Family Divide!!

Its funny you mention this since I happen to have experienced something similar. The difference being this family had major unity issues . 4 people from a family Auntyji, Daughter in law, 12 year old grandson and 8 year old granddaughter wanted to cross a divided 4-lane road on the outskirts of Nasik town. I am heading towards them in the slow lane at 50ish while they waited on the side of the road for traffic to pass. When I was barely 15 feet away, all 4 of them started off at the following speeds.

#1: 12 yr old : 4X
#2: Daughter in Law : 3X
#3: 8 yr old : 2X
#4: Auntyji : 1X

Where 4X is the speed required to cross the 2 lanes till the divider before I reach the point where they started crossing. I mean, this was officially the worst way for a family to cross the road. Thankfully these people were not holding hands while they did this stunt.

So, by the time I reach the spot, the entire road is covered by people of the same family with only the 12 year old boy who was able to successfully cross over. With very little time to brake, all I could do was look for the biggest usable gap in pedestrian family which happened to be between #2 and #3. On my way, my left foot hit #3 on her knee who had a small fall but still didn't see me coming even though I was right there ~6 inches from her nose. Since I was in the process of braking, I made it a point to stop, turn around and give them a piece of my mind, something on the lines of "Agar dhyaan nahi de sakte to bachche kyu paida karte ho!" (English Translation : If you can't take care of your kids why did you give birth to them!)

P.S.: Once again, if you people were looking closely, the 3 people in the middle of the road were FEMALES!! The solitary male in the group had already made it to the divider!

Kids and women are totally unpredictable, atleast here men are stubborn , they just wont move of the road, so we know what to do, but kids are just so dynamic in making sudden decisions, i had an experience where a kid whose house was on the side of the road which was a bit elevated from the level of the road, she wanted to get from point A(her home) to point B(home dead opp to her across the road), just when i was reaching parallel to her house
gate, she bolted for it. I braked hard and did a massive skid,more of a powerslide, stopped in time though, i had a mini heart attack, she just happily chirped away to her destination and her mother stood there and did nothing, acted as if nothing happened and i dint exist there.


In kerala, auntyjis just wont hurry crossing the roads, they have no sense from where to cross anyway, but when they cross they have no sense of calculating the speed of the oncoming traffic, the annoying thing is they act like running but actually all their effort to run makes their pace slower than what would have been if they were walking, seriously all that drama of running and they end up being slower than ever. then why do they act like running ? And i think they have a slower reaction time too, is that biologically programmed that way ?

Nice to see people pouring out their experiences.
Let me detail a few more things i remember.

Kids:
Very unpredictable. Pre empting the presence of a kid is the best way to avoid accidents. Places where you should automatically slow down.
1. A stationary school bus: Never zoom ahead of a school bus. Kids will suddenly cross the road and emerge from your blind spot i.e the front of the bus.
2. Schools: Morning 7 to 9 and afternoon 1 to 3 can be killer zones near schools. Better to slow down and expect the worst.
3. Any object like football/cricket ball on the road: This can mean that a kid will materialize out of nowhere to claim it.
4. Kids cycling: The randomness of their path cannot be judged. Always give a wide berth.

Night Driving:
Highbeams are the biggest nuisance on the road. They ensure that a biker will not be able to see the road ahead at all. Things we can do
1. Never look at a highbeam directly. The temporary bright light will ensure that eyes will have a tough time to adjust to the darkness on your part of the road.
2. Keep using the dipper, specially when you are not sure whats ahead. When you are constantly using one beam, the eyes get adjusted to it and its very easy to miss some movement on the road ahead. Using the dipper ensures that your field of vision expands and any movement will show up in a flash.
3 Tailing cars is a nice way to have a safe ride during the night. Profile a few car wallahs (ones going at a comfortable speed for you, using brakes judiciously and are not the SUV types which will run over a speed breaker like nothing happened and are using mirrors) and tail them. Do follow the 2 second rule (Stay behind by atleast 2 seconds so that if they brake in an emergency, you have the time to react and take a corrective action)
4. Using a tall boy hatch/SUV is a very nice way to avoid high beams. Ensure that there is a tall boy hatch/SUV between you and that highbeamer.
5. Make sure that the car you are tailing is aware of your presence. Always stay in its mirrors.


Car waalahs:
Profiling a car waalah is very important.
The various types and techniques i can remmeber.

1. The number plate tells a lot:

If its a commercial plate, you know what to do (depending on the driving styles of cabbies on your part of the country)

If its way too stylized or has some message written in, like " boy" or anything else. Be assured that this guy is most probably a poor driver.

Any VIP number: Leave the whole road to him. A guy with a VIP number chooses not to follow traffic rules. He also chooses to ignore other road users.

Any non Himachal/J&K/Uttaranchal number plate in the hills: The plains dwellers know very little about hill driving. So be aware.

2. The mirror doesn't lie:
The mirror is your insight to the car wallahs world.
An improperly positioned mirror means the guy has no idea whats going on behind him.
How to find out if the mirror is properly positioned ? Check if you can see his face or atleast some part of it in the mirror. If yes, he can see you too.
While planning an overtake, make sure that he has seen you. Also, never overtake close to a driver who can be seen on the phone or is talking to his co passenger or is fiddling with controls. Chances are, he might stray into your path without realizing. Any driver singing along to music is also dangerous. His mind is not on the road.
A broken mirror is a red flag. The guy cannot be trusted. Take a wide berth.

3. The driver:
The most important entity that will help you chart out your course of action.
Always be aware who is behind the wheel.
The old man/lady in that dinky little M800: These guys are still living in the past. Never expect them to react quickly if you cut across, or even if there is some obstacle in front of them. So be tender and careful around them.

The fat seth ji with that stretched out seat: is not aware about anything behind him. Probably he is still counting his money. Has a horse vision.

The girl with the moving lips: Don't get visions. They are babyface killers. She is most probably chatting and preening about on the bluetooth. If there is a co passenger, you are the least of her worries.

The smart businessman/corporate honcho guy in the sedan: Probably your best friend. Thinks of himself as a good driver. Can be fast. Won't like to be challenged otherwise.

The chauffeur in that Audi/BMW: Is going to be an ultra careful driver. You can cut across him, make faces at him or run around in circles - he will try his best to avoid you.

The "richie rich" driver : Extremely difficult to spot before hand. This kind believes that bikers are a menace on the road. Doesn't believe in giving way to a biker and generally thinks of them as poor guys who couldn't afford a car. Its a matter of status sir ji. I just described 90% of North India
So, when in North India and specially in NCR, do remember that you are an unwanted entity on the road and should be keeping off and making way for these car waalahs - even if it means getting off the road to satisfy their whims and fancies.

4. The state of the car
The ambassador with the laal batti:
They can be bullies. Are not the swiftest of traffic cutters. So be careful around them.

The loud modded car:
A tell tale sign about the intent of the owner. He will kill you and do it in style while at it.

The SWIFT with college dudes: They are just having fun. You are not a part of their plan. There is a good chance the guy won't even see you. So be wise and never be too close to them.

The stickered menace:
any "community" boy / No Fear / The hooded rapster kinda stickers are invariably combined with tinted windows. Apart from blocking their vision, these guys tend to be mechanically challenged. Any steering input will be exaggerated and all other vehicles on the roads are supposed to obliterate into puffs of smoke to make way for them. Generally, boleros, scorpios, fortuners and endeavours can be seen sporting this kind of behavior.

Other stickers like "Racing blah blah"/"live fast"/"Any random big brand sticker"/K&N indicates the need, the need for speed. Never zoom past them. They will take it as a challenge and race like crazy, endangering everybody.

These stereotypes can have a few exception. But, we cannot take chances.

When riding, its best to lock up the ego in a small box and throw it away. Defensive driving is the only way to avoid being a statistic.
1.2 lakh deaths a year on the roads don't lie.
Wearing riding gear doesn't give you the license to go fast.

Ride safe.

Check out this video.

Mick Doohan - No Place to Race - YouTube

You guys missed the most important of all. The buses esp in cities like Bangalore and Kolkata (& some other cities.. dnt hv fair idea). Bangalore BMTCs are the worst. If you see them coming just run like hell. They would prefer to hit you than press the brakes. Assume there are no breaks on the Govt. buses.

well there is one more kind of people who cross the road in very bossy way...

they see you coming but they dont wait, they just jump on the road showing you the hand to stop, i always think why they even show a hand to stop when they already jumped on the road..
Dont know what name should be given to them, but i hate this pattern of crossing road by people.

Agree with you on this totally.. when i go to mussorie side and see a non-uk plate i always be very wise in following these cars.
they dont understand the curves and blind curves for them are like *sign to overtake*.. Have seen many accidents seeing people trying to overtake on the blind curve.

Mainly Delhi number plates.. Sorry no offense They always seems to be in hurry even if they are on vacations to mussorie..

None taken. My carefullness is in this order HR26(Gurgaon) > DL > UP16(Noida) > PB (almost always drinking and merry)

Anybody coming up north from the south of india or even abroad, please read Mik's post.
It would be a life saver. That pretty much sums up entire north india. The worst drivers you could find will be between 18-25 age with NCR number plates

Two wheelers will generally ride on footpaths..And what more..they honk at pedestrains there

On top, I find kids the most dangerous. I cringe whenever I see them. and all my senses are running on full capacity.

Nice observations. Being a biker and a driver myself, I too have had several such experiences on the road with people, animals and other vehicle users. However, for a moment, I decided to step into the shoes of the pedestrians and analyze the situation from their perspective. Imagine waiting on the side of the road waiting for an incessant chain of vehicular traffic to subside. In busy roads with moving traffic under Indian conditions, we just cannot wait. We have to step forward a bit, wait for the oncoming traffic to see us and slow down for us to cross. However, most of the times, ppl on vehicles think the road is meant only for wheels and not for legs.

While I am not trying to take sides here, I just wanted to say that we can offer a little more courtesy when our vehicle speeds are slow enough to slow down even further or maybe even stop for a few seconds to allow the ppl to pass through. The reason I am bringing this up is because I have personally seen many many people on bikes and cars who accelerate more when they see that some people are trying to cross the road. It is as if they want to cut those hapless souls off before they cross over. It is that basic need for speed which most of us road users seem to be born with.

Once again, just want to say that I do agree that some pedestrians are indeed stupid or careless or risky on the road. However, also wanted to iterate that we can do our bit to make the roads a more "sharing" experience for everyone, be it on wheels or on legs.

PS: The notes above might not be entirely applicable to furry/4 legged creatures.

Very good observation prakash. The reality is that people will always need to cross the road. If we don't become sensitive to the weakest entity on Indian roads and slow down a bit, we are being bullies.

one should also communicate to others even on road with pedestrians, like if you spot one on road then honk (while slowing down).. and signal them to move in the direction they are moving, but fast & get outta road ASAP, slight head signal (lateral nodding) works great for me

While doing all these, not to forget that there are other road users who might dive just in front.. so, dont just lock your sight and awareness at an single obstacle (use the complete peripheral view). and also lit your brakelight while negotiating all these, by slightly pressing your breaks (at least just a little to lit the breaklights) this may save you from being rear ended.

also try to look through vehicles to spot these jay walkers (and drivers & riders), the spots or places where one can see through vehicles are front & wind-sheilds in case of cars/vans and under side of the buses/trucks (this way I once saved a kid)

kids cant listen or hear if playing on road or around road its a fact.


And knowing some tricks like counter-steering, hard/panic braking without wheel lock(s) can be life savers.

Can anyone say about dodging drunken walkers?? I once had a real tough time dealing with him just counter steered around him.... got in front of an three wheeler (ape) in oncoming lane again counter steered back to my lane. we all (me, three wheeler & the A$$ H*!E) got saved thanks to Xbhp 'cause it taught me "how to counter steer"

It's common sense. In a two lane traffic a pedestrian needs to walk on the side FACING the traffic. This stuff was taught to me in school (Lower Primary) and I don't know why is it so hard for people to understand that. An old housemate of mine (IIT-M product mind you) just didn' agree that was the right thing to do


Brilliant and accurate profiling there Dogs are tricky though. You don't know if they will notice you and turn back or will continue crossing.
I would slot women in between cow and pig. They pick a direction/destination and run across. Whether a 22 wheeled truck is headed towards them or a bicycle they don't care. Most of the times its safe to pass behind.

Wait till I narrate my experience. We are expecting too much out of human intelligence here.

Across forums I've seen some smart asses trying to justify pedestrian behaviour on road. However, this post is a good one. Presents the counter POV in a fair and reasonable manner

The worst thing for pedestrians apart from not having proper footpaths is not having designated road crossings and even if there is, not enough time provided. To top it, two wheeler riders have this disease of parking on zebra crossing. Even if motorists have to wait 30 secs extra at a traffic light, its worth providing that time to pedestrian crossing.

I thought I had seen my fair bit of arrongance/ignorance on road till I saw this-One evening I was returning home after work and ON Lingarajapura FLYOVER a lady is taking her evening stroll along with an infant in the trolley with her back to the traffic Flyover, narrow flyover, evening rush hour and back to the traffic along with an infant God makes so many women infertile, I don't know how he missed out on this one.

Sone pe suhaga: I see her again after few days, same spot this time with another lady (bang head)

exactly what I have observed.
Instead of keeping all things in the mind ,i remember few things.99% of drivers do not know how to drive.people in India can move faster than light they will try to cross in front of you even after seeing you.
the conclusion is any thing can come from anywhere,on bike we are sure to get hurt in case of accident irrespective of whose fault it is.
be vigilant,be coward on the Indian road

I have been a victim of this too. I was doing errands one evening a decade ago in the town and suddenly a person jumped into the road and knocked me off. The bike fell on the right hand side and I had a slide. Luckily, I escaped with only few bruises on the palm, hand and leg. Its a NH and I 'd have been easily run over by other vehicles! Sad part was no one ever came to me to see how I am doing, not the even policeman who stood a few meters away!

Pathetic!


Dog: This is what I learnt by experience. Eye contact would send a message across.

Cow: And this is what my dad taught me when I started riding/driving.