[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by PetaWatt

The road was wet under the front right wheel, ABS kicked-in for a while. I applied brake slowly as another car was tailgating my car. Is the following statement correct? Vehicle going straight gets priority over the stationary vehicle in the opposite lane, waiting to turn right...

Vehicle going straight has priority. One is not supposed to slow the flow of traffic and the person turning has to wait for gap in traffic to turn.

It is only in a round about where the priority is for vehicle within the roundabout and never for u-turn.

This is where rules are followed.

What you have here is the person bullying his way into a flowing traffic.

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

A few points.

1. Cabbie was already inside the junction circle.

Cabbie was poking his nose into traffic and just missed hitting the rear bumper of the WagonR. OP was travelling straight. He is under no obligation to stop and has the right of way here.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

2. You are required to slow down at an intersection.

Slow down doesn't mean to stop and give way for someone who is waiting to make a turn. That slowing down is defensive driving to avoid hitting morons like that cabbie.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

3. You are required to give way to the traffic approaching from your right-hand side.

This rule is applicable ONLY for roundabouts, not for intersections. The cabbie has no right to shove his car into oncoming traffic like the way he did, unless there was a cop asking the OP to stop / or a red traffic light at the intersection.

[Kosfactor]

The Motor Vehicle Act is a good place to start with. Please keep in mind that rules are subjected to interpretation.

It takes a while to read through the entire MV act but this circular was part of a gazette publication it appears and covers a few things.

In my first trip to Ooty, I was surprised at the way everyone made way to vehicles going up-hill. I found our later that it is a rule, not just good manners.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

In my first trip to Ooty, I was surprised at the way everyone made way to vehicles going up-hill. I found our later that it is a rule, not just good manners.

I don't think this is true on the ground any more, my experience on the kalhatti ghat has been very different. The local vehicles are aggressive and don't make way for uphill traffic at all. The same situation on the climb to kumily from both, Kerala and TN side, the local drivers are terrible and have absolutely no road manners.

Giving way to uphill traffic is the norm, just that it's not practised.

[binand]

Originally Posted by longhorn

The cabbie has no right to shove his car into oncoming traffic like the way he did...

Well, he did so in his infinite wisdom. And once he did that, he got the right of way; which means that we should have stopped and waited for him to complete his foolish manoeuvre.

3 seconds into the video, the cab is halfway into our lane. We are still far enough to stop comfortably. What we shouldn't have done is to jump into the adjacent lane and put the vehicles there at risk. Two wrongs don't make a right.

This same scenario plays out perhaps hundreds of times at every break in the median of arterial roads in Bangalore. So common that we have all been inured to it. There are places where unless you do exactly what the cabbie did, you wouldn't ever be able to make the turn (eg: eastbound Varthur road to Vibgyor school turn at Thubarahalli).

[PetaWatt]

Thanks for reviewing the video and providing your feedback guys. One additional information I would like to add, it is not a roundabout nor an intersection, it is just a gap in the median. It can be considered as 'T' as the road on the left of my car is merging on the main road at 90 degree.

Difference in opinion clearly indicates that the rules are not well written to provide the same understanding to everyone.

Originally Posted by binand

which means that we should have stopped and waited for him to complete his foolish manoeuvre.

What we shouldn't have done is to jump into the adjacent lane and put the vehicles there at risk. Two wrongs don't make a right.

3 years back I applied brake suddenly because someone darted on the road in front of the car ahead of me. I was at safe distance and was able to stop 2 feet before the rear bumper of the car ahead of me. A girl on her Active rear-ended on my car. The way we react is based on our foolishness and experience I guess. This time, as I already mentioned, there was a car tailgating me.

Yes, I agree, Two wrongs don't make a right.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by PetaWatt

... This time, as I already mentioned, there was a car tailgating me.

When being tailgated, I try to make sure that I have stopping distance for two. Of course, as soon as one increases the space in front, someone fills it, and it becomes a constant process of dropping back.

But I have had too many rear bumper and hatch dents!

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by PetaWatt

The road was wet under the front right wheel, ABS kicked-in for a while. I applied brake slowly as another car was tailgating my car. Is the following statement correct? Vehicle going straight gets priority over the stationary vehicle in the opposite lane, waiting to turn right.

You get priority in this situation. Don't listen to people who tell you otherwise.
But we live in a country where safe driving sometimes means forgetting about things like 'right of way.'
So, the other members pointed out defensive driving are correct too.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Legal definitions of right of way are important, but so is the philosophy of live and let live. The difference between cutting in and merging may be a matter of attitude.

[Chetan_Rao]

True everywhere in the world but especially in India: never presume right of way at the cost of survival. No use having right of way if you end up maimed or killed while asserting it. Follow the rules, but let common sense overrule it when necessary.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

never presume right of way at the cost of survival. No use having right of way if you end up maimed or killed while asserting it.

Posted many times before, but evergreen, one of my dad's lessons. He taught me this one when, knee-high to a grasshopper, I thought that right of way was mine and all i needed on a British pedestrian crossing...

He was right, dead right, as he toddled along,
But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong.

(I'm sure my dad would be delighted to know that I'm still quoting that almost sixty years later )

[sudev]

Right of way is useless if you get your vehicle bashed out of shape....better be safe than sorry.

[greenhorn]

I had a recent debate with one of my friends who said that observing right of way in India is counter productive. While i had become more aware of right of way concepts after driving abroad, he said that I was disrupting traffic by doing so
1. For example even if you yield to a pedestrian in the middle of the road, they will just stand in the middle of the road confused, they are used to crossing after a vehicle has passed, and not to vehicles stopping for them, which is also disruptive to traffic behind because pedestrians usually know how to cross traffic factoring the speed of traffic, and if I stop for pedestrians I'm just increasing the risk of getting rear ended
2. At intersection, steep uphill roads and roundabouts, no one else observes right of way, and me observing them is just holding up traffic and considering everyone else because nobody knows that stuff and the way of the jungle works for everyone.

He has been driving a lot longer than I am, and has driven abroad too, and he seemed to have a point and illustrated his point several times while i was driving how i was making things worse.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I had a recent debate with one of my friends who said that observing right of way in India is counter productive. While i had become more aware of right of way concepts after driving abroad, he said that I was disrupting traffic by doing so

Your friend has a point, though observing the right of way in India is a process of evolution ( in terms of driving habits, following rules etc). Indian drivers are slowly evolving and will eventually get there (like at par with western drivers).

Indian drivers and pedestrains are ill informed / not well educated about the right of way and also the road rules / regulations etc. No one knows what is Jay walking in India while it is illegal in western nations. Pedestrain crossings are almost non existent and when they exist, it becomes irrelevant as the motorists don't bother to slow down or stop for pedestrains to cross over safely.

My point is, Indian motorist and pedestrain lack education with regard to the road rules, privileges, what is allowed, what is not etc. Without proper education, we cannot expect the motorist or pedestrain to be conversant with the point that you raised here, the right of way.

I follow the right of way wherever and whenever the need arises. The vehicle on your right has a right of way over you, if you are coming from a smaller lane and joining the highway, the motorist on the highway has the right of way before you can join the highway etc.

The change in the society happens gradually only when more and more motorist follow the road rules including the right of way, and the pedestrains too understand their role, priviliges, duty etc on road.

I believe we all are on the learning curve and we will be there soon. till then follow the right of way rules diligently and don't brush it away as an aberration and to be done away with. As they say, be the change that you want to see.

[Thad E Ginathom]

No one knows what is Jay walking in India while it is illegal in western nations.

Jaywalking is illegal in USA. Singapore is very fussy about where and when one can cross a road on foot. I don't think that Europe cares so much, and it is certainly not illegal in Britain: we only really know the word from American usage. Mind you, pedestrians do have greater rights, which drivers are supposed to respect, and are expected to know the basics of safely using the street on foot.