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-   -   Victim of Road Rage + Extortion! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/94028-victim-road-rage-extortion-4.html)

Don't be so harsh on yourself! Things like this happen. What is important is you came out of it. Your biggest handicap would have been to be alone. From what I have seen, try to diffuse the situation. In India, there are no rigid rules, and to the passers by (usually the ones that have to walk are over enthusiastic), there is just one simple rule, a car and a bike in a crash, car drivers fault. cyclist and a bike rider, bike riders fault. Same logic will never apply to some TATA SUMO, BOLERO, SCORPIO, pref in white with a party flag.

I have been through a few situations like this. What would you feel about a few morons riding their bike into your car at a signal, where there are plenty of cars parked ahead of you?

I still feel its a good thing not to involve the cops, err, one can always call their uniformed friends (the top ranking good cops when there is something thats really bad, not for what you can sort out) when there is a major issue, but don't call the local cops ( in other words, lower the cadre the worse they are). There used to be a story about a monkey sharing something between two cats. Perhaps those cats did get to eat something. Guess you get the drift!

yes, Life is not fair! but look at it this way, that guy who took that 450/- would have had a blast!

Peace! Your time and health is too precious to ponder over things beyond your control. You did your best. :)

P.S: one lives an learns they say. So how would you react when something like this happens again (Err the whole team would not want that but what if ) ? What did you learn from this? :)

Really sorry to hear what happened. Maybe it was intentional to extort money.

A lesson I have learnt is that you cannot be technically wrong on the road and expect that the other driver will drive co-operatively, leave alone defensively, to avoid an accident. For the stress level and road rage , it's possible someone at the heat of that moment just want to take out the anger. I once had a narrow escape when I was overtaking a truck. Another truck was coming towards me from the opposite side, saw me and a normal expectation is that he would let me pass safely but he did not care or slow down a single bit. I managed to pass with a narrow gap. I know I was at fault technically, so no complaints from my side. However, these days I try to pass only when there is enough space to pass without counting on any co-operative driving from other vehicles.

By the way, emergency number 100 is useless. The last time I called it did not work from mobile. I figured out that it only works from the BSNL landline. So much for emergency number. If you are in a highway, you have to call the police station number of that location with STD code. Frustratingly, they have that number boards on the highway with some 10 digit phone number in a small font hoping that they are serving people. Maybe next time if you need to reach police, you need to stop at every board, note the number including the STD code and then start driving. Chances are it changes once in 10 kms including STD code and the boards will be missing in more than half the places leaving you with an absolutely outdated number within 10 minutes after you note it down. :Frustrati

In our absolutely hopeless system, pray god that you never need police or ambulance or fire engine assistance on road. Worst case, if you need, again just pray god. In that sense, what you did on the road was very practical. I agree that it is about a deep mental scar and also about Rs 450. Now that you have come out of that road, you should do all that you can do. Filing a complaint was a good thing - follow it up if you can. Writing here was a good thing, it created awareness. Write to paper as well, it will create more awareness.

Can there be anything worse to read than that. Males. Aggressive, Abusive, Wild insane and frothing at corner of their mouths. That's what they are. Not Men. Only Males.

The only consolation for you would be that those Males went back to their miserable existence after this episode.

Whew!. I take that route everyday on my way to banashankari from koramangala, and i just know what you are talking about. Even being locals sometimes doesnt help. The same trick was used on my friends dZire (some other location though) and everybody surrounded him, and he had to cough up money, around 500 or so. And imagine, we are locals - know the language, and also know our way around. Despite this, the crowd, the held-up traffic and loose tongued rogue who banged my friends car got their way by working in tandem!.

I really sympathize with you, the general attitude about anything-goes with IT folks has really caught on.

Suhas,
I am really sorry to hear about this incident. Also it is good to hear that the rowdy did not harm you in anyway or your car. Reading the incident what I felt was -
1) You are probably not a local from Bangalore which hugely work against you and that piece of filth took advantage.
2) The rickshawalas ganged up on you which is a common occurence where usually a localite is often favoured over the outsider.
3) Also you probably drive a non-KA car which also was against you (This is just my guess).

Anyway I have faced a similar situation in Bangalore. I think that given the fact that so many people up against you , you remained calm but had to lose out monetarily and I think it was the most prudent thing at that moment or the mob can get ugly.
I do hope that there is no next time that something similar happens but if you are driving in bangalore this is going to occur so few tips from me since I have been through many such events before -
1) Stand your ground as much as possible and just keep calm. Don't lose your temper or say anything even hinting as if it is abusive.
2) Normally people who are wrong make a lot of noise including use of foul language to prove that they are right in front of a mob. If you persist with your good language and manners then there is every chance the mob sympathy works in your favor.
3) Also in such cases insist that you want to go to the cops. This scares of 99% of this "fastest-bike-on-the-road" rowdies since they are at fault.
4) If you have a mean enough look on your face that you mean business then no one in this whole wide world can get rough with you.

I do hope you never have to encounter road-rage again , but if you do , please remember the few tips I have passed on. May help you out. Drive safe !!!

Suhaas, sorry to hear about your incident. Since you have the details of the bike, i also echo CaptainSlow's opinion.

This is the pits man! I hope there is no long term damage done. Did you lodge a complaint? Frankly speaking, if i were in your place, i wont mind greasing a few palms or pulling a few strings to bring those scumbags to justice. An assault on a woman is a much more serious offense.

Lets not politicize this please.
We are all here to discuss and delibarate.Lets not get dragged away by our regional affiliations.
All our cities have this issue.Lets not get into a comparison mode and dilute the relevance of the original topic.

Thank you!

Well, I wouldn't react too differently. Staying calm and being patient may not pay off at that very moment, but in the long run, it does. What would I do different, if it were to happen again, God forbid? I would call 100 and get the attention of the police. I would speak loudly on the phone and I would let him do whatever he wants to do to my car. It's just evidence against him, at the end of the day. Besides, I've got third party insurance!

Thank you!

The first phrase that I've highlighted in bold: Very very true! It was probably in the spur of the moment. He was in all probability, frustrated with some thing else, perhaps another incident on the road before he went straight into me.

And are you sure about 100 being useless? The cops at the station said that it works on all mobiles!

Thank you Shubz! Well said. Very very well said!

Thank you!

Yup! Even being a localite doesn't really help all the time! That's the hitch right there.

Thank you, Sir!

But you're wrong there!

I am indeed a localite, and my car is KA registered. I do speak Kannada, but I wasn't as good as him. The lingo is very important and I spoke the sort of Kannada that is best used between two people who want to merely communicate. I do not have command over the language. And that is my weakness.

My other weakness is that I'm rather soft-natured. And it works against me at times, but it does work with me at times as well! And as you've mentioned in your suggestions, I was well mannered and spoke softly and spoke well to him and the rest of the mob. But they had different intentions. So that doesn't work always.

I did make it clear that we should take it to the police station, but they wanted to finish this off quickly. They wanted to make away with the money as soon as possible. And when I refused to pay up, that's when he decided to get violent and threaten to smash my car. Just so that the money comes out of my pocket as quickly as possible. The more I delay and stretch it, the less his chances of getting away without getting caught.

Thank you for the support amitoj! Much appreciated! :thumbs up

Sorry for what the corruption you had to witness. But this one is kind of funny.

And Suhaas, you did the right thing by not getting physical with him. I guess others would have plonked on you. But I like that idea by someone to stay put in the car and if you have a mobile phone with camera recording, record it. You get your proof.

And about the Auto-wallahs. Phew! My GF was driving back home about a month back and where we stay in IndiraNagar...it's a pretty peaceful place. There was this Auto-rickshaw-wallh who was getting back from the bakery to his rickshaw and he did see that there were couple of vehicles approching from behind his auto. But that reckless fella just turned around his rickshaw. My GF tried to go past it in order to avoid any contact but her brake got jammed and she fell down with couple of bruises and few the headlight area of her Activa smashed down.

And this bugger got down and started abusing her. There were couple of aunties standing in the balconies of their house and few college girls walking back home who witnessed this. The girls rushed to my GF and got her up and starting getting furious at this auto-wallah. But he, in turn, started abusing them. And all the aunties started getting down and few other motorists stopped. Seeing this, he fled.

When my GF came back home I was so so so so furious. I asked her if she has taken his number of picture or anything so I could get his butt kicked royally by the police. But she was very scared for me to do any such thing. I am not sure if I would have done anything, but those couple of hours of anger-filled-heart and frustration is one of the worst moment I've experienced in Bangalore.

Anyways. Feels good to vent out my frustration.

Drive Carefully People.

No, there was no corruption. To his credit, he did not demand any money from either of us. And it was funny, for I had to translate what he said to the car guy, who was a Bengali and he too burst out laughing. But what I found wrong was his taking sides.

Hi Suhaas, Exactly this happened to me two weeks back @ 630pm in full fledged traffic in Tnagar opp to Enkayaar Fuel pump.

But here that fellow was in Black CRV (old version),he hit my swift from behind near the fuel lid.

Actually the spark in front of me was friven by a old guy and he was leaving 1 car gap between himself and the car in front and was a dumb driver ,he would move his car after the car in front moves by 20-30 meters and by then a bike or car would slide into this gap.So literally i was moving at half the pace of others.

So i decided to overtake him and i was by the side of divider,so since there was no car on my left (literally no one) i put on the indicator and left the lane,then came the CRV from nowhere and parked right next to my car almost touched. He started abusing me in un-parliamentary words,came out and tried opening my car but door was locked so he went back to car.

Now my car was in between two lanes and so i move forward,Now this time that Fellow wantedly hit my car and i lost my temper and got down (which is what he wanted) and as i was talking to him he ran to my car and tried taking out the key and i then snatched it from him.he said i would run off so he got the keys,but actually i was keeping on telling him to park aside as my car took the dent and he had to pay for it.

Remember all this was happening when everyone next to me in the traffic was looking and having fun,not a single person came to my rescue (am ashamed to live in this country).

Then he asked to stop by the side and i stopped as i had not done any thing wrong.he then came and thats when i started abusing him and then he was telling me "you dont know whom you are talking to" and i said "do what ever you can i will stay here" he got in and ran away as i was talking to him.

I could have chased him and got hold of him AND gone to police but i was in a hurry to go home soon that day.:Frustrati

Now honestly had i done a mistake of cutting lane just like that or something i can accept it,here i was very very professional the way i drove,i swear !

That CRV was very familiar to me i have seen it many times earlier and saw it two days after that incident.I think that guy might be a 2-3 owner,DECENT people dont behave this way and wont run away.


I too had a police lathi with me but last service i took it out and forgot to keep it back:Frustrati or else i would have hit him back when he came to hit me.

Now i too wanted to buy pepper spray and i am going to order it this week

THOUGH I DONT WANT TO TAKE REVENGE ,THAT INCIDENT IS NOT GETTING OUT OF MY MIND,IN FACT I DIDNT SLEEP THAT NIGHT.

YOU GUYS TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE ? and what should i DO

Allow me to recollect an incident similar.
I was on Hosur road, heading out towards Silkboard, and in one of the signals, I cut off a Taxi Sumo by mistake ( My Fault, But I did not seem him in the commotion, I'm pretty sure that he accelerated to close the gap that I was trying to get into. But I still accept it as my mistake).
Immediately that guy started raising hands and what not, So first thing first I rolled up windows and started travelling to the other end of the road. At the next signal, the dude got out of the Vehicle, crossed the whole sea of traffic and came upto me and started shouting. I simply kept the window rolled up and pretended nothing had happened. He shouted for a while and left.
As much as I wanted to apologize for my mistake, I did not, simply because that would have agitated him further. By acting dumb he did not know how to retaliate. Besides, Had he continued on, I would have taken my Phone and started recording the whole thing on Video. That way I can always have footage against Him.
Also, I never rolled down the window or unlocked the car doors.

HI Suhass
I can sympathise with you buddy. But you need to forget it and move on. I myself have been victim of kind of road rage in bangalore. But that time we were group of guys who decided to take it head on and we thrashed the daylights out of those buggers (some small politician+ his goon). We eneded up in police statin but got aways due to some strings that we had to pull.

But believe me, you did the right thing. When I think of that incident, I think we just acted hot blooded. But I guess its time that we should make it clear that CALMNESS IS NOT WEAKNESS.

Here I remember the opening quote of a famous movie
"THE ONLY THING NECESSARY FOR THE TRIUMPH OF THE EVIL IS THAT FEW GOOD MEN DO NOTHING"

Move on buddy...

I am sorry to hear your ordeal. These things happen in every city. Don't bash the city for it. Even if you have the influence and other clout, what use will it be if you are not allowed to call for help or if surrounded by a mob.
Don't worry about it. Think of it as a bad dream and move on. Always drive defensively.

We are Indians, we have the right to live in any place in India. It is not for any person to say where or what one should do. Please leave the regional mentality and start thinking like an Indian.

very sorry to hear about your ordeal suhaas, but i feel you handled the situation pretty well and also the fact that you came away from it with just monetary harm is fine.
if at all possible the moment you fear for your safety just get in your car and drive to the nearest police station, but its all easier said than done.

the best way to cope up with it is to move on with your life and consider this as a welcome to harsh realities that life is gonna throw at you every now and then.
hope this incident strengthens you.

also just a word of advice, keep a few handy contacts listed on speed dial on your cell phone, cause knowing that support is on the way is a big relief in these kind of situations.