[carthick1000]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

T
A disciplined rider getting entangled by a sinister rogue pole-wire

Disciplined? Well, I don't think so!

00:09 Hits the road
00:10 Helmet is rolling away from his head

When it comes to safety, Half measures = No measures!

[alterhak]

After having driven extensivey across the middle east for the past few years and suddendly finding myself in Kerala owing to pandemic, it took me sometime to get used to the honking and the commotion on the roads. Its been over an year now and I still sometimes loose my cool when someone honks indiscriminately. Another thing noticed is people are never ready to give way and everyone is in a hurry. When occasionaly, you stop the car to let someone cross, I ve seen people acting surprised that someone stopped a car to let them cross or enter. Its not something expected on our the roads. Traffic signals are also a point of worry where no one respects the signals. Things will change with time atleast I hope.

[Jaisalmeriya]

A great thread reminding us all of the most basic driving behavior to be adapted. Thanks for all the points and experiences shared by fellow members.

I must admit, I may not have been a saintly driver a few times, when an emergency/fellow road users reduce your tolerance, I make it a point to anticipate as much based on what I see from windscreen. Also, basics like, keeping lane, yielding way and overall safe driving behaviors have been a boon to my peace of mind on road.

Something that helps me further - I keep a small-sized family picture in my line of sight while driving and it has been the biggest influence for me to drive safe.

[GeeTee TSI]

Great sharing which reinforces something we all know but forget at times (and in the heat of the moment)

It has been especially sobering to see accidents (some recent fatal ones including) on what were predominantly 4 laned roads seperated by a median and none being head on collisions with an oncoming vehicle

Tailing a large vehicle hampers our field of view considerably, sometimes eclipsing important signboards and signals. Keep enough distance behind a large vehicle to be able to view vehicles (diagonally) ahead. Let others fill up the space in between you and the large vehicle up ahead, one by one they will overtake (impatient as they usually would be) . Maintain sufficient gap while initiating the lane switch to overtake as well rather than do a Jason Statham-esque last minute weave in and out

[Amey Kulkarni]

Infrastructure takes care of many safety aspects, but of course disciplined driving is also one of the important reasons to be safe on road.

People right from being a noob learn all these things through International RTO driving lessons which are structured and ahead of times and the biggest problem / gap we see today is this in India.

While taking driving lessons in Dubai for the UAE license, I tried to take the good habits out of the book which are universally helpful -

1. Keep a car distance length between the front car so that in case of emergency braking you don't end up rear ending.
2. A quick 5 point check before lane change which ensures blind spots are covered - IRVM -> ORVM -> shoulder check -> ORVM -> IRVM
3. Before braking (Soft / Hard) observe the centre mirror (IRVM) for the car behind first
4. Using hazard lights for the right use and not in tunnels as Indians do . Hazard lights basically used for obstacle in front, pedestrian crossing the road, emergency braking etc.
5. Keep the EGO at home.
6. Respect others who're driving around you.
7. Waiting at interjections and observing for safety before moving.
8. Using the round-abouts perfectly.
9. Using horn only when intended and not being a loudspeaker on road.

Cheers,
Amey

[MaanSingh]

Good thread and very helpful.

On highways, at high speeds, while overtaking any vehicle from left or right, I always prefer to have at least one lane empty on either side - so that if the vehicle that I am overtaking suddenly moves to my lane for whatever reason, I can quickly move to the empty lane on the other side.

Also, I try to blow a short horn every time I am overtaking any vehicle - so they are aware and stay in their lane.

I have seen too many situations where vehicle being overtaken, suddenly moves to the lane of driver, reason could be anything like - driver fell asleep, something fell inside the car and driver tried to pick it up, there is a baby inside car who is interrupting driver, there is a pothole or someone in front that came suddenly and driver tries to maneuver and avoid it, etc. etc.

[Arun Varma]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

To those who are reading this, I plead again:
- Maintain safe distance from the vehicle at front
- Maintain lane discipline
- Practice defensive driving
- If someone seems to be taunting you with immature tactics, just let them pass
- Expect the worst. Even if it’s a highway, people or animals can wander onto the roads

This thread is gold! Thank you so much for initiating this.

Your points above are excellent. I think defensive driving needs elaboration in that, among other things, it should include keeping within the speed limit. With all due respect to the abilities of modern vehicles and skills of the modern driver/rider, almost every driver/rider in an accident would have rated themselves and their vehicles easily capable of doing what they ended up doing, and failing! It is not just the ability/capability of the vehicle/user but also the prevalent conditions of the road and road users, which, more often than not, are less than ideal, as evidenced by at least two videos in your post. Now I am aware that in both videos, the riders didn't seem like they were speeding, and I think that it is because of that they avoided more grievous outcomes. But as someone once told me, adding speed to dysfunction is always a terrible idea.

Thanks again for initiating this discussion.

[pugram]

Originally Posted by Amey Kulkarni

5. Keep the EGO at home.

This is the most important thing to remember.

Surprises are plenty even if you are practicing defensive driving. So being alert and road focused also helps to a large extent. Don't get diverted by anyone inside the car.

Even with Bluetooth or connected car technologies, I still see a lot of drivers with the mobile phone sandwiched between their head and shoulders

A city road or highway is not a place for heroics. There is a race track specifically built for this purpose.

[freakmuzik]

A much needed topic of discussion!

I recently had a close call and the defensive approach, I believe, is what helped. Was driving a Thar between the Trichy - Tirunelveli stretch and it was around 7 pm. I was in a convoy of high speed drivers and I should say I did some high speeds in daylight (the very lower side of 3 digits). The moment it started getting dark, i reduced my speed to 80 - 90 kmph.

As we were sailing steadily, I suddenly noticed two figures running across the road and I applied the brakes and directed the car as much as I can away from the objects. In a moment, I realised the running figures were two dark-coloured saree clad women who ran across the 4-lane highway in pitch dark! Even 80kmph could have been fatal but I felt this made it far more controllable a scenario than a much higher speed. Also what helped me is that I did not tailgate nor was I in parallel to any other vehicles at that speed or else it could have become even worse.

Another issue is the set of people you drive with in the car. Many a times, there are people who keep poking you around for driving defensively. To let it not trigger you and to maintain your composure whatsoever is one big life lesson.

At the end of the day, even if someone does a 200kmph sprint, you'll meet him/her at the next tool booth/ petrol pump/ signal and still get to say hello.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

https://Youtu.be/t45RvcKOi9E

Of all the videos, this was one of the best illustrations of safe driving. Well done, it was perfectly judged by you.

[rnb34]

Most accidents happen while overtaking another vehicle. Overtaking up the incline when one is not able to sight the oncoming vehicle, overtaking near a narrow bridge or when the road is curving should definitely be avoided at all costs. Only when one can see a clear stretch ahead, should one attempt overtaking, on BBC a two lane road.

But many drivers are guilty of overlooking this crucial aspect resulting in unavoidable tragedies.

And nowadays, driving in the opposite direction with the headlights on seems to be the new fad. It is an unpardonable offence and wish they authorities would come down on such errant drivers with a heavy hand.

Originally Posted by CarNerd

The First thing to do on Indian roads is to reduce speed. There's no point in acting like F1 drivers on track trying to overtake everything in front. Most of the fatal accidents are a result of high speed. Experienced drivers should reduce their average speed instead of increasing them.

The second important thing is Patience - People drive as though they'll lose crores every minute they get late. I can understand about certain emergency situations where one has to hurry but most people do it 24x7.

Third is Traffic Rules which most don't know as usual. You can do all the defensive driving you want but can you prevent some idiot from ramming into you or something falling on you? I have seen many accident videos where people get caught in an accident for no fault of theirs. This is where Prayer can be useful for those who believe in God.

The authorities are busy coming up with one rule after the other but no one is thinking of educating students. I don't know how many 18 year olds get license every year without knowing anything about driving. This is serious and we should keep reminding our family and friends about safety.

[epiphany75]

In recent times every other driver seems to be driving recklessly without adequte attention to road safety and rules. Ego coupled with reckless behaviour often leads to accidents and so often loss of innocent life. Road rage seems to be the in thing no one wants to let go.
Defensive driving which involves driving skills and strategies which allow the driver to apply informed decision and avoid any kind of mishaps .

[Somil07]

My usual commute used to include the daily traffic chaos with some intense hand-eye coordination driving and one way trip used to take around 45 min. So one day, I was quite dejected before leaving for office due to some tragic incidence with one of my knowns and I left for work in a totally non-combatant mood, giving safe pass to even a dog that attempts to cut across in my way. I was driving in a totally laid back manner like an 80 year old. A few observations from that day:

1) I was completely relaxed when I reached and didn't have the usual fatigue from driving
2) I would have saved quite a lot on fuel since I was driving with a very light foot
3) I was quite surprised to see how many people were actually driving as sedately as me. Usually I just overtake and forget about them.
3) And lastly, my commute duration was just 6-7 min longer than usual. Not bad at all keeping in mind the benefits above!

Rash driving in traffic hours lead you nowhere because you accelerate hard and brake harder. It's all about the mindset!

[Amrik Singh]

I wonder what defensive driving in India would be like. Forget driving, even sitting in a stationary Car is not safe. No one can predict when some other vehicle may crash into it.
Try to give way to someone crossing street at Zebra crossing and everyone else behind you will be honking at you.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

...the need for proper driving etiquette...

Thanks for starting this thread.

However, Why you should practice defensive driving is very clear to most people. To quote Wikipedia and this article, defensive driving is

"...driving to save lives, time, and money, in spite of the conditions around you and the actions of others.”

The question is, HOW you should practice defensive driving, without depending on personal experiences of near-misses, crashes and other sticky situations on the road. To achieve that, it is imperative that one undergoes hands-on practical training as well as a change in their attitude towards other people's behaviour while using the road. To quote the above article again,

...research shows people crash mainly because of risk-taking behaviour which can be fixed by an attitude change, and the skills they need are mostly around observation and anticipation. Exactly how the steering wheel is held and their smoothness of braking are not as important.

Risk perception through observation and anticipation cannot really be taught through a thread or a video. It has to be hands-on. But finding a trainer for defensive or low-risk driving in India is tougher than finding a trainer who'll teach one how to fly an aircraft.

Originally Posted by GKR9900

To those who are reading this, I plead again:
- Maintain safe distance from the vehicle at front
- Maintain lane discipline
- Practice defensive driving
- If someone seems to be taunting you with immature tactics, just let them pass
- Expect the worst. Even if it’s a highway, people or animals can wander onto the roads

To highlight your points:
- Maintain safe distance from the vehicle at front: What is a safe distance? What about the varying conditions when that safe distance changes?
- Maintain lane discipline: Are we supposed to get upset when 99.9% of other road users do NOT maintain lane discipline? Must we individually maintain lane discipline when others do not? What do we do when lane markings are non-existent or unscientifically placed on our roads?
- Practice defensive driving: The ambit of these three words is so huge that it'll take weeks & months for someone to actually, practically, practise defensive driving.
- If someone seems to be taunting you with immature tactics, just let them pass: What if he does not want to pass, but engage in road rage with you?
- Expect the worst. Even if it’s a highway, people or animals can wander onto the roads: If we expect every pedestrian, motorcycle and animal on the road to wander in front of our cars, and slow down in anticipation, we'd not be making much progress to our destination. So what are the specific behaviours we ought to observe, to be reasonably sure that the said pedestrian will not wander into our car's path? This is where low-risk driving comes in.

For example, teach yourself to look for 4 signs (or at least 3) that a pedestrian will or will not wander into your path. The signs are:
1. Look for body language. Is the person desperate to cross the road quickly, and looking for even a narrow window of opportunity? Is she holding the hand of a young child who can tear away and run across the road at any moment? Answer YES / NO;
2. Movement. Is the pedestrian moving? Answer YES / NO;
3. Age. Is the pedestrian very old or very young? Answer YES / NO;
4. Eye contact. Is the pedestrian looking away from you / your vehicle and / or busy talking to someone else or over the phone? Answer YES / NO.

If you've answered YES to at least 3 of the 4 questions, you need to slow down urgently, and if required, stop completely, to avoid an accident. If you've answered NO to at least 3 of the questions, there is minimal risk in your continuing to drive at the same speed.

It seems a little complicated to practise evidence-based low-risk driving at first, but do this half a dozen times, and you can subconsciously assess such situations within less than a second. And that is one small part of the HOW of practising defensive or low-risk driving.