[Bubby]

Hmmmmm.

Very important thing here is knowing your car capabilities and more importantly is to know your rivals car capability and then take up the challenge.

When I am travelling on a single lane highway and a slower car is trying to irritate me with different things, I will let him do that, I wont slow down to give him way, if the other car is capable to overtake me then it should not trouble me, should find a way by itself.

If I would allow him to pass, in sometime in a staright line I have to again overtake him and I dont want to pass the same car 10 times on a given route.

This is how I tackle these situations.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

My major worry about Indica taxis tailgating me is about their ability to brake.

And also about the driver's ability to brake in time to avoid banging into the car in front.

Had a similar incident at same place (Chertala) while returning from Cochin. There was this Indigo taxi with a couple of western tourists in it whose driver seemed to be in a big hurry and was tailgating my Swift very dangerously, even though I myself was doing 100+ speeds. For some time I played along, but then became worried about what could happen if he is not able to brake in time and rams into our car. So let him go.

After some 10 minutes we see the same Indigo in an accident - he rammed into the rear of an Esteem. Was glad I let him go.

[madhukar_n]

This kind of tailgating driving is very very common in the bpo land(bangalore) with the bpo cab drivers. their eyes will be blood red always and with tobacco on one side of the mouth..keep honking and blinking...

i have in some cases tell them to overtake me and they poke ahead cannot overtake bcos of oncoming traffic and they back off again. sometimes i slow down if they are tailgating me and i know for sure there is no place for them to overtake me. tit for tat..they tick me off and i do the same. bcos of that i have got into fights with them, but purpose achieved. :-)
[PS:- maybe not the correct stratergy]

[greenhorn]

I usually let them go. They usually have tight timelines, and I'm not in a hurry to reach somewhere, and it would be selfish for me to block someone who does. But there are times when I'm stuck behind a truck or something , when I cant overtake, and an idiot keeps honking from behind. You let them pass, but they too get stuck behind the truck, and wont pass either. Then the tables are turned , and it's my turn to return the favor, and the redgrilles do the job very nicely .

I used to get frustrated in traffic a lot, but now I enjoy every second of it, thanks to these fabulous horns. They're like an instant anger release

Originally Posted by Bubby

Hmmmmm.

Very important thing here is knowing your car capabilities and more importantly is to know your rivals car capability and then take up the challenge.

When I am travelling on a single lane highway and a slower car is trying to irritate me with different things, I will let him do that, I wont slow down to give him way, if the other car is capable to overtake me then it should not trouble me, should find a way by itself.

If I would allow him to pass, in sometime in a staright line I have to again overtake him and I dont want to pass the same car 10 times on a given route.

This is how I tackle these situations.

Exactly!
And its not just the car, its also the driver. I remember being overtaken while driving the verna to TVM by a Diesel Qualis(sleeper?). I got away twice, and he caught up in minutes. Then I let him go. and he disappeared. I'm not exactly a slow driver and the verna is not a slow car, and that trip to TVM was the fastest ever I had done on that highway(there is a thread about that trip on tbhp). I still ate the qualis' dust.

I even tried to stick with him keeping a safe distance, which is what I usually do when I meet a faster car, so that the guy in front has to do all the hard work, but even that didnt help. He just disappeared. Better driver in a vastly slower car.

Now if I have to hear that the Palio 1.2 is faster on the highway than the diesel qualis....

@greenhorn- I think I need a pair of those redgrills myself, for the situation that you mentioned.
You let them pass and they set up camp in front of you. Doh!

[djay99]

Its not just indicabs who drive rashly without caring others. Recently i was travelling to chikamagalur on the highway in my car with 4 guys. There was an innova going at around 70kmph and i decided to overtake him. There was a truck coming in opposite direction which was at a safe distance so that i can overtake the innova easily.
When i started overtaking innova i see that the innova driver is also accelerating wherein he is very well aware that the truck will hit me if i dont cross him.
The truck is at about 50Metres and i am still trying to cross him. Then i changed gear from 5th to 3rd and within couple of seconds i was ahead of him (110BHP, 240NM effect ).
But still i was very close to the truck.
Its not just cabbies who drive recklessly. Many guys want to prove that their cars are more powerful even if they are putting their life in risk as well as others.

I request every one to drive carefully.

[Blur]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Clevermax, though I'm not pointing fingers, and it is certainly the indica's fault, if your car had been faster, and finished overtaking the truck earlier , there was a chance he too might have survived

GHorn, there's no way CMax is to blame for any of this.

He has clearly mentioned he likes to maintain an average speed of 80/90 kph. So the chances of him sitting in the Indica's path (like the Alto did in your case) are slim to none. The cab guy tried to pull a blind tailgate-overtake. Which is plain stupid. No matter how much of a hurry you are in. It's the overtaking vehicles solemn responsibility to ensure that all's clear before pulling a move.

It's your life that's at stake

[hrag]

Originally Posted by rippergeo

And its not just the car, its also the driver.

Also how well the driver knows that particular road

Originally Posted by rippergeo

BTW- the indica can match a palio 1.2 in acceleration if driven properly

The Indica will run rings around the Palio 1.2. Business Standard Motoring said that, not me.

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I usually let them go. They usually have tight timelines, and I'm not in a hurry to reach somewhere, and it would be selfish for me to block someone who does. But there are times when I'm stuck behind a truck or something , when I cant overtake, and an idiot keeps honking from behind. You let them pass, but they too get stuck behind the truck, and wont pass either. Then the tables are turned , and it's my turn to return the favor, and the redgrilles do the job very nicely .

Even I do let them go and if they also get stuck I return them the favor using the high-decibel horns;-)
BTW, similar incident happened with me while coming back from Kanyakumari recently. I was doing a slow 90-110kmph then my regular speed as my Mom was with me. An amby was following me like being chased by mad dogs. Twice I sped up to shake him out of my rear-view mirror but ultimately he catches me up after sometime as I'll be stuck behind trucks on that yet to complete road. So after shaking him off for third time I was heading towards a flyover with only one side being completed, so basically trying to overtake a bus there would be suicidal as I won't know what's behind the apex. So I decided tag behind a bus till I cross the flyover. Now our dear Amby driver thought that he might be able to overtake me and the bus at the same time and he took the plunge. Oh boy, and at that moment appeared another bus from the opposite direction. Ambywallah braked very hard. I swerved and braked to give him some space(I didn't want to be the cause of his death although it was his fault) in between me and the bus in front. He was able to get in the line just in the nick of time and was saved. But that didn't teach him any lesson and last I've seen him was he was still trying to overtake other vehicles like mad. I took a break of 10-15mins after crossing the fly-over and let time pass by so that I won't catch that maniacal driver again.

[hrag]

Tried to edit my previous post but time ran out:

The correct statement from BSM was:
The Indica's 1400cc might was enough to humble, if not humiliate, the smaller-engined Palio.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by Blur

GHorn, there's no way CMax is to blame for any of this.

And I never did blame him. But sometimes you can go out of your way to save an idiot from his own mistakes ( highly not recommended though)

Originally Posted by hrag

Tried to edit my previous post but time ran out:

The correct statement from BSM was:
The Indica's 1400cc might was enough to humble, if not humiliate, the smaller-engined Palio.

hraq, was that for petrol or diesel indica ?

[Partho-Palio]

This is my first car and learnt driving in this car itself. My brother came to Bangalore and taught me for 4 days, that is the "driving skill" I have got.

Initially I was terribly slow while driving in BLR Traffic. Soon I found my self following those CAB drivers, driving a car like a two wheeler, never wait in a queue. Get yourself any part of the road, that is vacant during the traffic-moving-slow situation. Honk endlessly. Even started sitting in an angular position.

I realized, cars, autos, even cab drivers, gives you way, if you are driving agreesively.

Then I moved for a trip to Hampi. I was driving like a breeze, keeping a constant flow, overtaking trucks, other vehicles, till I tailgate a taxi.

I have a truck on my left, a truck behind that truck, an Indica in front of me moving along and three Indicas coming from other side. The time I realized that I am terribly wrong, I hesitated, braked, and then soon (in fifth gear) tried to overtake, the engine got off. I stopped fully. First Indica swerved and saved me, second and third tailgated the first one, they all missed me in whisker.

The truck behind the truck was NOT exactly behind, that too swerved and saved me. I had my wife and two kids with me. Whose luck was that I do not know.

I realized, I cannot drive like I do in city road, that is not driving, those are expressing frustration of so many things :-). I never tailgated again. I slowed down and soon found my family also relaxing. Passenger too feel stressed, if you drive the way you like.

Highway drive actually sobered me. I become a saint now in BLR traffic.

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by hrag

The correct statement from BSM was:
The Indica's 1400cc might was enough to humble, if not humiliate, the smaller-engined Palio.

But, Indica has 53 BHP, whereas Palio 1.2 has 72 BHP!
Now, we know which has a smaller engine.

[kannan666]

If we are talking only about top speed here, it also has a lot to do with the gearing ratios of the respective cars rather than having more bhp / torque only, isnt it ?

[hrag]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

hrag, was that for petrol or diesel indica ?

Petrol. 75 BHP (without a K&N sticker).

Originally Posted by finneyp

But, Indica has 53 BHP, whereas Palio 1.2 has 72 BHP!
Now, we know which has a smaller engine.

Learn something new from Team BHP everyday.

Smaller or bigger engine is determined by cubic capacity, not power output. Plus, not all Indicas are 53 BHP.