Some people have high-risk appetites, and some are completely ignorant about the hazards, those are the ones who do suffer serious consequences.

BHPian Brumby recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

There is something called "risk assessment" which means thinking about all the things that can go wrong with whatever is being done either by an individual or a team or even a machine which will be put for any job.

Once you know all the things that can go wrong, you can decide the barriers or alternate ways to do the same thing to reduce either the probability of something going wrong or the damage that will be done.

In a case where there is a risk to life without proper safeguards, no one should proceed.

Driving is only to be learned with an instructor on a vehicle which has parallel controls for controlling the vehicle with the instructor. This will reduce the probability of an accident but not completely remove it, because the instructor can get distracted, he may not be competent etc are factors which are beyond an individual's control, so a calculated and minimum risk is what allows you to proceed with what you want to do.

Some people have high-risk appetites, and some are completely ignorant about the hazards, those are the ones who do suffer serious consequences.

So always think about what can go wrong, if danger to life is present and if you have a low-risk appetite even for small financial losses. Distraction is a very serious hazard where machinery and flammable or explosive materials are involved.

Working in a kitchen or cooking is also a very risky job, but 90% of people are ignorant and take it very easy.

So think:

• What can go wrong
• How can you prevent things from going wrong
• What can you do if things actually go wrong

This will help reduce the probability of things going wrong and reduce the severity of the consequences.

Here's what BHPian ashkamath had to say about the matter:

Yes, sir. You have put it across very eloquently. Well said.

Here's what BHPian Thad E Ginathom had to say about the matter:

No accident is really an "accident." The word makes it look as if it was not caused, or prevented. Every accident has a history.

We do not intend to have accidents, but we may very well fail to prevent them. One or more parties to the accident made a mistake, did something wrong or failed to do something right. Unless the earth opens up or debris falls from the sky, it is not really an accident.

I wish we did not use the word in this way, but I think it is firmly embedded in every version of English. Was that an accident?

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The car returned an average fuel efficiency of 15.14 km/l and we paid nearly Rs 35,000 for petrol.

BHPian pramodpk recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

We have been planning a drive to Kolkata for the past few years and it finally materialized. With this, we have driven in 13 states of India.

Summary

Travellers: Wife, 14 year old daughter, and myself
Drivers: Myself and Wife
Car: 2010 Ford Fiesta SXI Petrol with 1.18 Lakh KMS on the ODO
Trip Start Date:4:45 AM 22nd December 2023
Trip End Date: 1:45 PM 1st January 2024
Total Distance: 4976 KMs
Average Mileage: 15.14 KM/L
Fuel Cost - Rs 34,919/-.
Toll Charges - Rs 7689
States crossed- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal

We drove the entire length of the Chennai - Kolkata highway

Had breakfast here on day 2. The best highway restaurant that we ever went to.

We visited Konark Sun temple

Konark Interpretation Center maintained by the IOC

The place we stayed in Kolkata. Fortune Park Panchwati. We had a nice stay here for 4 nights.

We didn't use our car for local sightseeing in Kolkata as parking was an issue in most places. Majority of local travel was in Ambassador taxis. We also travelled by bus.

Victoria Memorial

Indian Museum

Ramakrishna Math

Jorasanko Thakurbari - House of Tagore

View of Howrah Bridge from an Ambassador taxi

Kolkata Street with Ambassador Cars

In Netaji Bhawan

Princep Ghat

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

We once booked a Toyota Innova Crysta to travel to Hyderabad on NH-44. The driver got angry with a Maruti Wagon-R so he overtook the car and braked abruptly in front of it to show hooliganism.

BHPian silver-stand recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

In my opinion, we have three broader problems:

1. Driving culture
2. Driving knowledge & patience
3. Govt. not doing enough

Driving Culture

In my experience, I have seen people around me talking me down that I'm too fearful when I say some way of driving isn't safe. They indirectly belittle me for driving slower and taking more time.

People take pride in completing a journey much faster than it usually takes. And I have seen in the Bla Bla Car app that some people comment badly that a specific driver has a vehicle with an 80 kph speed lock.

Also, people think when accidents happen it's all a chance occurrence and nothing can be done, being oblivious to risk-mitigating-driving techniques like defensive driving and anticipation.

And other drivers on the road won't be patient if you drive safely as per rules. They'll tailgate and honk you to move fast.

All of these cultural elements and others, keep rubbing off on new drivers who just extend this bad culture. But I'm thankful that I have been learning a lot from Team-BHP and useful Twitter threads and saving myself from getting dragged into the bad driving culture.

Driving knowledge & patience

Once a person is on the road for 7-8 hours or more a day, the patience wanes off. The person just would want to finish their journey as soon as they can. It is rare that I come across a driving professional who drives with a decent amount of patience and anticipation.

We once booked an Innova Crysta to travel to Hyderabad on NH-44. The driver got angry with a Wagon-R and what did he do? He overtook the Wagon-R and braked abruptly in front of it to show hooliganism. I just kept quiet fearing he wouldn't take any of my gyan and may get jerked, becoming even more aggressive on the road.

Also, people don't think getting into clusters isn't safe. They happily get into highway clusters trying to go past it as much as they can. In one such cluster, I was trying to be patient and keep a safe following distance. I got honked hard by an Etios, who eventually overtook me on the shoulder. Sensing the shoulder wasn't even, I braked to let him go and to ensure my own safety.

People in rural areas especially are poorly knowledged about safe bike riding. They only see the convenience part of riding a bike and mostly none of safe riding practices.

Govt. not doing enough

I have seen for many years discouraging Tobacco and Alcohol consumption in theatres and TV. Why I'm not seeing the same amount of effort being put into educating the masses about safe driving and road safety?

Often highways don't have enough signboards. On NH-44, from Hyderabad to Kurnool, I rarely see speed-limit signs. No speed-breaker signs before many speed-breakers on most of the roads. And rumble strips with uneven heights. Not enough U-turns causing local traffic to drive on the wrong side. And the list goes on.

We have someone at the helm boasting about how travel times are being reduced with road development projects. I hope to see the leadership pridefully boasting about how they have made Indian roads safer for all with robust initiatives.

Here's what BHPian RunGaDa had to say about the matter:

Well written. I have been driving for over 25 years, 2/3rd in India and 1/3rd outside India. Yet the number of miles crunched is 4:1 in favour of driving outside India. The scientific roads, dedicated lanes for exits, standardised sign boards, uniformity in types of vehicles (only cars, SUVs, and trucks), knowledge of the rules, roads, and traffic, and driving sense are lacking in India due to poor enforcement and too much leeway given to errant drivers.

Even in other countries, drivers must have been errant in the past. However, they enforced strict rules, punishments, higher insurance premiums, driver's license cancellations, and penalty points to fix the problem. After years and more and more people following, they are now in the habit of safe driving, following rules, and using the public road responsibly. Even Dubai, UAE, emerged to become one of the best places to manage traffic. This could not have happened without rule enforcement.

India, we never learned. We should just follow best practices from the world over and pick the ones with the most stiff penalties. Enforce them ruthlessly. Do this for ten years. Then everyone will be used to it, and they won’t try to violate any rules. The major problem is enforcement, and this problem gets bigger and bigger with the increase in the number of vehicles and the number of kilometers of roads built.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The German economy is required to cut 22 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

Volker Wissing, Germany's transport minister, recently proposed a ban on driving vehicles on weekends in order to reduce the country's carbon footprint.

According to reports, the ban on the use of personal vehicles for two days a week is part of Germany's efforts to meet its climate goals. The weekend driving ban by Wissing is said to be related to a new climate legislation, the Climate Protection Act. He stated that the restriction on the use of personal cars on Saturday and Sunday will be implemented if there are no other alternate amendments.

Wissing stated, "Comprehensive and indefinite driving bans on Saturdays and Sundays are being considered."

As per the new climate legislation, the German economy is required to cut 22 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions per year. Wissing stated that such large quantities can only be saved ad hoc by not using cars and trucks.

Source: European Conservative

I was never one of the very aggressive accelerators, I would rather do it smoothly, but I would build up speed quite fast

BHPian vinaygeorgejoy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This is my first write-up on Team-BHP, so kindly excuse any mistakes. I wanted to write on something I have been thinking about recently and a feeling that is echoed among my friend circle.

Ever since I started driving, I was bitten by the need for speed (like most teenage BHPians would have been). I believe I have always stayed on the cautious side (probably a misconception, in hindsight), except for the speed of course. If there was a road to do high speeds, I would have done it without thinking twice, and generally be overtaken very rarely, especially on long highway trips (not bragging, I understand the mix of stupidity and over-confidence).

I was never one of the very aggressive accelerators, I would rather do it smoothly, but I would build up speed quite fast, especially on single lane roads where overtaking gaps were tight.- I never really bothered about mileage mainly because of two reasons: I never had daily long commutes (so driving style rarely mattered in a significant fuel difference in a month-on-month perspective), and secondly, I have always had very torquey turbo diesels (which are in general frugal and you never really had to rev up to extract the torque, thus aiding the mileage). Most of my friends also belonged in the same category and the only optimization considered was time and never fuel.

But now, I have had to bid farewell to the diesel owing to the current car scene, need for a smaller car and budget. I got myself a Kushaq 1.5 DSG; my friends have also moved to similar turbo petrol DSGs in the same range. At the same time, my daily commute has increased to a considerable 40 km/day, out of which 20 km are on good 3-lane roads with only moderate traffic, while the other 20 are in medium-to-heavy Bangalore traffic.

This engine as most of you know has a bipolar temperament, if you are gentle with the throttle on open roads and keep it under 100 km/hr, it will give a mileage of anywhere between 14 to 20 kmpl on decent roads, while a heavy input will drop it to the early double digits in good roads and single digits in traffic.

This nature of mileage, plus my long commutes (which usually involve me listening to audiobooks), and maybe age (I just crossed over to the wrong side of 30s ), has resulted in my daily driving style becoming very sedate with revs rarely going over 2.5k rpm and speeds always hovering around 90 to 100, only occasionally going faster (mostly to overtake a stream of slow-moving zip-zapping cars). And, my display is always configured to show mileage from the start (this gamification of trying to get a better mileage also probably aids).

I was not that surprised by the above, as it makes sense in a daily commuting scenario and makes a significant difference in fuel costs, with rarely any significant gain in time (5 to 10 minutes tops). What got me was my associated change in behavior while going on highway trips. For some reason, I am quite addicted to the gamification on mileage that, it hits me when it takes a dip.

So, I catch myself hitting the cruise control button between 100 and 120 even on very open express highways, and my urge to be the fastest car on the road is long gone, I am overtaken frequently and I don't have the old urge to be faster (even when the road is there for it.) Another thing I noticed is that, it takes a toll on me now, when I am pushing my car to the limit (limits on Indian roads that is), and I don't feel comfortable doing that. Even on a closed flyover with zero traffic, that urge to push the car to its max (to see how fast it can go), is also long gone. I had never experienced this previously, I was quite comfortable and not tired even after long hauls at the wheel with fast cruising. I have discussed the same with my friends (with turbo petrol ATs) and multiple people have echoed the same feeling.

This got me curious to know, whether this is a feeling echoed by other BHPians. And what were the reasons for: better fuel efficiency? wisdom of age? preference for a smoother drive?

Here's what BHPian Thyag had to say on the matter:

The answer is in your post itself, you come from the background of good diesel engines and never worried or cared about mileage, but now venturing into the petrol vehicles your subconscious mind is playing spoil sport with your care free driving.

Pure Guess - You are spending more time watching YouTube videos, Teambhp rants and etc; seeing how unsafe our Indian roads and doesn't feel having fun in the roads anymore.

Whatever it is, the decision and outcome is good for you, your family and other road users.Happy motoring

Here's what BHPian revsperminute had to way on the matter:

Contrary to you, my right foot develops a brain of its own when it’s put in charge of a powerful turbo petrol engine. I’m fine zipping around Bombay in my City CVT in eco mode or cruising all day on the highway in our lazy diesel GLE. But it takes all of my will (and some more from my passengers) to keep myself at bay in a turbo petrol powered steed like my Octavia.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Anticipate potential situations and drive slowly. I've rarely touched 3 digit speeds so far.

BHPian SS-Traveller recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Most drivers on Indian roads are not afraid to drive. However, I believe fear is a healthy psychological response when one drives, largely because it helps keep us safe. So what are the reasons that should generate fear in our minds while driving? Which of these is your biggest fear while driving? Or are there any other reasons?

However, there are various ways to overcome our fear of driving.

Which of these means do you employ to overcome your fear of driving?

Or are you completely fearless, and feel absolutely invincible while driving?

Let us hear your views.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

1. I most definitely feel fear & that's the main, sole & only reason I don't own a motorcycle. As much as I l-o-v-e to ride bikes. No motorcycles for me and I have accepted that.
2. With cars, I'm cautious, but no real fear when driving in the city. On the highway though, I do have a little bit of fear and a whole lot of caution due to the speeds and all those big trucks/buses around us.
3. I drive with a heavy right foot sporadically when I'm in a safe / big / high-end car. But if I am test-driving a Maruti or Hyundai hatchback on the expressway, I drive very, very conservatively.

Here's what BHPian vigsom had to say on the matter:

The phrase in Hindi - jo dar gaya, samjho mar gaya (those who fear are as good as dead) is my guiding mantra. My fears on the road and how I overcome these are as follows

1. Near misses, and potential encounters with ruffians

• Anticipate potential situations, and drive slowly. I've rarely touched 3 digit speeds so far. My target is to hit an average speed of 65kmph and I do that with extremely superior judgement of the road ahead, relative speed of my vehicle vs the ones I need to overtake etc.
• Observe for the impatient drivers and let them pass
• Drive in the centre or left lane and avoid the right lane as far as possible

2. Potential breakdowns (trust me, the deeper you know a car, the more you know what can go wrong, and that is an element of fear) - overcome this by a very close watch on the car. I check the engine bay, fluid levels, underside and wheels for potential troubles once a week at least

To sum up, I use all the five elements that @SS-Traveller has outlined in overcoming "fear".

Here's what BHPian NPV had to say on the matter:

I’m definitely not a fearless driver and I think most of the “fearsome” items on the list apply to me when driving:

1. Fear of accidents: One can never be overconfident on our roads with reckless driving, overspeeding, wrong-side driving, oversized/overloaded vehicles, and road rage being all too common. The fear of accidents helps me stay focused and drive defensively (don’t have a certification though) using common sense and my experience of driving in the USA 2 decades ago
2. Breakdown: I bought the Harrier a few months ago and had apprehensions after reading some of the experiences and it was at the back of my mind initially. However, after 2000+Km of driving (call them familiarisation outings mostly solo or with one or two good friends) on highways around Bangalore, I’d developed more trust and confidence in the vehicle. But one never knows when Murthy’s law will kick in - on the very first highway trip outside Bangalore with the family, this happened! Touchwood, nothing after this incident though.
3. Damage to vehicle: With way too many idiots on our roads, one can never be careless, all the more reason to anticipate sudden, unexpected things to happen on our roads. Body shop visits are painful and expensive, better to avoid as best we can.
4. Breaking the law: I’m a stickler for following traffic rules and I avoid overspeeding, and jumping red lights and can never imagine driving on the wrong side! However, sometimes because of the height of vehicles in front, lack of lane discipline and positioning of traffic lights in our cities, it is quite easy to miss an amber light and end up “signal jumping” (stopping just ahead of the stop/limit line). This fear makes me stay very alert and cautious when nearing traffic lights.
5. Unknown: This one generally keeps me alert to look for any signs around that could indicate a potential danger up ahead. I also make it a point to let the faster vehicles who tail too closely, pass me as soon as possible. Another fear is that of getting rear-ended, so I try not to brake too suddenly in normal circumstances.

Here's what BHPian BlackPearl had to say on the matter:

I had once attended a safe driver's course and the instructor told me that driving is one of the scariest things she does daily and that meant a lot when her day job was as a jailor in a high-security prison. Many years back I would not have agreed to that because we usually tend to be aggressive and somewhat reckless when we are young, I mean the ones who have a love for speed, but I have reached an age where causing injury to others is the highest on my list of fear. Rest everything can more or less be fixed.

The second on my list would be fear of a breakdown in high-risk/desolate areas and the third would be damage to car, but that has reduced over the years. I don't think I have any other fear.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Having learnt to drive in an Alto, I always wondered how it would be like, to drive a pre-90's car.

BHPian govindramesh recently shared this with other enthusiasts

This thread is meant to document the experiences of people (especially those born in the 90s) who had an opportunity to drive cars manufactured long before they were born. Please add your experiences, your thoughts about the way things have evolved and photos. It would be amazing if you could help fulfil someone's wish by offering such an experience if you or someone you know well, happens to own one of these cars from the old times.

I'm a 90's kid - a millennial if you'd like to call that. I also belong to a niche subset of this population - 30+ y/o single male trying to find a purpose in life, changes jobs more frequently than the service interval of a car and lives life one day at a time Some of us have certain passions that we religiously pursue. For some it's social media influencing, for some its art , some like to travel/eat and among so many possibilities, for those like me, it's studying the evolution of technology. In this context, it's cars.

We are the generation that saw a rapid development of technology in all areas and a lot of "luxuries" transforming into necessities - cars, computers, mobile phones, fast internet, air travel, etc. Most of us started driving cars which came equipped with features that we now take for granted. Features that our parents probably didn't have when they were learning to drive or purchased their first car. I'm talking about synchromesh gearboxes, hydraulic (power) assisted brakes/clutch/steering, microprocessor controlled engines, throttle -by-wire, power windows, as examples.

Having learnt to drive in a 4 cylinder Alto 1.1 which was a very forgiving car for a learner and being the one that cherishes the old times, I always wondered how it would be like, to drive a pre-90's car. My family used to own a second hand, a mid 80's Premier Padmini with column shifter and I didn't really understand as a 10 year old, why my parents sold the Padmini for a smaller car, the Alto (As a Kid, I thought it was for the AC and power windows).

Back then, I had decided to find out the why when I would be eligible to drive- but when I got my driving license in 2009, the Padmini was a rare car to find and I didn't have the guts to ask a random Mumbai taxi driver if they'd be willing to give me a test drive. The closest I came to driving an "old" car was my grandfather's 1994 Maruti 800. It was easy to drive even though it didn't have power assisted brakes or anything - it didn't require one either owing to its light weight.

Years passed, I understood how cars work from an engineering perspective, the Alto was upgraded to a Honda City but the itch to drive a Padmini (or an Amby for that matter) remained unfulfilled. I'd ask every senior person who was passionate about cars, if they had or knew someone who owned a Padmini/Amby- especially one that has column mounted gear shifter, but never found one.

As they say, if it meant to be, it's meant to be. My uncle (CA, as mentioned in this thread who had my wish in his memory, found out that one of his friends owned a late 80's Premier Padmini. It didn't have a column shifter, but that was ok. When the owner was told about my craze for cars and my wish, he was kind enough to let me test drive the car!

On 6 February 2024, that long term desire finally came true.

Driving the car made me realise how far automobile engineering has evolved in the last 3 decades.Driving the Padmini was a revelation - the engine note was enjoyable, I didn't notice vibrations (or was too excited to feel it!) . Operating it gave me a micro workout, no doubt! It was worth it. The feel of being connected to the road and knowing what the wheels are upto, the linear increase in muscular force required as you turn the steering wheel or press the brake in - all bliss in my perspective!

Some observations from the drive:

• Pure mechanical controls - no power assists for anything: One needs a good amount of muscular force to push the brake pedal for getting the car to stop, even from a moderate speed of 40 KMPH. Turning the steering wheel lock to lock? Do not attempt with one finger unless you plan to get a fracture! The clutch felt OK, not too heavy, not super light either.
• You can see the (long) bonnet in a sedan- So you can judge the front easily. The long bonnet also meant that your natural instinct of turning the wheel as you do in today's sedans wouldn't work to turn this car in tight corners with narrow roads, as you'd end up turning the (old) car too late (or probably it's my perception due to the slow steering).
• Torquey engine, no need to revv hard- 40 KMPH on a flyover incline in 4th gear with 3 people onboard? The Honda City needs a gentle push on the accelerator to keep momentum (I usually shift down), but not the Padmini! The car happily chugged along in 4th gear on the incline while maintaining the same throttle input. Lower gear ratios or higher lower end torque? I'm not sure about that, but the car didn't need a downshift for sure!
• Solid Build and acres of space - you can slam shut the doors without a care- the doors are built of solid metal and have enough weight to it. the inside panels have none of the plastic that you'll find in todays cars. For the overall length, the Padmini seemed to have more interior space compared to the new-gen cars of the same length.
• No infotainment systems or fancy features hence no distractions - Mentioning this due to a recent incident where I scratched my cousin's Seltos due to distracted driving. An error in judgement of the car's width being the root cause, which was enhanced by a distracted mind that was admiring the plethora of features and information on the Seltos which made a 2015 Honda City look barebones.

Of course, viewed in today's times, there will be 100s of shortcomings in the Padmini, the major ones being on the safety & convenience front. Stalling the Padmini a few times reminded me of how dependent we've become on some features like anti stall. I still remember while being home tutored for driving, in the first few days I was asked not to touch the A pedal on the Alto, as the car's anti stall feature made sure it had enough power to propel itself on a flat ground, when the clutch was properly released, which made learning clutch control, easy.

Air-conditioning is now taken for granted and many do not bother switching it off as the car's control unit manages everything, while cars of the yore would need the driver to switch off the AC for quick overtaking moves, especially on cars with underpowered engines or adjust the blower speeds to control the cabin temperature. Automotive technology has advanced, and how! Let's not even talk about ADAS, auto parking systems, smart summon that are making their way into today's cars.

What do other BHPian's on this forum think about driving old cars and how has your experience been? Do you think that some of the features we have in cars today are unnecessary and if so, which ones?

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

I absolutely love driving cars from the 80s, 90s (and earlier). But only occasionally, as modern cars have spoiled me. In fact, I own a car from the 90s, my 1997 Classic 4x4. The basic, pure mechanical, "connected-to-your-car" feel (instead of "connected car" LOL), simplicity, vibrations, feedback-filled steering....every car I've driven from the 90s felt fast at just 80 - 90 kmph (unlike even Hyundais today).

From the 80s & 90s, I would enjoy driving a Mahindra, Sierra Turbo, Maruti 800 MPFi, Contessa Classic, Zen, Padmini S1, Ambassador 1.8 ISZ etc. from time to time. But not on a regular basis. I appreciate the power, dynamics, creature comforts, safety & overall behaviour of modern machines.

Here's what BHPian TheManualGear had to say on the matter:

Talking seriously and being a teenager, I always get into a fear that whether I will be able to buy such mechanical cars when I grow up or not. These modern driver assistance systems are spoiling us and are also making them less directly controllable. I remember that when I first read the brochure of RE Himalayan 450, I was kind of disappointed when I read about its throttle by wire function. Even though my family owns a Maruti Zen, it will be soon scrapped by government without giving me an opportunity to get behind the wheel. Basically, these ECU assisted engines are making DRIVING loose its lustre as a passion or hobby.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

Many of us folks born in the 70’s learned all our driving on agricultural and mechanical machines like Tractors, Jeeps and Ambassadors and Fiats. All these machines for the most part were designed in the 1930’s,1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s. And we used them right up to the late 1980’s because of our Protectionist Economy. We therefore learned all those old tricks of how not to stall on hills and how to avoid roll back and when to change gears judging by the engine sound and revs and how to manage steep ascents and descents properly using all the mechanical prowess and engine power available in the specific vehicle.

I am the happier for this, because it has taught me to appreciate all the lovely modern things and designs and engineering that goes into newer vehicles.

When the Maruti 800 and Gypsy and all came for the first time, for us, these Japanese engineered, reliable, ergonomic machines were the epitome of luxury and the pinnacle of design.

My father says he never thought in his lifetime he would see the advent of pure Electric vehicles which today, are common objects. But they are right here now.

While my father seems to be enjoying all the modernity much more, I find myself to be more of a retro person, trying to preserve or atleast appreciate the old ways. Thats why I have the nearest thing to ‘older technology’ that Im able to find within my reach, the Gypsy.

Saying all of this, I think it is great that the old and new co-exist. And so they should, for ages to come.

Because, Past History is absolutely as Important as Progress into the Future. Indeed, one may say, it defines it.

Here's what BHPian V12 had to say on the matter:

Not cars, but I am currently riding motorcycles which are probably 3-4 decades old (but none that are older than me). Like Rush said, such motorcycles can only be ridden occassionally and not as a daily ride. An old vehicle cannot be a primary vehicle. Reason being is that they do no have the same mechanical performance or mileage as a modern car. They require a lot of maintenance and more often than modern cars. Good mechanics are had to come across. Securing original parts is also a pain.

But, the kind of feeling you get when you ride them is something that is really unmatched. You do get a lot of unwanted attention along with a lot of thumbs up and questions at traffic signals.

I try to use all my motorcycles atleast once a week to work so that they are running regularly. The flip side is I have to ride slower and more carefully. Frankly speaking I enjoy my ride to office on the Xpulse more than any of the other older bikes. It's comfortable, I don't have to slow down on speed breakers or potholes - can pull through them even on 3rd gear. But with the older bikes, I have to slow to a halt and drop down to 1st.

So to conclude it, as a daily ride it's best to use a modern vehicle. And for weekend, night or leisure rides - you will really enjoy the older bikes.

Here's what BHPian V.Narayan had to say on the matter:

Everything we are used to seems normal. It is only when we get exposed to something better that the old seems backward or nostalgic and glorious.

I learnt to drive on my father's Standard Herald. It was fun. I thought I was James Bond {as in Dr. No} driving the Herald around and forever pulling down to 3rd gear to get the acceleration I craved for. The Ambassador seemed heavy in comparison. Those all mechanical cars gave you a direct feel of the road, the engine, the transmission etc. You drove to the sound of the engine. That sound told you when to change gears for example. And no matter what all brakes in those days were weak.

Today cars are way way more comfortable and easier to drive with a lot of functions getting done for you.

For me driving a car, regularly that is, that was built before I was born would take me to my grandfathers 1936 "Opel 6-Cylinder" - that was the car's name. Driving that was akin to a truck. First starting meant physically cranking the engine. For all the gen X, Y, Z photo below of what hand cranking meant. The steering was to build your biceps, the brakes & clutch were to exercise your thigh muscles. When I hear today of a driver talking of a pain in their clutch leg I think, baby you don't know what double clutch without servo assist is!!! That's my contribution to the Kid of the 60s driving a pre-60s car. My grandfather refused to drive my Padmini, partly due to age and partly because he worried he would over steer given that he was only used to the Opel's rather heavy unassisted steering.

Today I would be happy to drive one of these yesteryear queens but only for fun. I cannot manage them as my regular drive anymore. Modern cars have spoilt me. My hats off to members like @KPS and @anjan_c2007_who lovingly drive classic and vintage cars regularly.

Here's what BHPian Strange Wizard had to say on the matter:

90s kid here and I really enjoy driving cars from the by-gone era. I have a deep attachment to the SB308 Maruti 800 because we used to own one but I am also fond of other iconic cars like the Gypsy, Esteem, Indica, OG Santro, Palio, W124. Have been lucky enough to have driven almost all of my childhood favourites.

The thing that I love about these cars is how "involving" each one of them feels. Every car of that era had a different character and driving feel and the kind of driving pleasure they offered was very different compared to the modern cars we drive today, which are fun to drive and involving too, but in a different manner.

Seen below are my Honda City and a friend's Maruti 800. Driving the red 800 was a Eureka moment for me because I spent a major part of my childhood being driven around in a red 800 of the same spec. Good times.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

A special thanks to the Honda Unicorn, which gave me may memories with my brother as I explored places close to Bangalore.

BHPian mm_shen recently shared his with other enthusiasts.

Hello fellow Tbhpian!

Hope you all are have a wonderful riding/driving experience.

Scoured through the treads to find some thread where bhpians have shared their very first riding/driving experience, but could not. If I have missed it, please point me in the right direction!

However, if there is no thread I would like to start one. Charity begins at home and let me share my experiences:

First Bicycle Ride:

Obviously, like many other children around the world, my first cycle was a three wheeled pedal cycle, which I know only because my parents took photos of me riding it.
We used to live in Bangalore, upto my 5th Standard. My first proper memory of a bicycle is a Hero cycle which I got. It was orange in colour. I got it for my 9th Birthday. Looked like a BMX bike, had struts at the front wheel and rear wheel. The brakes were a little odd though. Instead of a normal brake lever on the handle bar, you had to pedal backwards to apply brake. Never understood why had they kept such a mechanism. This lead to many accidents while riding. My father’s confidence on giving freedom to kids was borderline “over-confidence”. As a 9-year-old, I was allowed to cycle on the streets, compared my friends who only were ever allowed to cycle inside their compound. I had a jolly good time riding that cycle. That is when I experienced true freedom of owning your own vehicle. My brother, who was 5 years younger to me, would stand on the struts on the rear wheel and hold my shoulder while I would pedal. Unfortunately, I do not have any photos of the bicycle, which I can share with you people.

First Motored Two Wheeler Ride:

My next tryst with a two wheeler was a Kinetic Honda. Yes, you are right, the one which we all remember. When I ask someone to close their eyes, and utter Kinetic Honda, most of them will picture a black (or white) Kinetic Honda. The unmistaken sound of the self-starter, which to me always sounded like the school bell ringing after a day of school. The sound always signified freedom to me, either the self-start or the school bell. We had shifted back to my native place, Udupi by then. The scooter, a used one, was bought for my mother to go about in town. After a month of riding lessons, she took it out once with me riding pillion, saw a lorry coming from the other end about 300-400 meters away, panicked, and drove us into a water drain by the side of the road. Thankfully we were safe. But she never assumed the rider seat again, till date. We all tried a lot, but it was too much for her. The scooter was collecting dust. I being in 6th Standard at the time, would take it out nearby shops to buy groceries. Would roam the back alleys of our village. Finally, my father sold it off as my mother never used it again.

First Geared Two Wheeler Ride:

My next type of vehicle which I rode, was a 4 stroke bike. LML Freedom. My father had bought it for himself. I was in the eight standard. My friend, Bharath had come home during a hot summer Sunday. We were getting bored at home. My father was a very chill guy. He was taking a nap that particular afternoon. We went upto him and asked him to teach us to ride a bike. Half awake, pointed towards his trousers hanging on the clothes rack. Out came the hoarse voice, “Keys are in my pocket. Slowly turn the accelerator, while you release the clutch slowly. You know where the brakes are. Be inside the compound and don’t wake me up again!”.

That was it! My lesson on riding a geared motorbike. Me and Bharath spent the whole afternoon trying to figure out how to start the bike without stalling the engine. To my dad’s utter dismay, listening to the bike starting and stalling a thousand times, he groggily woke up and gave me a dressing down that I will burn the clutch and spoil the battery or the engine. He went back to sleep. Ignoring his words,we kept at it again. Maybe after two-three hours we were finally able to figure it out. Inspite of warning from my dad, took it out on the road for a short ride came back.

I fell in love with riding. I was promised a Pulsar after my 12th. But my parents were brainwashed by my other family and friends into buying me a 100cc TVS star city lest I speed on a 150 cc pulsar and crash!
I was young and too stupid! My college was about 75 km from my home. I used to stay in a PG and would come home of weekends. Oh man! Did I abuse my star city! The road to my college was 30 km of a dual carriage highway and rest was curvy roads. The bike topped out at 85 kmph. I would time my rides. Would always try to cover this distance within an hour 15 minutes. Once, during such ride, I pushed my bike. It went all the way upto 90 kmph. I saw if I could push it a further. The bike vibrated, but saw the speedo needle crawling towards the 95 mark with great difficulty. I was happy and saw if I could push it towards 100. I thought, if the manufacturers did not want the vehicle to go above the top speed mentioned in his broucher, why did he bother to give higher speeds on the speedo. Oh boy was I wrong! At 95, the engine stalled. No response. The vehicle came to a halt. I kicked, kicked and kicked, the bike refused to start. Left the engine cool for 15 minutes. Prayed to God and kicked the kicker! The engine propped back to life, but had a clicking noise. Took it our known garage. My garage guy, Nichoo, who was my dad’s friend, laughed on my face and told me to get ready for a whacking at home. The engine bore needs to be replaced. Rs. 3,500 later, I learnt an important lesson. ‘Never abuse your machines. Don’t push it beyond its limit.’

My Star City parked outside my PG room in the sweltering Mangalore Sun. The bike served us well. I will always be indebted to this bike, which not only got me through college, but helped my mom manage her business and also was my brother’s ride during his college.

First Car Drive:

My next rendezvous with another type of vehicle was a Car.

I learnt “Driving” from a Driving school in Udupi. It was a white Maruti Suzuki Swift, Diesel. Leave the clutch, the car moves ahead. The braking would be done by the instructor. I only had to pretend to hold the steering. They got me a driving license too! But I was never taught me well enough to be a confident driver. Since then, I always feel driving school is a waste of your money and time.

Came to Bangalore and started accompanying my Uncle on drives every Sunday in his Maruthi Suzuki Ritz, Diesel, Silver colour. He would teach me to drive on the NICE Road. Have made many single day journey to Bangalore-Chennai-Bangalore and never encountered a problem. I took it to Goa and back to Bangalore. Was wonderful. The most I remember about this car was the quirky interior design of the Tachometer. A round dial on the dashboard. It literally stood out!

I fell in love with driving due to this car. It had nothing special. But the distance that you could cover without your back hurting was a blessing!

Special Mentions:

A special thanks to the Honda Unicorn, which gave me may memories with my brother as I explored places close to Bangalore. A special thanks to Ford Ecosport which kept my love of driving going strong! A special thanks to Maruthi Suzuki Wagon-R, which never gave me driving or parking anxiety whenever I drove into Bangalore City. A special thanks to our factory’s Tata Ace, which helped me appreciate power steering in Vehicles. A salute to the drivers of yester years, who drove without power steering.

My love affair with motor vehicles still continues till today. But these vehicles are the ones, which made me fall in love with the freedom you get while riding/driving.

I would love to hear all your stories of your first motoring experience and love!

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Man, a thread that takes you back!

IIRC, my first driving experience was in a Premier Padmini with a column-mounted shifter. Petrol (we had a 137D later). A passion that clearly stuck for life . We also had an HM Ambassador. The next car I drove was a Maruti 800 and it felt like it's from a different planet! As opposed to the Padmini, the Maruti's ergonomics were sorted, it was peppy & had a floor-mounted shifter, didn't overheat, handled real nice.

IIRC, my first riding experience was on a Kinetic Honda. Convenient & easy, just like the Honda Activa today. Had later bought one, but got bored after a couple of months and swapped it for a yummy Yamaha RX100 . Loved that bike way too much, although I regret not getting an RD350 when I had the chance to. Maybe it was all for the better as the RD350 was too fast for an 18-year old juiced with adrenalin & I might not have been typing this today.

Here's what BHPian deep_bang had to say on the matter:

My first vehicle was a red tricycle. I am told that I was always on it except while sleeping. Even during sleep, i would park it next to my bed. Anyone who knew me as a kid knew about my red fiberglass tricycle.

Then came a BSA aristocrat during my schools days.

I begged my parents for 6 months to get me a suzuki samurai. Back then, Shogun used to be like madness, RX used to be the cool classic, while samurai was a practical 'no problem' bike. But finally my parents got me a hero puch. Used that during my college days and to an extent my bro's Hero Honda splendor. That was a premium ride if he had a day off.

We did not have a car back then. My first car was a Ford Taurus in the US with a friend teaching me to drive. Eventually after that owned several cars and bikes. Each one have their own memories and bringing that phase of life back into my mind.

Here's what BHPian Neongoblin had to say on the matter:

This one holds a special place in my heart as it marks my debut post on Team-BHP, recounting my unforgettable first riding/driving experience.

To give you a glimpse into my journey, my fascination with automobiles and driving had been a constant throughout my life. However, I held firm to my decision of not driving until I turned 18.

As fate would have it, my 18th birthday coincided with the hustle of preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Amidst the rigorous preparation, the anticipation of both conquering the exam and taking the wheels grew by the day.

Finally, the much-awaited D-day arrived towards the end of May. Immediately after completing the exam and returning home, I seized the opportunity to grab the key to my dad's bike. With a mix of excitement and nerves, I started the bike, engaged the clutch, shifted into 1st gear, and... stalled. It took me a day or so to master the art of a smooth launch from 0, and soon enough, I had grasped the intricacies of bike riding. Within a week, I enrolled for both two-wheeler and four-wheeler learner's licenses.

However, my fascination with four-wheelers trumped that of two-wheelers. Yet, due to a series of events such as college admissions and the onset of the Covid pandemic, my plans to learn driving a car were delayed by two years.

Fast forward to 2021, with life gradually returning to normalcy, I wasted no time in enrolling in a driving school. In just five days, I had absorbed all that a driving instructor could impart. From navigating through busy streets to tackling varying traffic conditions and even embarking on highway drives, my driving journey began in earnest.

Here's what BHPian funkykar had to say on the matter:

My first ride on a bicycle was on a 1987 Atlas Roadster (similar looking to BSA SLR). My grandpa had gifted me during my uncle's marriage.

My first motorized vehicle experience was an early 1970s Luna (Referred to as duck Luna, no idea why) probably in 1989-90 when I was about less than 10 years old. This Luna had an option to disengage the engine and make it run by pedaling like a cycle. Initially, my dad would allow me to use it in this mode, but gradually he let me ride it on the motor. This was a puny little Luna which could do just about faster than a bicycle. Have great memories using this Luna in my neighborhood. Dad would give me 9rs 25paise for half liter petrol and some 2t oil on every Sunday. I used to pedal it to the petrol pump and fill fuel. Then start and use the Luna for 3-4 days. Once fuel runs out, till the weekend, I would use sparingly on pedal mode. After a couple of years, we realized both the tires were badly worn. Dad wouldn't get it replaced or serviced. He just said, no spending any money on it. You grow up and buy your own. You are done with this. Eventually, around 2006-07 time we scrapped it.

Dad had bought this one in the 80s as a used one for 500rs. The paperwallah who bought this for scrap gave 500rs.

Reference pic(ours was a maroon/redoxide colored one):

Pic courtesy.

Here's what BHPian museycal had to say on the matter:

Thanks mm_shen for the nostalgia trip! Nice way to start a Monday

My 'first' first riding experience was on a rented bicycle, I still remember me and my friend learned the balancing and riding together on these small bicycles. Once we got the hang of them, the streets were our racetracks! And they never had good brakes, so the pile of sands, gravels etc. near under construction houses were our brakes while racing each other. My parents lost count of the busted knees and elbows.

By the time I reached 6th standard, I started riding our Kinetic Honda. Fun fact, Kinetic Honda came in to our family just a month after me as my Mom needed a personal vehicle. And it still serves us well to this day. Maintained, repainted and renovated, its still starts in first push of starter button and its seat comfort and riding position is still unmatched with current age scooters!

First geared scooter was the family's LML Sensation, a peppy little scooter I loved to do first gear wheelies on. I got my first bike in 3rd of year of engineering, Honda Unicorn, because of 'Honda' and Monoshock. I had exactly 7 km of riding experience on a bike before I got my own bike. I convinced my parents that I have learned riding bike on my friend's CD100SS and they believed me, talk about lying on resume

This happened again when we bought our first car, the OG Ford Figo ZX Petrol. While my entire family took Maurti Driving School lessons, I passed saying I know how to drive already through my friend's Alto. In truth I had only driven it for all of 15 kms from our college to his home.

In hindsight, my 'firsts' riding and driving experience were reckless for the age, and thankfully nothing adverse came out of them. Much, much wiser about these now.

Here's what BHPian ArTigor had to say on the matter:

My first experience of riding a motor bike was with the Bajaj bravo Scooter. It was a geared scooter and I learnt basic riding on it after gifting it a fair bit of dents and scratches, but I still would not call myself a confident rider.

Yamaha Enticer is which made me a good rider as I refined my riding skills on it.

My first experience riding a car was with my fathers Zen Estilo. It is an interesting story, I had just turned 18, I knew some bits about driving a car as dad used to brief me about it.

So one day when I was cleaning and washing our car, it itched my mind to sit in the drivers seat and start the car and move it slightly forward and backward, so I did it. Then the next thing I did sealed my dads confidence in me. So to take the car out from our bungalows parking lot one had to drive the car completely in reverse making a S shaped turn. The property had a small gate barely enough for the Estilo to pass through with a clearance of a few inches on either side.

I started the car and move it in reverse very slowly making the S shape and exit the gate, without stalling the car, lets say it was butter smooth reverse maneuver for someone who is driving a car for the first time. Then I look out of the window and see that my dad was looking over me all the time. He smiles at me and gives me a nod. Now I am on the seventh sky, I slowly slot the first gear and take the car to the ground abutting our home to practice. When I came back home I asked dad why did he not stop me or scold me? to which he replied, that reverse maneuver is not an easy one, the fact that I did it in one go made him confident. In few month I got my learners license & the car for daily college run.

Here's what BHPian arun1100 had to say on the matter:

Well, I have managed to preserve the vehicles that were owned by my Dad and these are the vehicles in which I learnt Riding & Driving and also these vehicles were used for my Driving License test (Padmini and Chetak) 22 years back!

My Dad has been my mentor in teaching to maintain as well as ride/ drive these vehicles. Having observed him ride and drive since childhood, when the time came for me to learn and use, it was like just executing what I had learnt practically all during my childhood!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

A viral video recently came to light showing a man driving his Tesla Cybertruck while wearing the Vision Pro headset.

According to media reports, the US Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, has warned drivers not to drive their cars while wearing Apple's new Vision Pro headset.

The need to state the obvious came after a recent viral video came to light showing a man driving his Tesla Cybertruck while wearing the Vision Pro headset. The video shows the driver with both hands off the steering wheel and performing several hand gestures to control the features within the Vision Pro.

Buttigieg took to the social media platform, X (formerly Twitter) to state, "Reminder — ALL advanced driver assistance systems available today require the human driver to be in control and fully engaged in the driving task at all times."

Apple does state that the Vision Pro headset comes with "built-in safety features to help prevent collisions and falls", however, these refer to when users bump into a wall, not being involved in a car crash.

Source: DigitalTrends

I have a Tata Nexon EV Max and to me, these points seem to be some of the initial mistakes that all of us make.

BHPian electric_eel recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

1. Learn to find the range using the efficiency figures (Wh/km or Km/Kwh) instead of relying on DTE figures. DTE figures are pretty unreliable and depend on the previous drive.
2. Establish a slow charging routine based on what is said in the user manual and not by random advice on the internet (even if they are from prominent team-bhpians). In general LFP-based battery packs (Tatas, BYDs etc) it is best to charge till 100 % every time you slow charge; but don't guess, read up the manual.
3. For fast charging, it is good to stop at 85% because of two reasons. Firstly beyond 85%, the charging is really slow (you are wasting your as well as other people's time) and secondly, some charging stations are known to give trouble (by not throttling the charging rate) when the battery is nearly full. Whenever possible make sure to do a slow charging to 100% after a few fast charging.
4. Learn to drive defensively. This will improve safety as well as improve the range of your car with almost no change in the driving time.
5. It seems there is a myth that EVs give better range in city driving than highway driving. This myth is probably due to a lack of understanding of what regen braking is (see the next point).
6. Do not assume that Eco mode or for that matter regen 3 is the most efficient. I have got the best efficiency figures till date for Regen 0 in sports mode so far (exactly the opposite of what TATA's inbuilt logic for DTE prediction and their "regen score" in the Zconnect app seems to suggest).
7. Efficiency is not the most important thing in life. Safety and ride comfort are more important factors.

Most of these points are said elsewhere but I have collected them as numbered points because these seem to be some of the initial mistakes all of us make. Feel free to add any more tips but keep it short and to the point to make it more useful.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say about the matter:

For prospective buyers, the single most important piece of advice is, "Buy the biggest battery pack available."

Don’t try to skimp on a lakh or two initially. This extra investment will more than pay off with a better driving experience of the accompanying higher power motor and the peace of mind and less frequent charging allowed by the longer range.

EV owners up north will see their range drop by 10-15% in winter as heaters will be in use. The heater in EV cars sucks up a lot of battery. Range of my Nexon LR has dropped from 280+ margin to 250+ margin, and I expect it to reduce further as temperatures drop. I like a cozy cabin with the auto climate control set at 22-23 degrees.

Here's what BHPian rsidd had to say about the matter:

I have an issue with point 5 since it seems to have little to do with point 6.

Many highway speed limits are 100-120 kmph, and a vehicle's mileage (whether ICE or EV) falls with increasing speed after a point, rather sharply after 80 kmph. Few of us can restrain ourselves to that speed in a nice car on an empty highway. In a petrol car, you can just refuel sooner than you wanted but in an EV you may run out before your planned stop. So, highway efficiency may be equal to the city if you stick to below 80kmph. (This applies to Nexons etc, more aerodynamic cars may be able to go faster.)

About point 6, does that also apply to city driving? But apart from efficiency I just find the pedal feel in eco mode the best. (Nexon EV max)

Here's what BHPian electric_eel replied:

My point is that most people automatically assume that regen is the best way to increase range based on misguided advice on the internet (even an otherwise well-informed "Talking Cars" episode says this), subliminal suggestions from DTE predictions (TATA cars), "Driving score" regenerative efficiency figures and what not. People lose the big picture that Regen is only to save the energy that we are forced to waste while braking. It is more efficient to just reduce braking (and acceleration).

I have got a significantly better range at 70-80 on highways (110 Wh/km is routine) than city driving (120-130 Wh/km). For highways that I drive on, going beyond these speeds is not advisable anyway from the safety point of view (we are talking about Kerala highways) and gives only marginal improvements in average speeds.

Now for expressway speeds (100-120). It is true that higher speeds means higher wind resistance but I am unsure what is the threshold speed at which it becomes the dominating factor. Maybe when you push the speeds to 100-120 you are also doing more acceleration deceleration, or if you are using cruise control then the associated loss in efficiency is pitching in. I do not know for sure.

The main point is if you can drive at constant speeds then regen 0 is the best. But in city traffic it is difficult. For Kona (which I drove very briefly) there are two things which can make sports mode attractive. It has a milder regen and it has paddle shifters based purely on regen braking all the way till stop. So I think it would give better efficiency in sports mode always (city/highway wherever). Nexon Max probably not.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.