[epiccross]

Okay a bit of a rant but hear me out.

I lived in Trivandrum for around 1.5 years (2018 mid - 2020), and I've shifted back here again as wifey's working in Trivandrum now (again). I took autos 6-7 times, and except for one or max two times, all the times they drove their auto like maniacs. They NEVER yielded and only brake literal inches away from the vehicles ahead, they drive it so close to other cars it's a miracle that they haven't scraped one. Forget all this, they even go around very close to the pedestrians who are crossing in zebra crossing, just mind-boggling stuff. Have things deteriorated post COVID?

I just met with an accident a couple of weeks back and am waiting for my car. Seeing all this is making me wonder - what on earth does one do to stay safe? Is it even worth taking your car out? All this is making me doubly anxious to drive in TVM city

[greenhorn]

I assume you are in the IT belt or city core. I stay in the suburbs , and things are a lot more peaceful.

Personally, my secret is that my daily driver is a beater (2007 Indica) that I am not afraid to get damaged. If you see most people who drive aggressively drive similar beaters. Auto guys can smell fear from looking at the car and the way someone drives. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. Accept that there are some scratches going to happen. Give yourself permission to give others scratches if the need arises, fit a nice and loud horn, Stop playing defense and channel your inner taxi driver, start gathering battle scars and things become a lot more easier for you.
If you still have your Maruti 800 or beat , bring it out of retirement!

[epiccross]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I assume you are in the IT belt or city core. I stay in the suburbs , and things are a lot more peaceful.

I'm living bang in the middle of Trivandrum city. Like hardly 2 kms from the railway station/bus stand. Makes matters worse :(

Stop playing defence and channel your inner taxi driver, start gathering battle scars and things become a lot more easier for you.
If you still have your maruti 800 or beat , bring it out of retirement!

Haha, unfortunately I don't have any of those, as we've sold those. Wish I had my Amaze at least, I'm really scared of going through the trauma of an accident again

I'm trying to convince myself that "battle scars" are fine. I can't play the bully like the auto guys etc. do though. I try to drive as defensively and sedately as possible to give myself optimum time in case some idiot decides to ram into me, but I don't know how to deal with a bunch of idiots doing it all at once. Scares me to no end

[DirtyDan]

In North America one solution has been to buy a heavy old "junker" of a car. Something 4000 lbs or more, 12-20 years old, rusted out, dented, missing wheel covers, silencer problems, doors and fenders of a different faded color...drive that around and watch them avoid you like the plague.

[Kosfactor]

Practice driving more often , unlearn whatever you learned in the past few years driving elsewhere, applying such things here in our traffic will cause accidents. I have experienced it with drivers who have been abroad for a while and then resumed driving in India, it is terrifying to sit along with them.

Immerse yourself into our roads and you should be able to figure it out in sometime. All the best.

[IndieGooner]

Trivandrum is my hometown and I recently moved back here. I'm driving 80-100 km within city limits most days. Most of the discomfort in driving in this city is people trying to cut you off - mostly 2/3 wheelers but it is not unusual when even larger vehicles attempts such tactics. Two habits i find useful are:

1. Use your mirrors - be constantly aware who is behind and and on your sides as there is always someone trying to dart in and cut you off. You can then choose your battles and decide to cede or block if it's an unsafe manoeuver
2. Keep minimal distance with the vehicle in front - i know this is bad advice but you are left with no choice. If you don't keep pace with the car ahead, either you will be cut off or traffic from opposite lane might encroach.

Always stay calm and avoid any altercation. The situation in Kerala in general is such that you cannot say who is a nutter or goon by their vehicle or appearance. Violent response to petty issues seems to be on the rise.

[naveen.raju]

Yes, have to agree on the way that auto is driven there. I consider KL-02 autos the worst followed by KL-01.

But I didn't find driving in Trivandrum that bad when compared to Kochi. You have a better planned city roads and only have 2/3 wheelers. We have the famous private buses to deal with on top of illogically planned roads.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by epiccross

…and except for one or max two times, all the times they drove their auto like maniacs. They NEVER yielded and only brake literal inches away from the vehicles ahead, they drive it so close to other cars it's a miracle that they haven't scraped one. Forget all this, they even go around very close to the pedestrians who are crossing in zebra crossing, just mind-boggling stuff. Have things deteriorated post COVID?

That’s literally the universal auto-way of driving across India. I’m assuming you were somewhere abroad last few years and forgot about Indian traffic?

Just get a used small car like Tiago & let it get battlescars. It is strong enough to take them while keeping occupants safe. Nothing else can be done. Our auto rickshaw folks don’t consider their vehicles any wider than honda activa & hence ride that way zigzagging across cars/pedestrians.

[epiccross]

I've been staying in Kerala for a while, and I used to stay in Kasaragod before where roads are wide enough and generally auto drivers etc, while obviously being rash drivers, are multifolds better than TVM autos. So yeah, I guess it's bit of a shock to me. Even in Thrissur, people drive like jerks, but still I've not experienced almost all auto guys driving like maniacs.

Also, I can't spend more now on beater cars I'm comfortable with my D AT, just worried is all. For instance: I really hate doing stuff like leaving so little gap between myself and the vehicle ahead, but how can you balance between being a defensive driver (where you have to leave good distance between the vehicle ahead) and thriving in such situations? These kind of dilemmas do my head in. I wish they had AI cams detect and penalize poor lane discipline etc. - which is a serious menace that has to be curbed somehow.

I guess I'll have to be extra careful, sedate and defensive - and the rest is of course, all luck. Thankfully yes, roads are better and more planned than Cochin.

[Rajeevraj]

Just be sedate, practice defensive and anticipatory driving. Don't let the outside environment affect you too much. I am sure Trivandrum will still be one of the better places to drive in. Once you accept the fact that a majority of drivers out there will drive in a crazy manner, driving becomes much simpler and less stressful.

[Senotrius]

Get a good ppf done. Should help against minor scuffs and scratches. Plus as told by others ,tvm is so much better than cochin wrt road conditions. I have resorted to using 2 wheelers(with riding gear) for this matter for daily commute and the metro wherever possible. We have comparatively bad traffic jams here as well where a 2 wheeler is better.

[DCEite]

Well, to answer your question, things have indeed deteriorated after Covid. And its across all over the country, not just in your city.

There has been an economic boom post 2022, with IT opening up in big way and unprecedented growth. Together with Covid lockdown's psychological impacts, people are into FOMO mode (Fear of missing out). This drives consumerism, materialism, rat race and that in turn has direct correlation to intense competetion in every field (including jobs). This naturally gives rise to stress and "Fight or Flight" mode activated in human race, and this is reflected in how we drive and how we conduct ourselves in general.

The only way to overcome this is if one himself remains calms in all situations, and accept that minor accidents will be part and parcel of daily commuting.

Play a soothing music or instrumental on your way to work and back, practice sedate driving and you will find that you will feel calmer and relaxed. Mindfulness meditation techniques also help immensely.

Remember, sometimes, we need to be defensive. It doesn't mean that our ego will take a hit, but perhaps being defensive on roads is for a greater goal for our overall wellbeing and our family's.

[Nalin1]

Do you want to come down to Bangalore for a couple of days and drive around? Trivandrum will be a cakewalk .

Seriously, everything you have mentioned is part and parcel of India driving. If that has shaken you up, switch on complete defensive mode, as others have said, and stick to your lane. Avoid overtaking, zig zag, honking, flashing etc and 99.99% of the time, you will be safe.

On every adventure on Bangalore's roads, I see at least a few such riders/drivers. They don't care who overtakes, they don't care the speedo reading, they keep a mile distance from others in front, they themselves do not overtake. They might reach their destination 5 minutes late, but they are peaceful to all and on top, they squeeze out better FE .

[Jaguar]

I saw the title and thought it was some sarcastic take on the traffic situation.

Originally Posted by Nalin1

Do you want to come down to Bangalore for a couple of days and drive around? Trivandrum will be a cakewalk .

Exactly! OP can't be serious.

Just last week I was in Trivandrum and had a day to kill. Started from the Museum area around noon, drove to Ponmudi via Aruvikara dam, then headed to Varkala to catch the sunset, and was back in time for dinner. Not once did I feel the traffic to be bad. In fact, I was just thinking how much better it was compared to Bangalore.

[DrvSafe]

With all the fancy new cars, Auto guys / small truck guys know that they will not mess with them. On the narrow roads of Kerala, new cars are given no respect, they always have to give way.

We had Mahindra major with family till around 2010, I remember that no one messes up with this Jeep. Even buses used to respect the major.