[Nitin]

'There is also this nonsensical usage of hazard lights that really gets on my nerves. Some use the hazard lights to indicate that the driver is going straight through an itnersection and If i try to explain the driver that he/she is incorrectly using it, junta smile like they do at a child and say OK OK... '

Thats something I've never gotten a hang of. My cousin in Kerala used to do it all the time. I really don't see how having the hazards on would indicate a person going straight. I'd rather think the guy was going to stop,as his car had issues.

[madan80]

Originally Posted by cheap_deal

whoa that is a long time for office commute. wouldn't it be easier if your wife drove herself?

well, it was a one off thing. I do it usually whnever my wife and I cant spend enough time together during the week. This way, we are together atleast for 2 hours!

Originally Posted by Venkatesh.C

Sometimes I wonder what is the right thing to do in this country. Being mr.Righteous or to just the **** shut up.
...
There is also this nonsensical usage of hazard lights that really gets on my nerves. Some use the hazard lights to indicate that the driver is going straight through an itnersection and If i try to explain the driver that he/she is incorrectly using it, junta smile like they do at a child and say OK OK...
GRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, one this is that this jumping the line attitude is existant not just in driving scenario's but also in any queue. Take the lunch queue for example. People will just come and stand. Like you dont exist. And if there is a crowd, instead of trying to get intoa line and streamline stuff, people will all heard. Game theory. nothing will get done.

[gd1418]

I'm still looking for that individual who started this practise.! On the highways here in North the truckers and others have a habit of pulling to the left and hen switching on their right turn indicator which denotes that he has allowed you to overtake.

And funnily the overtaking vehicle will switch on his left turn indicator to acknowledge.

Who started this practise? The old school of driving from where I learnt taught me to pull left and then with the wave of the hand indicate the vehicle behind trying to overtake to go ahead.

Originally Posted by Nitin

'There is also this nonsensical usage of hazard lights that really gets on my nerves. Some use the hazard lights to indicate that the driver is going straight through an itnersection and If i try to explain the driver that he/she is incorrectly using it, junta smile like they do at a child and say OK OK... '

Thats something I've never gotten a hang of. My cousin in Kerala used to do it all the time. I really don't see how having the hazards on would indicate a person going straight. I'd rather think the guy was going to stop,as his car had issues.

[Nitin]

'Who started this practise? The old school of driving from where I learnt taught me to pull left and then with the wave of the hand indicate the vehicle behind trying to overtake to go ahead.'

That used to be such an easy thing to spot.It made every sense to proceed with an overtaking procedure,since you knew that the person driving the car/bike was aware of the action.
Now, with the use of indicators to indicate everything except what its normally meant for..things get so complicated.

[madan80]

the very first time i saw this hppening, i was trailing the truck for almost 5 kms waiting for him to turn right! then finally he stuck his hand out and asked me to ovrtake!

I had askd this question to the AASI person during my exam, and he had clearly said thiat there is nothing in the rulebook that denotes this kind of behaviour!

[ankura12]

Originally Posted by weejai

This happens all the time in Bangalore...I travel daily 65+kms from home to office at ITPL, the marathahalli bridge is on everyone's fav list to watch such Master Moron Monkeys Making or Managing Marginal non-Motorable way Moving at Mind bolggling pace; giving Monster look to Men in queue only to get their Mobile Mated with Monsterous truck from opp side; Mindlessly followed by Member Moron Monkeys!!!

The worst scene witnessed was when this new Maruti Estilo suddenly broke the queue way far behind as I saw him in the RVM and picking up speed on the flyover like a plane when others are waiting for their turn. Only if the driver had opened all four doors at that speed, he might have taken off into the skies....

I have had my frustation boil many times over at this scenario.Everyday I come across one or other traffic signal where I patiently wait for the red signal to turn green and some Monster Monkey (usually a Tata Sumo or a Qualis or a Scorpio) blows 'his' horn forcing me to allow him to go through the signal .. to hell with the red signal. Many times I have felt 'sheepish' waiting alone at a red signal when everyone else is just passing through ( ofcourse, after observing that there is no traffic policeman on the scene). Do we really need an outsider to bring a sense of discipline in us?

Overtaking all the vehicles waiting at a red signal and blocking oncoming traffic is a very common occurance. This generally is done by those well dressed 'educated type's - with ' this road belongs to me' attitude.

My attempts at playing Mr.Righteous has often been met with foul mouthing and I have now learnt o keep my mouth shut and just sympathise with these morons. 'God these people do not know what they are doing. Please pardon them' !

[ankura12]

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

Somebody (who belongs to a higher BHP caste than me) ought to start a good driver thread and/or a 'bonehead things I have seen Indian drivers do' thread.

I am amazed when the gate falls at a railroad crossing and the imbeciles pass you on the right and que up at the gate in the right lane. Then the train passes and the gate goes up. Wonder of wonders, what a surprise! On-coming traffic on the other side now wants to use the right lane. Who could have possibly foreseen this?

One thing I have learned as an outsider, you Indian folks have an amazing tolerance for one another. Almost everyday in India I see driving antics that would start a brawl in my country, the U.S. They are ignored by Indians. Your way is better.

I disagree with 'Your way is better ' part.

We Indians are used to 'compromise', 'adjust', 'live with' any kind of imperfections.

While working in US, I was amazed at the very low levels of frustration threshold of my american colleagues. They used to get angry, and would start cursing at small problems where as we Indians always used to be not purturbed by it. We were good at circumventing the problem. we would continue to live with small problems and somehow 'solve it for the time being'.

Later on I realised that this was happenning because of our 'compromise' mentality where as they used to always look for perfectionism in everything. May be that is the attitude that brings in them a capability to find incredible solutions to all kinds of problems. Because of our 'adjust' mentatlity, we don't look at any problem seriously at all and that is the reason we don't have the need to invent new things.

Looking at it another way - 'Compromise' reduces tensions in life.


That is my opinion

[headers]

good madan,

you are becoming a good driver..with a little less swear words..

[satish_appasani]

Guys, a person or a group of persons can't force the entire system that was used to these ways for decades to change. What we can do is we stick to rules and pass the message to others.
If some cabby acts smart with me. I just make him pull to the side, take his keys and ask him to wait till the police arrives. His passengers will not be patient enough and force him to agree to his mistake. I put a word to the passengers that their lives deserve more than lossing at the hands of some *** who can't understand rules.

[rahuldeodhar]

This happens all the time - and worse these guys go right ahead and expect you to let them sneak ahead of you.

Invariably they have to be accomodated. I don't know what the tearing hurry is but they put a lot of people at risk.

The best remedy is to make this guys wait for 3 hours - all the people in the car - let them pay for such blatant law breaking

RD