[shashank.nk]

Can you put up some pointers on how to drive in Ghat sections? Especially narrow roads with steep inclines and 2 way traffic?

When taking a hairpin bend The rule is we always keep to our left,but at times when going downhill I've noticed a few vehicles taking the hairpin bend, heading straight for my car! Very scary!!

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Can you put up some pointers on how to drive in Ghat sections? Especially narrow roads with steep inclines and 2 way traffic?

When taking a hairpin bend The rule is we always keep to our left,but at times when going downhill I've noticed a few vehicles taking the hairpin bend, heading straight for my car! Very scary!!

While climbing, a lot of vehicles - esp. heavy vehicles or under-powered ones keep to the left so as to have a larger turning radius to negotiate the turn. The incline is spread over a larger area. However, a lot of other vehicles just take the shortest route. But yes, stick to the left and honk!

While descending, most of the longish vehicles prefer to be on the right to have a larger turning radius. Again, keep left and honk!

While negotiating steep inclines, be in the 1st or 2nd gear so as to have a good amount of power at your disposal. While descending, avoid going beyond the 3rd as up to 3rd, you are aided by engine-braking too.

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Can you put up some pointers on how to drive in Ghat sections? Especially narrow roads with steep inclines and 2 way traffic?

When taking a hairpin bend The rule is we always keep to our left,but at times when going downhill I've noticed a few vehicles taking the hairpin bend, heading straight for my car! Very scary!!

Most important rule - the traffic coming downhill should always give preference to the traffic going uphill.

Also, smaller vehicles should give way to bigger vehicles while turning because theu have a larger turning radius. Because of this, the bigger vehicles tend to go on the wrong side while taking a left hair pin turn (No problem in right turn).

Use low gears while climbing as well as while descending. It is very important that you use engine braking while descending rather than relying on your brakes to keep the speed down.

Rohan

[lordofgondor]

Another rule that many folks swear by is that use the same gear(s) downhill which you'd used while climbing.

Also it's advisable to honk (short ones, beep beep) at those twisty ghat turns.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

While climbing, a lot of vehicles - esp. heavy vehicles or under-powered ones keep to the left so as to have a larger turning radius to negotiate the turn.
While descending, most of the longish vehicles prefer to be on the right to have a larger turning radius. Again, keep left and honk!

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Most important rule - the traffic coming downhill should always give preference to the traffic going uphill.

Also, smaller vehicles should give way to bigger vehicles while turning because theu have a larger turning radius. Because of this, the bigger vehicles tend to go on the wrong side while taking a left hair pin turn (No problem in right turn).

Use low gears while climbing as well as while descending. It is very important that you use engine braking while descending rather than relying on your brakes to keep the speed down.

Rohan

Thanks for your replies! From my experiences, its always the traffic coming downhill, and i meet them at a left hairpin bend, the situation turns tricky.

Most of the heavy vehicles coming downhill don't brake or slowdown to make way for uphill traffic. The situation gets worse on single lane ghat roads (Kalhatti ghat for example). Many times i've had narrow misses despite honking, so whenever i encounter a left hair pin bend it always gives me the creeps.

I guess the only way out is to stop at a safe distance on noticing these vehicles.

[dhrupadh]

This seems to be the perfect thread to post my question.

Last friday I faced a situation on NH7. Since its a national highway with 3 lanes, I was in the right-most lane (also called speed lane if I am not wrong) and doing 50+ KMPH. A mini bus was in the lane immediately left of mine which reduced the visibility of the activity beyond that lane. I suddenly notice a family of three running from left to right side of the road hardly 10 mtrs ahead of my car who obviously didn't (care to) notice my car in the last lane.

Now, thanks to my quick reflex (touch wood), I braked gently and slowed down just enough for them to make it safely to the divider.

Now if I braked hard in panic, I would have lost control. And if I didn't, I would have been apprehended in a hit and run case not to mention the guilt of having hurt somebody.

My question is, how do you handle such situations? And if there is something wrong with my driving style or a mistake that I did, enlighten me. I would like to correct it surely. Needless to mention, my driving school instructor really didn't teach me any driving etiquette or safety rules.

[lordofgondor]

Originally Posted by dhrupadh

... its a national highway with 3 lanes, I was in the right-most lane (also called speed lane if I am not wrong) and doing 50+ KMPH. A mini bus was in the lane immediately left of mine which reduced the visibility of the activity beyond that lane. I suddenly notice a family of three running from left to right side of the road hardly 10 mtrs ahead of my car...

Were you in the process of overtaking the minibus or simply cruising in the right-most lane?

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by dhrupadh

This seems to be the perfect thread to post my question.

Last friday I faced a situation on NH7. Since its a national highway with 3 lanes, I was in the right-most lane (also called speed lane if I am not wrong) and doing 50+ KMPH. A mini bus was in the lane immediately left of mine which reduced the visibility of the activity beyond that lane. I suddenly notice a family of three running from left to right side of the road hardly 10 mtrs ahead of my car who obviously didn't (care to) notice my car in the last lane.

Now, thanks to my quick reflex (touch wood), I braked gently and slowed down just enough for them to make it safely to the divider.

Now if I braked hard in panic, I would have lost control. And if I didn't, I would have been apprehended in a hit and run case not to mention the guilt of having hurt somebody.

My question is, how do you handle such situations? And if there is something wrong with my driving style or a mistake that I did, enlighten me. I would like to correct it surely. Needless to mention, my driving school instructor really didn't teach me any driving etiquette or safety rules.

Given it's a 6-laned highway, the right-most should ideally be used only for overtaking. It is not a lane where you keep cruising.

Coming to your question, all you can do is brake hard enough so that you don't hit and ensure you keep the steering steady and not lose control. There's just no right way to deal with such idiots!

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

i meet them at a left hairpin bend, the situation turns tricky.

Most of the heavy vehicles coming downhill don't brake or slowdown to make way for uphill traffic.

I guess the only way out is to stop at a safe distance on noticing these vehicles.

Well if the vehicle which is coming downhill is bigger than your vehicle and is not giving preference to uphill traffic, there is little you can do other than stopping at a safe distance and wait for the moron to pass.

Originally Posted by dhrupadh

Last friday I faced a situation on NH7. Since its a national highway with 3 lanes, I was in the right-most lane (also called speed lane if I am not wrong) and doing 50+ KMPH. A mini bus was in the lane immediately left of mine which reduced the visibility of the activity beyond that lane. I suddenly notice a family of three running from left to right side of the road hardly 10 mtrs ahead of my car who obviously didn't (care to) notice my car in the last lane.

My question is, how do you handle such situations?

First of all, remember that pedestrians in Bangalore are suicidal. Always be alert and learn to anticipate such pedestrian behaviour.

Second, on a 3 lane road, right most lane is for overtaking, not for cruising.

Finally, you should never drive parallel to another vehicle. Either get ahead of it or let it get ahead of you. This way, your visibility would not be blocked.

Rohan

[dhrupadh]

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Were you in the process of overtaking the minibus or simply cruising in the right-most lane?

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Given it's a 6-laned highway, the right-most should ideally be used only for overtaking. It is not a lane where you keep cruising.

Coming to your question, all you can do is brake hard enough so that you don't hit and ensure you keep the steering steady and not lose control. There's just no right way to deal with such idiots!

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

First of all, remember that pedestrians in Bangalore are suicidal. Always be alert and learn to anticipate such pedestrian behaviour.

Second, on a 3 lane road, right most lane is for overtaking, not for cruising.

Finally, you should never drive parallel to another vehicle. Either get ahead of it or let it get ahead of you. This way, your visibility would not be blocked.

Rohan

Hmm. I think I realized my mistake. I am not sure if I intended to overtake but since that was the only lane empty, instinct kicked in and I must have attempted to overtake. Overtaking is definitely a dangerous proposition and one has to be very attentive.

But these pedestrians are a nuisance on Hosur road between Bomanahalli and the silk board flyover with a bus stop right in the middle of the two leaving pedestrians with no other option than to indulge in such insane crossovers. The only thing I think I can do is to slow down in that area (and take a beating on the cruising speed and FE, not the mention impatient drivers behind who start honking in an instant).

I also observed that I used to avoid the rightmost lane and the left most lane and keep in the middle because I felt it is safer as compared. I guess its because of the fact that the rightmost is used by overtaking vehicles. No doubt, I learned a valuable lesson - rightmost lane is only for overtaking.

Thanks to all of you for your inputs and helping me learn.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by lordofgondor

Another rule that many folks swear by is that use the same gear(s) downhill which you'd used while climbing.

Also it's advisable to honk (short ones, beep beep) at those twisty ghat turns.

And keep your window rolled down (even slightly will do) and music off to listen to other horns of oncoming vehicles.

[bblost]

Yesterday morning a Fiesta on the right lane wanted to go straight.
An auto in the middle lane wanted to make a U-turn.

They hit each other. No damage as such, but the rattled Ford driver decided to take back up without checking.

I had a hunch he would do that.

So I had already turned my cycle parallel to the Fiesta's boot and kept around 2 feet of space.
But he still managed to touch my cycle before he heard me shouting.

Something might rattle a driver. But always try and do extra checks before moving your vehicle. Especially in the intended direction of movement.

[dhrupadh]

Originally Posted by goandude

And keep your window rolled down (even slightly will do) and music off to listen to other horns of oncoming vehicles.

Thanks for the tip dude. I generally don't listen to music while I am driving (newbie in driving you see) so that keeps me all ears to listen to whats coming. However with the kind of etiquette our fellow drivers are trained in, it just ain't enough.

For instance, on my second day, my car stalled as I started moving when the light turned green on the inclined road ahead. It must have taken hardly 3 to 4 seconds to restart and use my accelerator with clutch to move on the incline (I avoid the accelerator and use only clutch in traffic to avoid jerk starts as I am still learning). In the meantime all motorists behind me went hysterical with their honking.

Good for me that I have learned to ignore it and not panic in such circumstances but on another instance a poor learner (I knew by looking at his L sign on the windscreen) accelerated and hit the Innova ahead pretty hard when the crowd behind started honking, damaging his bumper and the Innova's. Didnt stay back to listen to their argument but I am sure the hysterical crowd behind would have been gone too.

[Rajeevraj]

I searched the forum and could not find a thread in street experiences dedicated to driving/driving styles in Kerala. I did see several posts spread across the other threads but thought it would be good to put it in one place.

Kerala, with its high density of population and vehicles and relatively narrow roads (both highways and within towns/cities) throws up some interesting things related to driving. I'll start with some simple observations (This is mostly in Calicut/Malappuram/Palakkad/Thrissur Districts)

1. To go right we put right indicator, to go left you put the left indicator, what do you do to go straight. You put both indicators (in proper automotive terms, you switch on the hazard light). I have seen this done by a large number of drivers, especially in Calicut City. Never seen it anywhere else.

2. Racing Private buses. Mainly in the Thrissur/Guruvayoor to Calicut and Kannur to Calicut routes. Absolutely no regard for anything else on the road. TO drive in Kerala you must be prepared to handle a bus coming straight at you on your side. In most cases, there will be some space off the road(which is why they hurtle towards you like that). Be prepared to go off the road

3. Large number of motorcycles without any rear view mirrors generally driven in the middle of the road.

4. Large number of pedestrians encountered, even on highways. Unlike some other states where you can go miles and miles without encountering any civilization, in Kerala its people everywhere...

Just the few that came to my head now. I am sure there will be many more interesting observations.

[DicKy]

spot on @rajeev.
1. Yeah, it's seen more in the cities and especially among the so-so professionals in their Citys/Ventos, almost as much as a menace like the hazard switch in rain that seems to be nationwide adopted.
2. Here, in Thiruvananthapuram it's the aanavandi KSRTC that does the job and shove you off road, but they are much civilised than the private buses up north in the state who could pass off for suicide shuttles.
3. Add to that housewives on Activas who wouldn't move from the middle of the road even if there is an ambulance behind.
4. peoples, towns everywhere. Actually along the NH, Kerala should qualify for a sprawled megapolis. If one wants long, vacant roads then only solace is across the border either in TN or KA.