Experiences: Getting intimidated or bullied by larger vehicles on road

I generally do not give way to rowdy SUVs on the rightmost lane, no matter what car I am driving, if I am within the upper band of the speed limit.

BHPian DCEite recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Notice the emphasis on "you" in the thread topic. This is to say what is Your individual reaction to bullying by bigger vehicles on road (example, butch looking SUVs, trucks,buses, tempo travellers and so on) on the road. The topic is not on what the general perception is.

How does it affect you ?

Do you give way to a honking larger vehicle in the rear view mirror even if you are on the fastest lane and driving in the upper band of speed limit ?

Do you feel threatened and move leftwards when you see a vehicle larger than your's approaching head on on an undivided road (sometimes, crossing the marked barrier) ?

Do you feel that a larger vehicle(mostly white or black color SUVs) is/must be driven by a Local politician/Gunda/Overnight rich urban villager and you must treat him with certain respect on the road ?

Do you feel you are bullied on the road if you are driving a small car and people "judge" you even on the roads ?

Well, from my personal viewpoint, when I am at the receiving end (driving a small car and a bigger car tries to bully me), I am unaffected for large part, unless its an ambulance or unless there is apparent emergency. I generally do not give way to rowdy SUVs on the rightmost lane, no matter what car I am driving, if I am within the upper band of the speed limit.

Truth be told, the whole concept of "Road presence" and thus, "I am holier than thou" is as much a topic of personal perception, rather than reality.

How do you react as a person to bullying by larger vehicles (compared to yours) on Indian roads ?

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

It's amazing how the behaviour of other road users changes based on the car that I'm driving. And to be honest, my own driving style is different too.

When I'm out in either of my two Jeeps (Thar & Classic), no one cuts me. If we're approaching a gap or junction together, the other vehicle will always give way. Because no one gets too close, and I myself am not worried about nicks / dents on the Jeeps, driving them in Bombay is a very calm, fuss-free exercise.

However, when I'm out in the 530d, everyone cuts me. Forget buses & commercial vehicles, even motorcycles & cyclists cut me. Everyone is well aware of the delicate nature of luxury cars, their expensive parts and that owners won't risk even a small scratch. I keep a good safety margin (gaps) all around the car, never getting too close to anyone.

The driving experience is the complete opposite in these types of cars.

Here's what BHPian ashis89 had to say on the matter:

When I am walking or cycling, the delivery guy on a scooter pushes me off the road.

When I driving my hatchback, the person on scooter waits for me to pass through the narrow lane.

When I am driving my crossover, the hatchbacks allow me to move ahead on the highway. They also give more space while crossing narrow streets. But the faster or bigger vehicles demand the same treatment from me. At the same time, the fellow with his black shades and a loud Bullet could block my path and yet, won't tolerate my protest.

The equation changes on the mode of transport or the situation on the road. As long as I know which side of the coin I am, I can adjust and move on.

I gave a very generic response but truth is, we learn to adjust and adapt as per the situation. The 'local' guy could be on his Alto or his bike too and would demand same respect. To confront or to allow is on us and can vary from situation to situation. These days, ordinary guys on Activa also glare and react if you honk at them for blocking the road.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

When Im in my Cooper I always get bullied by everyone around me. Buses, Lorries, delivery trucks and vans, Autos, Bikes, Cyclists, Pedestrians etc.

Even the otherwise friendly stray dogs go woof at the exhaust note even if Im just burbling along peacefully at low speeds in HSR like Noddy does in Toyland.

Our Bangalore Brothers of Policeman Plod generally stop and ask ‘Saar Maadify Shuft Gaadi Aa Saar?’ And I smile and show them the RC that it is an imported S with a natural growl.

When Im in my Thar people automatically halt or give way. And they are very surprised indeed when I halt and allow them to pass. They look at me in a deeply bewildered manner and keep going, shaking their heads in confusion.

When I'm in my Gypsy, they think I'm an Officer of the Government and generally have no truck with me at all.

But the stray dogs, they come and mill around, eat the biscuits which I give them and wag their tails.

In India as Ive said before this whole buzz about ‘Road Presence’ is an euphemism for ‘Might is Right’.

Here's what BHPian vigsom had to say on the matter:

Whichever vehicle I am in, I always view through the ORVM the way a car/two wheeler is being driven/ridden, and give way suitably. There have been hatchbacks and sedans driven dangerously (one of the worst here was a TN58 registered Ciaz when I was moving uphill to Kodaikanal), bikes sporting irritating LED lights, ridden by some rider groups in full gear, whom I let pass ASAP. I don't even know how such rider groups get away with such violations.

Intimidating - yes. I've always invariably been "respectful" to Ford Endeavours and the 2012-16 Fortuners. Others than what's been described here - I don't care!

Here's what BHPian SoumenD had to say on the matter:

On highways, yes. Infact in a recent trip had to drive after dusk due to unavoidable circumstances(I always avoid driving after dark on highways) and the Safaris/Scorpios/Fortuners/XUVs made it a horrible experience. Not all but many tend to come pretty close from behind and flash their big white lights & honk non-stop literally scaring the daylights out of you even if they see you are overtaking a truck on the left and have no space to move out of the lane. Its more of bullying than they actually being in a hurry.

Hence, I always stick to middle lane as much as possible to avoid them and anyways am not doing break-neck triple digit speeds, nor am too slow at sub 60kmph. Maintain 80-90kmph usually. In situations when there's a slow moving truck hogging up the middle-lane, one has to shift to the faster lane to overtake & in such cases I do increase my speed to finish the maneuver quickly & not block the impatiently fast biggies. Day time its not much of a problem but once its dark they make it miserable for smaller cars. So I usually give way if there's space. I have all the time in world to give way to everyone provided there's space

In city, SUVs or bigger vehicles are usually not a problem but the autorickshaws are. I feel these Auto folks don't consider their vehicles an inch wider than a scooter & hence try to squeeze in from left-right-center and keep honking relentlessly. And if there is more than a few second delay in your giving them way, they start abusing you or worse, hit your car in order to pick up a fight. Absolute hooligans who I hate the most on our city roads.

Here's what BHPian On4Wheels had to say on the matter:

Yes! It has become usual for me as I own hatchbacks. However, it is less disturbing today compared to the days I bought my first car. It could be because mostly the System One is in action that effectively neglects these vehicles. Otherwise, it could be due to the recent flood of SUVs in which these bullies lost their dominance. Apart from this, I think, the Fastag has done some psychological change in drivers attitude. Earlier, the number of vehicles bearing the flags were more compared to these days and many of them don't pay any tolls thinking that road is their own property. Now when they are forced to pay the toll and this might be reminding them that they are just road users like anyone else on the road. Also, I see a drop in number of flag bearing vehicles.

The latest trend of powerful LEDs irritates a lot. These blind drivers make others also blind which is a real safety concern. I find, the behavior of honking and flashing lights are kind of psychological disorders. So, I just give way for these bullies with despise. Moreover, driving is more enjoyable when you can find peace in it. A powerful car assure you peace of driving. Similarly, I have not seen the drivers of luxury cars being intimidated even by state transport vehicles. Even, the MTC drivers of Chennai keep a distance from these cars.

Also, I think, there is no correlation with the size of the vehicle, rather I find, the issue is with a few category/make of vehicles. For example, among SUVs, Mahinda Scorpio, Toyota Fortuner are the bad guys on road. Among pickups, Ashok Leyland Dostana drivers do it frequently. Many of these vehicles will have some sticker or wrapper that explains who they are on road. On the other side, I think, the drivers of national permit trucks are the best humans on the road. They are very patient and compassionate on road; kudos to them.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Picture used is for representation purposes only.