[Xehaust]

If you have made a mistake by chance, say for instance, cut someone off due to circumstances not under your control [say some obstacle or a pedestrian or the like] or perhaps due to plain ignorance [ive seen this quite often, even done it myself a few times]...

Please take a moment to slow down, roll down your window & wave gently in an apologetic manner and say "Sorry"
instead of ignoring the whole situation, shrugging it off and driving along on your way.

Just seeing the change of expresion on the other drivers face makes it all worth while.

This will also ease his/her road rage & get him/her [& you] in a pleasant mood for the rest of the journey, perhaps even the rest of the day, rather than add to the persons rage & stress if you just drove off.

[Xehaust]

If you see someone in trouble, lets take Jassi's incident as an example [no offence meant to you buddy], say someone stalling continuosly [even if there is no "L" sign on it], stop your car & walk upto the car in question and offer to help instead of honking a lot or revving the engine.

It gives the helpless chap a little relief
And if its a learner, it might even help the learner in gaining some confidence and not be intimidated by traffic around him/her.

[Xehaust]

This is a common sight on our roads...

There is no divider on a two way road and someone wants to enter a lane or a building on the other side and has stopped in the middle of his side of the road with an indicator but no one on the other side is willing to give way.

Please be considerate & even if you are in a hurry, give the person a break and allow him/her to pass by stopping your car and giving a gesture and a smile. In any case, the traffic ahead of you is such that if you dont allow the pass, you wont be wayyyy ahead or save any time at all.

This too helps in case of elderly pedestrians trying to cross the road.

Think of it this way, wouldnt you rather get their blessings and goodwill rather than foul language or irritation to the person in the next car or that elderly lady and/or gentleman.

P.S. - You dont have to go all out and brake suddenly. Please make sure the car behind you is keeping track of your actions and that you are at a very slow speed, such that you and the car behind you can comfortably brake. If this is not the case, then it's better not to do this as it will probably lead to an accident.

[Xehaust]

Finally, when all else fails & someone else cuts you off / drives with poor judgement / does not follow the above / causes you to almost have an accident... It is best to leave it at that if nothing major has happened.

Even if it leads to a few scrathches or a nick or a dent, let it be and move on. I know this is tough to do, especially after all the care & effort you put into your car or bike or the trauma of almost meeting with an accident but let me put another perspective in front of you.

It's better to let go and forget about your near miss and in case there is damage, fix that scratch/dent later and continue on your way peacefully, rather that take off in hot pursuit, all angry and ready with the choicest of words to yell.

Just think for a second...What will you get out of pursuing the person?
Chances are, you have doubled if not more, the risk of meeting with an accident while trying to pursue the culprit [in case he/she tries to flee].

And even if you catch up safely and yell, its going to have little or no effect on him/her or the fact that the incident has already taken place.

Or perhaps, it could have been no fault of thiers either. It could have been that it happened due to no fault of theirs either - the same way it could have happened to you sometime like i mentioned in Point 2 & the person chose to ignore. [this further shows how point 2 is important as now you see both sides of the coin].

So isnt it better to just shrug it off and enjoy the rest of your commute & be at peace?

[Xehaust]

Follow the above and i garauntee that not only your road rage, but also your stress levels and other tensions will take a dip.

Take into account the amount of time you spend in your car / on your bike and you will realise that most of us, out of 24 hours in a day, spend the 2nd highest amount of time travelling, second only to sleeping out of those 24 hours. Think of this little fact and you will see what i am getting at.

Phew! Long post but im sure that if i persuade even one person who reads this to follow it, its all worthwhile.
Cheers

[Nitin]

Originally Posted by jassi

I know and maybe my punch would have knocked him out (cos I have been into martial arts 18 years), but then I would be more wrong than he ever was in the first place!! When my reasoning didn't work, I could have punched to shut him up, but I chose the path of cooling him down and getting him to get lost. I guess all the yoga and zen helps sometimes hehe

Thats what martial arts can do. Its only for self defence,not to misuse. Good that you walked away from the situation.Its always better to say 'sorry' than have to be sorry.

[sterlingjames]

Originally Posted by jassi

I know as I have been in that situation of teaching someone, but I would not physically threaten anyone and throw profanities at women. Such behavior is just not justifiable. As far as forgiving and moving on with life, I already did that at the time he was shouting in my face. Misunderstandings happen, people have a bad temper day and things go all out of control, as long as everyone comes out unscathed its all cool

dude! while i admire your calm, there's no way that you should have backed down!..know what i do?i carry a flip pocket knife which i use to pick my teeth with everytime some frustrated jerk tries to drive closer confront me..the look on their faces is priceless!!!.but i am also someone who will also make good on what i show,so that's it...i also think a little further ahead and considering the fact that my car is fully insured, i wouldnt think twice of taking that jerk out if need be(all done legally and from the correct side of the road of course) for FIR's sake...

[zaks]

I read through the post and commend your patience in dealing with the situation. But having said that I also think that what you did when you were behind him did cause to incite him. Just go through the lines you say there and it appears if there is a driver who is learning and a person who is teaching him and they are stuck in a traffic and you come behind and keep honking and revv up which gives out a buzzing sound. This though intentional or not from your side makes some kind of statement. This could have easily pissed him off depending on his state of mind.

Note that I am not saying he was justified in what he did but what you did could have genuinely upset the guys mood.

[jassi]

zaks - while I agree to your point, I have no way of knowing who is and who is not a learner if they don't have a proper L board (on a white background). I saw only the front L board, once I passed them - maybe the rear window L board was there, maybe it was not there, but it was certainly not on a white background, which is why I missed it and then we know what happened :-)
Anyways I don't think most ppl in India know L boards have to be on a white background - so all is forgotten and I am more alert now to checkout if there is any tiny L hiding somewhere on an erring car :-)

Edit - @XEHAUST - awesome post buddy - guess I missed it 1 year ago - good stuff to follow and be rage free on roads :-)

[gpa]

Carry a can of pepper spray, helps diffuse potentially threatening situations like the one you face.

OT - Was the Italian Restaurant you were trying to get called Via Milano?

[jassi]

^^ i don't think the situation warranted a pepper spray !!

restaurant - don't remember anymore, via milano or lil italy i guess :-)

[Xehaust]

Thanks Jassi. Hope it makes a difference & we see less road rage from everyone on the roads

[vinaydas]

General Stereotyping is the reason for all this and also partly due to the stupid media nowadays.
Any accident which involves even a Baleno ,people on channels like aaj tak,India TV, Headlines Today And sometimes even NDTV suggest that the driver was driving a fast racing car.

With FFE's available easily on the market and not to forget that very small modifications can change the exhaust note. This means every Tom Dick and harry can make his car sound fast.
These people don't have the responsibility to drive properly hence often others are misunderstood.

[CPH]

Originally Posted by sterlingjames

dude! while i admire your calm, there's no way that you should have backed down!..know what i do?i carry a flip pocket knife which i use to pick my teeth with everytime some frustrated jerk tries to drive closer confront me..the look on their faces is priceless!!!.but i am also someone who will also make good on what i show,so that's it...i also think a little further ahead and considering the fact that my car is fully insured, i wouldnt think twice of taking that jerk out if need be(all done legally and from the correct side of the road of course) for FIR's sake...

Although I do understand your feelings, but I have to disagree. Being a professional performance tuner I drive cars every day. I personally love small cars that are turned into sleepers. This upsets a lot of people dispite the fact that the cars never are overly loud.

Having had many experiences (I am now 50) I have learned to deal with it in a way that gets me forward.

First rule is: Whoever keeps the cool is in control.

Second rule: Solving the situation without violence shows human strength. Violence is for losers.

Defending yourself physically against a phvsical atack is not violence, but should be the last rersort.

The last time I had an incident someone tried to push me off the lane I was in for a reason I don'T know. When honking the guy lowered his window hurling abuse at me. I replied to him that he should learn the highway code.

He then suggested to stop at the next corner to settle this, which would have meant a fight.

I replied to him that if I stop there I will arrest him (under British law anyone can make a citizens arrest). The looks on his face were priceless. This was the end of it.


Another incident I had was a drug dealer cutting in my lane on a very busy roundabout from a traffic light. He thought that he is quicker than me but wasn't. So he forced me to brake hard. I obviously made use of the horn. He played about braking in front of me slowing the traffic down. I managed to pass him by quickly changing the lane. He then sat on my bumper. Due to realising that he is some drug dealing scum I could have taken a risk, but I would have to be quicker than his gun (which he most likely has got illegally anyway). Worth the messy outcome?

All I did is showing him the extendable wheel brace, which I most of the time have in reach while driving as I realised it is a great deterrent.

The guy who is so full of himself just backed off.

The point I am trying to make is that I do understand such situations. But what I do know is that if you do not kepp your temper under control it will catch up with you even if it is many years later.

And if you keep your temper under control a lot of people will have respect for you, which includes people that aren't fond of you.

You might now say that it is easy for a German to say. I can only reply that I am not the coolest person te planet. I have got no tongue left to bite because it is a challenge for me every single time.

But I managed to succeed because I immediately try to think of the consequences.

To the original poster: WELL DONE!

[Chipz]

Some people think if the other vehicle is making noise, they are trying to race or overtake them, or they are driving recklessly. I always have the same experience with my RX 135. no matter how slow I go people get out of the path thinking I am racing. The loudest vehicle is blamed in an accident.