Let's hear about your city traffic and how good your driving?

[BLASTO]

Not taking anything against you Blasto - But wanted to highlight something here

Hmm, What about a Hyundai i20 then which claims 5-Star NCAP rating

Hyundai i20 | Euro NCAP - For safer cars crash test safety rating



It has scored 64% on pedestrian safety which is more or less same to that of Fiat and is Korean. The version sold in India isn't NCAP 5 star even, Because you don't get 6 Air-bags et all. Still Hyundai manages to put the NCAP 5 star rating sticked on the car and sell loads

None taken.

Pdestrian safety points -
Jazz - 22 pts - 60% Honda Jazz | Euro NCAP - For safer cars crash test safety rating
i20 - 23 pts - 64% - Hyundai i20 | Euro NCAP - For safer cars crash test safety rating
punto -19 pts - 48% - Fiat Grande Punto | Euro NCAP - For safer cars crash test safety rating

Why do you think 48% is same as 64%?

Well, I was not talking about overall safety, but there is a version of i20 with 6 Airbags sold. Just that none buys it.

Again, Iam just pointing out. Not supporting one over the other.

 

[teky]

None taken.

Pdestrian safety points -
Jazz - 22 pts - 60% Honda Jazz | Euro NCAP - For safer cars crash test safety rating
i20 - 23 pts - 64% - Hyundai i20 | Euro NCAP - For safer cars crash test safety rating
punto -19 pts - 48% - Fiat Grande Punto | Euro NCAP - For safer cars crash test safety rating

Why do you think 48% is same as 64%?

Well, I was not talking about overall safety, but there is a version of i20 with 6 Airbags sold. Just that none buys it.

Again, Iam just pointing out. Not supporting one over the other.

I think we missed something - i20 is marked 64% on the new rating system & Fiat GP was pre-2009 system. So the percentage doesn't hold value me thinks - I was looking into the impact zone marking and the number of red marked on GP & i20. Correct me if I'm wrong

 

[BLASTO]

I think we missed something - i20 is marked 64% on the new rating system & Fiat GP was pre-2009 system. So the percentage doesn't hold value me thinks - I was looking into the impact zone marking and the number of red marked on GP & i20. Correct me if I'm wrong

I dint miss. The rating is given when a car is released or when it undergoes overall structural change.
There has not been any any major structural change to punto since 2009.

 

[teky]

I dint miss. The rating is given when a car is released or when it undergoes overall structural change.
There has not been any any major structural change to punto since 2009.

What I meant was the Euro NCAP rating system has changed, Anyways we are well OT

 

[BLASTO]

What I meant was the Euro NCAP rating system has changed, Anyways we are well OT

Ya I agree. NCAP has changed. But it became only more and more stringent.
Grande punto will not even get 19 points if measured now.

Now, Enough of OT.

 

[thevortex]

Seeing these ratings on the i20 bemuses me! Have any of you guys tried leaning on the bonnet of an i20. The metal goes in with a pop! Now I dont know if that is a reliable test for judging the safety features of the car. But it did nothing to improve my image of the Hyundai car.

 

[thevortex]

Slightly off topic but I think this is still somewhat relevant - of late I am seeing a lot of pride creeping in when anything 'Indian' is criticized. Dont get me wrong - I am very proud of our country. Just to give you an idea of what I have been experiencing, when I criticize the IPL, I am told that that is a sign of India rising. India is dominating the world. So nothing can be wrong. So on so forth.

Coming back to the topic - to acknowledge that the traffic management is bad on our roads does not have to mean that one does not love one's own land. Or the place one lives in. Sometimes it could be as simple as expecting better from our own country and its caretakers.

 

[thekinge]

I remember when I came to Chennai from Delhi some 25 years ago, traffic was peaceful and people followed all rules including cyclists having lights in the front and the back.

My father keeps telling me this quite a few times, especially after he has just come back from a tiring drive in Chennai

Another issue that many of you would have come across is this. When you want to overtake a vehicle on say a highway, the driver ahead of you will flash his right indicator. The first time I saw this was when I was doing 100KMPH and I slammed the brakes, not realizing the idiot in the front wanted me to overtake him.

I had the same experience for the first time I went on a drive to Madurai. Although I was not doing 100KMPH, it was confusing as hell. Then my friends told me about the "flashing right indicator" signal - apparently if the vehicle is in the lane left to you and if the right indicator flashes 3 - 5 times, it means you should pass them when they allow you to do so!

Now multiply these kind of drivers a million times, and you have traffic on the Indian roads. Break all rules, and just bulldoze your way in. If something happens, it is the other guy's mistake.

Precisely Venkatcr.

Only if you drive in a place like the US (which BTW has 20 times our traffic), Dubai or other cities will you know what is happening in India is not be proud of at all.

Driving in US is the most pleasurable experience I have had. Once we are familiar with the rules of the road, we can drive with the confidence that almost everyone will follow the same rules and you can just focus on the driving experience. Drivers give you adequate space, signal properly and switch lanes properly. When one drives in such an environment, naturally the focus is on enjoying the driving experience and possibly the music!

However Dubai is different. I drive in Dubai and everyday driving is a hair rising experience. While the infrastructure is world class in Dubai, the driving is not. Drivers coming up behind your car at 120 KMPH and barely leaving couple of meters of space between both cars, drivers cutting you off again with less than 2 or 3 meters of space at 120 KMPH, impatient flashing of headlights from behind asking you to leave their lane NOW even if there are vehicles in the next lane, stopping the car in the driving lane when there is no parking space and what not. The possibilities of one getting into a fatal accident is much higher in Dubai than I dare say, Chennai. Again I am strictly comparing driving in the city. It is not because Chennai is better, but because one can barely go more than 40 KMPH in Chennai and that too not continuously. I have had quite a number of close calls in Dubai, and I don't drive harshly or faster at all! Especially when someone has driven in US and when they drive in Dubai, the experience is stark!

 

[thevortex]

On the flip side, I will say this for Chennai. Driving here is never a dull business. Its always involving. What if it is sometimes hair-raising. If you want an adrenaline pumping activity, drive a bike or a car on the roads of Chennai!

I am not saying this tongue-in-cheek at all. Having driven in the US, I can confirm that it gets boring after a while. Especially if you go on the freeway a lot, it is extremely dull business - the driving. And I hate books on cd/tape with a vengeance! So, yes, it was doubly boring.

I actually relished driving on Chennai roads after coming back. It sort of got me back alive. But then over time everything balances out. And too much of anything is not very ideal.

If you ask me to summarize - I would love to drive in the US when I am old. I would shudder to drive in Chennai when I am old. When you are young, you can manage either way - with boredom or with excitement and danger. Thats about it from my side.

 

[teky]

Seeing these ratings on the i20 bemuses me! Have any of you guys tried leaning on the bonnet of an i20. The metal goes in with a pop! Now I dont know if that is a reliable test for judging the safety features of the car. But it did nothing to improve my image of the Hyundai car.

The majority of the rating points comes from the Airbags, Traction control which is absent in the Indian versions. So we can't really compare, Afterall most people ask the SP enna mileage?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dinyaar]

On the flip side, I will say this for Chennai. Driving here is never a dull business. Its always involving. What if it is sometimes hair-raising. If you want an adrenaline pumping activity, drive a bike or a car on the roads of Chennai!

I am not saying this tongue-in-cheek at all. Having driven in the US, I can confirm that it gets boring after a while. Especially if you go on the freeway a lot, it is extremely dull business - the driving. And I hate books on cd/tape with a vengeance! So, yes, it was doubly boring.

I actually relished driving on Chennai roads after coming back. It sort of got me back alive. But then over time everything balances out. And too much of anything is not very ideal.

If you ask me to summarize - I would love to drive in the US when I am old. I would shudder to drive in Chennai when I am old. When you are young, you can manage either way - with boredom or with excitement and danger. Thats about it from my side.

I agree Bala that driving in most Indian cities is great test for your peripheral vision/reflexes/state of the heart!!!!! Yest I was in delhi & had hired a private taxi for the day. One 'ram Sevak' was one of the most dangerous drivers I have encountered in a while. The many round abouts and his skills at perfectly shutting out the other drivers would put a Fernanado Alonso to shame!!! Finally at the end of the day (actually late at night) I asked him if there are many accidents in delhi and he replied in the negative. I find this mind boggling as I would expect a few major collisions as a regular occurence.

I too find driving in the US boring BUT driving in Europe to me is fantastic.
Driving in Italy (amalfi,sorrento,pompeii) or in Germany, France is just fantastic. Beautiful roads, relaxed limits and generally a great car to explore.
My best drving experience was in Norway and the atlantic road & the road that connects Vangsness & Vik (hope I get the spellings right).
I mean its better than a 'supercharger' for me. I soak it all in and that keeps me going for the year till I can once again hit EU roads.
Rgds

 

[ajay124]

Chandigarh traffic has deteriorated but is still better than any tier two city.From my house to sector 17 - 9 km -takes 10-15 minutes even during peak hours.
Although I love driving two wheelers I have never had the inclination to learn driving a car(bit of an anomaly in the current car crazy times).My driver has been with us for something like 12 years and personally I hate sitting in the front seats.In fact I don't like automobiles but am forced to use them for longer journeys.Also I have this strong and abiding belief that EVERY car in the world is a miserable ugly creature and together these metallic insects are causing the slow death of all the cities of our planet.Everyone wishes for a utopia.Mine is a world free of cars and the hegemony and politics of crude oil....

 

[vinay]

There are many a times there are some in-direct options available to beat the traffic but people do not want to follow the sense route.

I know of a case who is into exports, he travels daily from home to office, the travel distance to and fro is over 2 hours. In exports one can nearly operate from any area of the city therefore he should sell his office and residence and locate to a another area and have the office and residence at a walkable distance but he will just not do it because of his wrong reasons.

I know of more cases on similar lines, so the point is many of them will have an opportunity to come out of the traffic mess but will just not do it, in many a cases the reasons could be in-directly foolish.

There are a few cases on this thread who are handling the traffic problem in a better way and that is the way to go forward.

V.

 

[suri]

Also I have this strong and abiding belief that EVERY car in the world is a miserable ugly creature Everyone wishes for a utopia.Mine is a world free of hegemony

what about "paul - the octopus"?

but really, that poor thing is imprisoned, and should be in it's natural environment

 

[ajay124]

@suri
'paul the octopus'? Didn't quite get it.Would you care to elaborate.Incidentally my vote goes to you for having the best sense of humour on the forum....

 

[teky]

@suri
'paul the octopus'? Didn't quite get it.Would you care to elaborate.Incidentally my vote goes to you for having the best sense of humour on the forum....

Paul the octopus is the one living in Germany who has been picking good luck for their football team.

 

[ajay124]

Since I completely stopped reading newspapers or watching television about a year back I am currently unaware of a lot of 'important' world affairs.There was a time when I was regularly reading at least one major newpaper from US,UK,France,Germany,Japan,Russia,China,Australia and India.Until I came to the conclusion that the knowledge contained in these great newspapers had a similar intellectual level and relevance to our daily lives as the gossip of a group of spinsters chattering over their knitting.These days I only read the folks who can,not only explain our past and present but also predict the future-Dotoevsky,Tolstoy,Kafka,Flaubert,Camus,Ibsen,Neitzsche,Voltaire,Borges,Nabokov,Pessoa,Baudelaire,Rimbaud,Rilke....

 

[suri]

@suri 'paul the octopus'?

hi ajay124,

more than FIFA (Fdration Internationale de Football Association), it appears that "PAUL THE OCTOPUS" is running the show!- imperiously, i might add!

 

[ajay124]

Checked up on brother Paul.It seems he has predicted a Spanish victory.I am into stock futures and long on Sesa goa(4x500 for tommorow).Would it be possible to consult Paul long distance?

 

[suri]

Checked up on brother Paul.It seems he has predicted a Spanish victory.I am into stock futures and long on Sesa goa(4x500 for tommorow).Would it be possible to consult Paul long distance?

hi ajay124 -

a better bet would be to consult Dinyaar (a member of our forum) - he is a professional!