-drenched helmetless guys in their early twenties on a bike come over on the left of my car trying to tell me something. I lower my left window glass and they tell me 'halloo chalo, pani ooper gir raha hain!'. I tell them in a composed tone 'tho baarishme roadpe nahin aana'. They get wild, throw some expletives, 'act' as if inflicting a scratch on my car with the hand and race ahead. I chase them wildly (my Fusion D is very capable, I realised!), not to hit them but to give them a taste of their own medicine, scaring them a little bit with an unruly vehicle charging. They flee, take a U turn, get some expletives from me before disappearing. Hind sight, there was no need for me to lose temper, of course.

But my belief is that if I am driving a two wheeler in heavy rain and with water on the road, I do not expect water not to splash at me. When I am prepared to get drenched from rain above on an open vehicle as a bike, I would also be prepared to get some water thrown from the road as well. If I prefer not to, I would stay home warm and watch the rain from the window. In any case, there is no way to drive a four wheeler in the rain without splashing some water.

Comments?

[Born 2 Be Wild]

Well in my opinion if asked the same question by the bikers, i would also have given the same answer. Simple logic if you dont like getting wet dont ride in the rain!! Also when its raining everybody is already kind off slow except for the nutcases, So i guess nobody is at fault for water splashing.


Note from mod: There's no need to paste an entire quote. If need be, pick up parts which you need to high light. Thanks.

[aaggoswami]

@Glass:
I was about to start a thread on this today itself.


The situation is very bad. When I am coming on my bike, then other road users expect me to slow down so that water does not get splashed on them.

Now my problem is that even with an moderate rain, water is collected on the roads. So if I slow donw for each and every person, I will make my 9 km journey in more than an hour.

I dont expect others not to splash water on me. I am on two wheeler, and so this is bound to happen. I am not out on the road for just fun. People usually fight with me. I too fight back. Its not me who is responsbile for the water collected on the roads.

The following incidets is not aimed at car owners:
Just today, at eight thirty I was returning from college. There was reasonable rainfall till 7pm. An Indica was driven on the right side of the road. I used horn but he did not move. I undertook him and the water from my bike was splashed into the cabin. Now, they were out verbally accusing me of a wrong thing. I was stunned. How can they expect this. Sometimes I have to keep the speed high or else the two wheeler will die in the middle of mini sea!

After every rain, I have verbal arguments almost daily with one two wheeler rider. The question they ask " What is the emergency ? " and " Cant I slow down ? "
Who are they to decide my speed ?

I think that this is matter of attitude of other road users. We cant solve the problem like this.

However, I feel that the government is also quite responsible for this. Why cant we atleast reduce this by improving road conditions ?

[Glass]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

@Glass:
I was about to start a thread on this today itself.

Sorry to beat you to it

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

The following incidets is not aimed at car owners:
Just today, at eight thirty I was returning from college. There was reasonable rainfall till 7pm...

It is not a question of car or bike even. Every bike in front of the car sprays a steady stream of water + mud on the windscreen. But that is definitely something to be prepared for before one gets on to the road. No speed more than zero can prevent the splashing from happening.

[AbhiJ]

Hehe ... great topic.

Will narate an incident that happened almost a decade ago.. was a pretty seedha type baccha back then ..

I had just learnt how to drive and I was driving back from tutions (M800 - My first love). It was raining and there was slight water logging on the road. Maybe 2-3 inches of water. The road was pretty much empty and I overtook another 800. After around a minute, I see an 800 flashing its light in my RVM and driving pretty idiotically in attempt to overtake me.

I gave the guy a pass, and he overtook me. Immediately he braked hard and made me stop behind him. A youngish couple got out and started to scream at me, as if I had just murdered their dog!!

What had happened was, the couple were driving with their windows down. As I overtook, I unknowingly splashed water INSIDE their car and on them. They were understandibly angry and I said sorry at the time and they left.

Thing is, I still dont think it was my fault. Am I not supposed to overtake any car when it rains?

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by Glass

It is not a question of car or bike even. Every bike in front of the car sprays a steady stream of water + mud on the windscreen. But that is definitely something to be prepared for before one gets on to the road. No speed more than zero can prevent the splashing from happening.

Exactly. Its not matter of bike or car. Its matter of attitude of road users:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

I think that this is matter of attitude of other road users. We cant solve the problem like this.

.

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

What had happened was, the couple were driving with their windows down. As I overtook, I unknowingly splashed water INSIDE their car and on them. They were understandibly angry and I said sorry at the time and they left.

Thing is, I still dont think it was my fault. Am I not supposed to overtake any car when it rains?

Thats the real point. Becasue of corporation work on the road, my one way journey is now 9km from 7.5km. So total I am moving 36kms just for college. Now if I slow down every time I am about to cross water puddles, I will almost take more than double the time. People jsut scream at me, and sometimes even follow to justify their behaviour. It can get ugly also.

[iraghava]

My question to all these people is, when you can see it's raining & there is water collected on the road/puddles, why don't you guys drive with the windows up so that other vehicles can't splash you??

I mean isn't that common sense?? You can't expect everyone else to avoid splashing water on the road because you're driving with the windows down because many a time it happens inadvertently. You can't slow down suddenly when you see standing water, you can't see there's a pot hole in that standing water, you can't suddenly change lanes to avoid the water because of the traffic around you etc. etc.

[Glass]

Originally Posted by iraghava

My question to all these people is, when you can see it's raining & there is water collected on the road/puddles, why don't you guys drive with the windows up so that other vehicles can't splash you??
I mean isn't that common sense??

Part of it, I would suspect is the fogging of the inner glasses. I wonder if most drivers are aware of how to avoid it using the a/c, fan controls.

[tifosikrishna]

Originally Posted by iraghava

I mean isn't that common sense?? You can't expect everyone else to avoid splashing water on the road because you're driving with the windows down because many a time it happens inadvertently. You can't slow down suddenly when you see standing water, you can't see there's a pot hole in that standing water, you can't suddenly change lanes to avoid the water because of the traffic around you etc. etc.

I have been guilty of making a few people bath/bathe/wash/abluted during monsoon, but all the instances were because of standing water under a pot hole... otherwise, i slow down deliberately for two wheelers to ensure that water does not splash.

but as ishaan said, it always happens inadvertently. In such cases, if situation permits, i apologize and explain my helplessness, mostly the other party understands and spares me from expletives.

IMHO, in any minor accident or a wrong move, people expect you to raise your hand up and say sorry, situation worsens only if the offender has an indifferent attitude.

[phamilyman]

Interesting. I completely side with the bikers here. Not only because I am one.

Because most people in cars just keep AC on and rip through water (only till the moment they see deep water, then self preservation takes over).

I think you were simply being insensitive to begin with, and then stupid/rash to follow it up. They requested you politely, while you instead threw your attitude and tried to use your BHP. I mean, please consider being considerate.

In India, we just care about ourselves, forget pedestrians, forget two wheelers/cyclists, forget road sense. Its okay, you're one of the brainless herd man.

Just because someone is out there getting half drenched (with clean rain), does NOT give you the right to splash muddy water while driving. If there are puddles, please be considerate. Else road rage awaits.

In any case, there is no way to drive a four wheeler in the rain without splashing some water.

Interesting. I completely beg to differ. Maybe spending alot of time on two wheels helps me see the difference between considerate and inconsiderate drivers, but its okay. To each, their own.

PS: I sincerely hope the day you use an auto, someone drives across just like you mention, and then you revisit your thread.

[kuttapan]

Once an embarrassing(for me) thing happened to me. I was following an M800 on MC road in kerala(very narrow, overtaking opportunites minimal - Something like Hungaroring or San marino..LOL). After several aborted overtakes, I got fed up of driving behind him at 40 kph or less and then I spot an opportunity at a curve. I go for it, but then I see the huge puddle on the right side of the road. I decide to go through nevertheless, ending up drenching the M800 driver in muddy water.

I didn't stop to find out whether I would get beaten up or forgiven, just hoped that guy would let it pass. anyway, it was drizzling and they did not have windows up.

In a way it served him right, because he would not move over an inch to let me through, for about 5 kms or so.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by kuttapan

In a way it served him right, because he would not move over an inch to let me through, for about 5 kms or so.

Same thing happened to me during the last TBHP drive to Vagamon - there was this Accent that was hogging the road, refusing to let me pass. Finally we muscled our way through and ended up splashing him with rainwater...and had an interesting encounter on the road.

[shuvd]

As a kid, I loved to get drenched/splashed by passing vehicles. Could skip school that way!!

I try my best to avoid splashing pedestrians. Have had quite a few nasty experiences.

[senindra]

Dude, guess you are not "as" flexible with 4 wheels as on your 2 wheels, eh ? KIDDING

Originally Posted by kuttapan

then I spot an opportunity at a curve. I go for it, but then I see the huge puddle on the right side of the road. I decide to go through nevertheless, ending up drenching the M800 driver in muddy water.

[Zappo]

Ummm... I will take a different line here. I know its not a very nice feeling to be drenched by a bucketload of dirty pool of water, which probably also has sewer water mixed in it. Yucks. Normally when I see a huge pool and vehicles coming from opposite side, particularly bikers I generally slow down or try to move further away so that my car sprays minimum water on them.

Give those poor bikers some leeway, yeah. They are there on the road most probably not out of choice. That does not mean you should only add some more to their misery. Its about being sensitive towards other fellow road users. That is the minimum we can do. The comfort of being in the closed, safe confines of a car makes me think that I should be a little more thoughtful towards others who are probably in a tougher situation.

Do think about it the next time you are on the road on a rainy day.