[Schneller]

Originally Posted by toroid

https://Youtu.be/BZIg1HSL-HY

0:30 - i10 tries to occupy the 10-15 ft space between me and car ahead of me. I did not let it enter. Should I have slowed down?

0:55- Creta tries to enter my lane. Should I have preempted it? I did see the turn indicator. Was I supposed to let it change the lane first?


MODs: Please delete/ merge if similar threads already exists

The Creta had already given a turn signal and ideally, you should’ve given way owing the availability of good space and would’ve been a safe way and a wise way instead of speeding up and honking. But, let’s face it, this is not how you can drive in cities easily. What you did although wrong is explainable. My suggestion? Don’t engage in such close calls and forceful entering unless you’ve got some experience and absolute control over your car. Also an idiotic trait of people driving in India is that after giving a turn signal they suddenly reduce speed even when the road ahead is clear, which is what the Creta owner did.


Not to sound arrogant and egoistic but i do not let people ignore turn signals and traffic rules, it’s very irritating for me.
But DO not engage in such behaviour until you’re sure of your control. If i was in that Creta, having given the turn signal, I wouldn’t let u cross the rear bumper of my car like he did.

[Rajiv Krishnan]

In the i10 situation you were absolutely right to not let it switch lanes. I've seen this behaviour a million times. Drivers that slowly encroach upon your lane just to see if they can intimidate you into slowing down so that they can take your spot. Changing lanes should be done only if there are no vehicles in your immediate vicinity in the lane you want to switch to. If I show that consideration to others, I expect it from the others as well. And I hate being bullied on the road. The creta I belive was just confused. Probably a beginner driver. I always give beginner drivers priority in any situation because they're already very stressed out. That being said, it's hard to spot the beginners without the big red L sticker.

[airfoil]

In the ideal world, you have the right of way and merging traffic must take cognizance of your presence and wait for you and other traffic to safely pass before merging into your lane.

This however is rarely seen on our roads where the most frequent situation is that people will speed up and rush to cut you off even if you were the one switching lanes with a wide margin.

You were well within your rights in both situations. Both the i10 and the Creta could have merged into your lane by accelerating and then merging, depending on the skill and the (im)patience of each driver. They however, they both tried to merge using their indicators and then hoping for you to give way and let them merge ahead, albeit with a little persuasion.

My advice to you in general is to be a defensive driver first. If you develop the instinct to be a defensive driver, it will pay big returns in the long run during your lifetime of driving. In these situations, it could mean that you merely take your foot off the accelerator and slow down enough to give way to others, be it a truck, cyclist, pedestrian or even a stray animal and everything in between.

If for example if you were driving on an undivided highway and there's a slow moving vehicle in the opposite direction that is being overtaken, it costs you almost nothing to take your foot off the accelerator, safely move to the left to give him more room and perhaps even brake a little to facilitate a smooth and safe (for you too!) passing maneuver.

The payoff? Well, to begin with, there will be less scratches, dents and scrapes on your vehicle(s). It is simply safer for everyone involved. There's also the factor of courtesy to a fellow road user and when you give way and the person in the other vehicle (rarely) thanks you, it does feel good! There's also a chance (and I know I'm being quite optimistic with this one) that the other person will appreciate your gesture enough to begin doing the same in his/her driving routine.

Cheers and good luck!

[govindremesh]

Originally Posted by toroid

https://Youtu.be/BZIg1HSL-HY

0:30 - i10 tries to occupy the 10-15 ft space between me and car ahead of me. I did not let it enter. Should I have slowed down?

0:55- Creta tries to enter my lane. Should I have preempted it? I did see the turn indicator. Was I supposed to let it change the lane first?


MODs: Please delete/ merge if similar threads already exists

First up, the fact that you asked this question itself shows that you're a good driver. Like one of the pilots on YouTube: "A good driver is always learning"!

While I'm tempted to say "What you did is OK, we are in India", what you did was fundamentally wrong by the rule book. I'm also sad at most comments in this forum saying "This was OK". However, it can also be argued that the "slow moving traffic was in the fast lane".

Ideally, you should never overtake from the left, and if fast moving traffic wants to come back into slow lane, you're obligated to slow and let them merge into the slow lane. These rules are followed very strictly, at-least here in Europe (though bad apples exist everywhere)

At the end of the day, ask yourself if it would be a "close call" and if you're not confident enough, it's best to slow down than risk a crash.

[Romeo_Mike]

First thing first - me commenting on your thread does not automatically entitle me to be in a position judge your driving. I am just sharing what I would do in a situation depicted in the video you have shared. We should also be mindful of other factors outside of the visuals that might be at play here including state of mind of all the drivers.

Here's a list of possible responses for me in order of precedence depending on the situation-

1. If someone is hell bent on entering my lane, I slow down and give way ( which would be the case for both instances in the video. The headache is just not worth it.

2. If I am accelerating, I warn the car trying to enter my lane with a single flash of headlights ( and hope to god that the other guy looks in the mirror)

3. If I am cruising at a more or less constant speed ( I usually do so in the middle/left lane), I slow down to give way to the car trying to enter, because in most cases it will be an accelerating car trying to get past slow moving traffic in the other lane.

Again, not implying this is the practice to follow. I just try to remain predictable on the road and expect the same from others.

[IP_Man]

Originally Posted by toroid

I'm pretty sure many newbie BHPians face similar teething trouble. Thus the idea is, let's use this thread to share the dashcam footage of incidents where we are in doubt and perhaps could do with an experienced advise. Basically getting feedback from the community and make roads safer.

One thing you will find in abundance, 'stupid people', there is no shortage of that. Look at those two cars, adamantly they want to switch lane even if there is no clear clearance for that.

I have realise over the period of time, when I want to switch lane, only left/right turn signal is not enough. I carefully observe the behaviour of the car behind me through ORVM whether he is speeding or giving me clearance, then only I switch lane. Some (stupid) drivers, the moment they see turn indicator of the car ahead, they start speeding up

That said, if rear car flash headlamp or honk, indicates he want to overtake. Allow him. No point in taking risk of switching lane in this situation.

Conclusion: Believe only on your eyes and don't assume anything.

[Biker Ram]

Originally Posted by toroid

Hi All,

I'm a beginner driver. I have had many close calls so far during my ~2K kms behind the wheels.

Couple of advice.

1. You are entering city limits after a spirited drive on the highway. Slow down, yield, become less aggressive. Majority of the vehicles still drive as though they are on the highway. You can't change them. Least you can do is improve yourself. Same applies when you are passing through town limits on a highway. For eg, Mandya, Maddur etc on Bangalore Mysore main road. Be patient with all the pedestrians, tractors, two wheelers, bullock carts crossing the road.

2. At some point or the other you will have co-passengers who will compare your driving with their dear ones. 'My son is a confident driver', 'my husband drives better', 'my boyfriend drives faster'.. turn a deaf ear to them. Don't do anything to prove them a point. You are already working on improving your driving, which is what is needed. Best of luck!

[Neversaygbye]

My two cents, for what it's worth:

First off, I really appreciate the fact that you are seeking feedback. However, that in itself also shows that you were not happy with the way events unfolded on the road and probably have a knawing feeling deep down inside that you did not do the right thing.

In both cases you should have let the cars move into your lane - both of them had given lane change indication, and that in itself merits giving them right of way, since very few drivers actually have the courtesy to indicate lane changes in India. In the case of the Creta what you did was downright dangerous. I understand you were cruising in the left lane and were probably loathe to reduce your speed, but this was a 2 lane flyover with very little margin for error. Sometimes cars are forced to change lanes due to an obstruction in front of them, and had this been the case with the Creta, you or the Creta or both could have ended up in a crash. Also in both cases the other cars had given ample advance notice and there was sufficient space in front of you - they were not trying to cut you off.

The other thing I noticed is that you were going fast in the left lane and you even overtook the first car from the left. Not blaming you here, as it is a typical malaise of Indian driving where cars hold on to their slow speeds in the right lane and make other drivers overtake from the wrong side. But I would recommend defensive driving, which means not going too fast in the left lane, and going at the speed of other traffic in the right lane (so that you don't have to weave in and out of traffic or have to overtake from the wrong side). With aggressive driving at the most you will reach your destination a few minutes faster, but the risk of an accident increases substantially.

There are better places to go fast than a two lane flyover. If you're going fast, ensure that there are sufficient empty lanes for emergency evasive action. Ideally empty roads are best for speeds of 60 kmph+.

[ABHI_1512]

Hi toroid,

You already have got plenty of good advise from members here and I am no great a driver to sermonise you as well. I only have one word to give to you and I hope it helps you in your quest of driving in the year’s to come and the word is Patience.

Wishing you safe miles, regards.

[ShivrajG]

Hello,

First of all I have been there and done that on Peenya Flyover. That is a pretty fast road for a learner/New Driver, but nobody even cares about an ambulance on that stretch leave aside a normal person.

I see many people criticizing the way you drove on that day. I would say if you care for your car and yourself drive defensively, people will test your patience on the road.

The I10 had a blocker on the right side and that doesn't give him a right to jump in a left lane in a moment's notice (Read indicator) and while cutting in the other car. I never do that even though I consider myself as not a defensive driver. Always look into your LORVM and then slide down in the Lane, If the other vehicle doesn't allow, let it pass and wait for empty lane. That is my rule maybe I am not correct but that's how I do it. So IMHO its not your fault Its I10.

Creta in the second part is totally illogical even if they have a crisis in the car you dont just change the lane like this. however he got his nose in your lane and which should've prompted you to slow down but you confronted him which is not a good move. So as I said dont be an aggressive driver but follow the rules and advises given by TBHPians abov.


Dont take things too seriously man enjoy the drive be it a shopping trip or a long highway Drive. Be safe keep others safe.

By the way This was my regular route to Nagasandara Metro station in 2019-20 I stayed at Tata New Haven Hoskur Road.

[VeluM]

It is hard to do, but always try to overtake from the right. It is the law, so that’s an incentive.

Knowing that the person on the right has right of way, your attempt to overtake from the left was incorrect, especially when they were changing to the left lane.

I overtake from the left too, because the right Lane is blocked by a slow moving vehicle (usually truck, or some other commercial vehicle, or even a two wheeler who thinks they are narrow enough so why move to the left lane), but the problem arises when you forget the basic rules.

If during the manoeuvre the other vehicle will be to your right (or you will be on their left), they have right of way. This applies at all intersections and round abouts as well. Think of it this way, and you will usually not go wrong legally, though you might fall behind in traffic.

The gap in front of your vehicle should be a minimum of one vehicle length. With speed, this will increase to how much it will take for you to stop safely if the one in front stops suddenly. Note that this judgement comes with experience, and the vehicle in front will also travel some distance even at maximum braking.

Always indicate, and respect others’ indication - if you can see it. Someone coming up beside you from behind while indicating doesn’t have right of way. You coming up fast behind another vehicle doesn’t mean they don’t.

A vehicle leaving the main road has right of way. Note that your action to give way, or change lanes or direction must not cause another to have to change direction or speed in an unsafe manner. Meaning you should stop gradually to give way, else leave it to the vehicle behind you to do so, and always give way before changing lanes or turning.

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by toroid

Hi All,

I'm a beginner driver...

Here's a video I came across (in fact, this guy has excellent videos on driving) :

https://youtu.be/qYWB3AIUnVU

In India you have to be even more careful as conditions are even more chaotic.