[watashi75]

Originally Posted by pras.oct25

The last thing we need is someone coming and making comments about how people who have scratches on their cars are poor drivers.

I clarified earlier that I am talking about more than the "occassional" scratches. It will be difficult for a driver to convince me that he is a good driver if I see scratches and dents on his front bumper. Like mobike008 has mentioned, it is still possible to maintain a car in a good condition in traffic conditions like Hyderabad!

Good driving is not just about driving skills and reaction times. It is also about proper anticipation, driving within limits, avoiding risky maneuvers and showing courtesy to others. It is always nice to think of ourselves as good drivers. But the reality is that we could be much better.

For example, it is easy to blame the guy behind who rear ended us at traffic signals. But perhaps you could have avoided the scenario from happening in the first place. Did you check your RVM and slow down before approaching the signal? Do you coast to a stop at traffic signals? Did you indicate you are slowing down or just used engine braking? Do you keep your brakelights on at traffic signals? Do you keep your handbrakes engaged at traffic signals?

[lohithrao]

I knew a guy whose car had dents and scratches all over the car, it was very easy to know the reason for it. just take a ride or see him park the car.

That guy was careless/reckless and to top a bad driver who dint care about his car...

I think "watashi"" is referring to this breed of people...

infact have heard of some people who belong to the same league...

Otherday i saw a OHC be driven very badly, he was behaving like and auto driver...on the next signal got a chance to have a look at the car closely and not surprisingly that car had lots of dents, bumper was damaged.

[ImmortalZ]

Even if you do all these things, in a bloody red car, you'll get rear ended. Four times in fact, as tejas let us know.

Here is another story. I baby my Civic. I'm heartbroken at the slightest scratches. Last week, I went to pay the electricity bill. Parked the car, went inside. When I came back, there was a massive scratch on the passenger door.

What happened? There was some construction rubble on the pavement. Some idiot talking on his cellphone put his foot on one of these blocks and it toppled over onto my door. Is that my fault that I have a scratch which will take a full door repaint to remove?

Here's another that happened three days after I took delivery of my car. Car is parked at the road side. I come back and see a three inch long, one inch thick scratch on my front bumper. What happened? Bike attack. Is it my fault?

I'd suggest you stop generalizing.

[pras.oct25]

Originally Posted by watashi75

For example, it is easy to blame the guy behind who rear ended us at traffic signals.

Ive been rear ended two times. Let me explain both scenarios to you.
Scenario 1) I stop at a red signal right behind a bus. The right side lane is free for guys to turn right. The right turn signal is green. About 1 minute after i stopped at the signal, a maruti 800 rams my rear bumper on the right, doesnt stop, and turns right and drives off. I am left helpless. perhaps if I had taken your advice and looked into my RVM while sitting idle at the signal, I would have had time to build a brick wall behind me. If still that guy had hit me, then I would have been doing this on the brick wall -
Scenario 2) I'm about to climb on a flyover. A bike in front of me who is trying to not climb the flyover. A red i10 is to the left on the bike and wants to cut onto the flyover. i10 swerves right, bike brakes, I brake and stop well behind the bike because I cant turn right with cars moving on the right. After 5 to 6 secs a splendor comes at full speed and rams me from behind. If i had taken your advice and looked into my RVM before braking, I think I would have killed the bike guy in front by running my car over him. Perhaps if we were living in the matrix, I would have had the skills to look behind and brake the car at the same time, in a gap of about 1 second.

[pras.oct25]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

I'd suggest you stop generalizing.

Agreed that there are crazy drivers out there. As I mentioned earlier, there are people like who really do care about their cars. It doesnt help to have people generalizing. It would help if you can clarify your opinion properly, instead of generalizing (intentionally or unintentionally) and hurting people who do care.

[pulsar56]

Originally Posted by Matt

This happens in Hyderabad quite frequently. Once I was a passenger in a car driven by my colleague, and he was driving his car exactly in the middle of the two lanes. I asked him if he knew the significance of that white dotted line on the road, and yes he promptly said that "Thats for visibility in the night" .

Matt, we hope you educated your friend on the importance of lanes. That would mean one less bad driver on the roads of Hyderabad.

[zaks]

Excuse me, you can't tell a bad driver by the appearance of their car. That has almost nothing to do with good or bad driving.

Good drivers- you can make out when you see one, but not bad drivers; they are everywhere.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by zaks

Excuse me, you can't tell a bad driver by the appearance of their car. That has almost nothing to do with good or bad driving.

Good drivers- you can make out when you see one, but not bad drivers; they are everywhere.

How many Mercks do we see with scratches all round?
Owners, and drivers that such owners keep, make sure their precious cars stay pristine. It is done through good driving.
Very hard to define fully, but fairly common to see. There are many cars in Delhi that are almost scratch free! Includes mine, LOL!

[gowda79]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

How many Mercks do we see with scratches all round?
Owners, and drivers that such owners keep, make sure their precious cars stay pristine. It is done through good driving.
Very hard to define fully, but fairly common to see. There are many cars in Delhi that are almost scratch free! Includes mine, LOL!

Anup sir, Mercs is a different class and for maintaining the car itself the owners would have appointed drivers who stay with a car where ever they take it and they pay for them properly to maintain it.

A person who cannot afford for a driver what should he do.

[watashi75]

Originally Posted by lohithrao

I think "watashi"" is referring to this breed of people...

Yes, thanks!

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

I'd suggest you stop generalizing.

There will be exceptions. Just as there will be exceptions to people who drive fast. But the question is how do we spot them, and the answer is subjective to that person.

Let us take a scenario. Driver A is comfortable with 3 car lengths of distance with the car in front. Driver B is more experienced and sees space in front of driver A and occupies that space because of which driver A has to slow down a bit to maintain 3 car lengths distance with driver B. Now, Driver A thinks B is a bad driver and pushy while driver B thinks driver A is bad and a slow driver. So who is the bad driver here?

For me, I am wary of cars with dents and scratches and I have been good so far with this belief.

Originally Posted by pras.oct25

Ive been rear ended two times. Let me explain both scenarios to you.

I think you are missing the complete message here. But to answer your point, a good driver would have better anticipation skills and would be monitoring his RVM all the time. Probably a better driver would have handled the situation better.

If you have read through the complete thread, there is also the question of spotting a good driver. Would you call a driver good just because he can avoid a situation or because he can prevent a situation?

[reveal_da_zeal]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Here's another that happened three days after I took delivery of my car. Car is parked at the road side. I come back and see a three inch long, one inch thick scratch on my front bumper. What happened? Bike attack. Is it my fault?

You are really too precise. Well for the good we can park in parking areas given but even here in Chandigarh its not safe as people generally while reversing do so almost blindfolded to what stands behind them. One such incident was as i saw it with a dear Lady Driver, she was reversing her Zen and while doing so she was paid no heed to look even once for what stands behind and it was just when she hit left hand side door of an M800, (can i say that M800's is a bad driver because he has a banged door) for the lady it was a clean go go as they are the gifted ones.Can't say more but its all Luck when you leave your car to find it safe and same as it was when you left.

[supremeBaleno]

The best way to spot a bad driver is to have someone take a video of ourselves driving (without our knowledge ofcourse) and play it. Given that most of us did not graduate from the kind of proper driving schools in developed countries, I am sure we all are making enough of bad driving mistakes every time we are on the road. Ofcourse, either we are not aware of it or in some cases might even be ignorant about the mistake we are making, like the guy who thought the white-dotted-line on the road is for nightime visibility.

Originally Posted by Zahir

People who drive at snail speed when theres a whole lane of cars behind them honking like crazy, move out of the way into the slow lane!

We all hate the guy ambling along at 40kmph in the city blocking our way and immediately stamp him as a bad driver. But given that in most Indian cities (even some highway stretches) the speed limit is 40kmph, isn't he the one who is driving correctly while the rest are bad drivers ? If you are violating the law (however illogical it might seem to you), there is no way you can call yourself a good driver.

Originally Posted by watashi75

Do you keep your brakelights on at traffic signals? Do you keep your handbrakes engaged at traffic signals?

What's the significance of these in the context you mentioned ? What does these have to do with either avoiding being rear-ended or even good driving practice ?

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

We all hate the guy ambling along at 40kmph in the city blocking our way and immediately stamp him as a bad driver. But given that in most Indian cities (even some highway stretches) the speed limit is 40kmph, isn't he the one who is driving correctly while the rest are bad drivers ? If you are violating the law (however illogical it might seem to you), there is no way you can call yourself a good driver.

Only when he is driving down the middle/ right side of the road. As long as he keeps to the left side, he can travel at 10kmph if he wants to

[pras.oct25]

Originally Posted by watashi75

Probably a better driver would have handled the situation better.
Would you call a driver good just because he can avoid a situation or because he can prevent a situation?

You are contradicting yourself here. I think its better to just stop this discussion.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Only when he is driving down the middle/ right side of the road. As long as he keeps to the left side, he can travel at 10kmph if he wants to

Why only the left side ? The city speed limit is 40kmph and this limit applies to all lanes.