I think these bus drivers only see 2 options – either run others off the road or run over them!
BHPian GKR9900 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Another day in Kerala, yet another news of an accident involving a KSRTC bus!
Anyone who has travelled by road in Kerala would’ve had at least one horror story associated with the state-owned transport subsidiary. I also had an altercation a few years back, which resulted in the enraged KSRTC driver deliberately rear-ending my vehicle. The details of that incident have been shared in this thread.
Even worse, some unlucky souls had to pay with their dear lives, just because the person behind the wheel of the KSRTC was a complete psycho, as seen in this thread.
Every time an incident happens, there is a hue and cry, media discussions, official statements, public outrage and a few weeks later, things are back to their sad, original state. The only reasonable action that has been taken in one such incident has been the suspension of the driver involved in the Kuzhalmannam incident as mentioned above. This was only possible because of the dashcam footage that was made available by a fellow team-bhpian.
Many incidents get brushed under the carpet because of a lack of proper evidence. The drivers that cause such incidents are backed by strong unions and political parties, thus avoiding any strict legal action against themselves. Time and again, various proposals were made to improve the driving etiquette of KSRTC drivers, but to no avail. The most recent one is a redressal mechanism that employs onlookers to send the video to a WhatsApp number. But this doesn’t make them KSRTC drivers shy away from displaying their shenanigans on public roads as shown in this video.
It was caught on my dashcam while I was driving home from work. The KSRTC bus pushed me off the road at a busy intersection at a place called Kalady. I was initially enraged, but my previous incident with these guys reminded me to stay calm.
I decided to proceed behind the driver to see what he is up to. And I don’t know what else to call the driver, other than a maniac. From terrorising other motorists to yield way to him, to swerving to the extreme right of the opposite lane for no particular reason, to reckless acceleration and driving on the wrong side of the road even on bridges, traffic junctions, school zones and whatnot. All this while proudly flaunting a sticker at the back that says ‘Am I driving dangerously? Whatsapp 9188619380’.
The way I see it, they only see 2 options: Either run others off the road or run over them! And I surely didn’t want to be part of that equation. I thanked myself for maintaining my composure and not trying to foolishly intimidate this guy in the beginning.A day or two passed, and there’s this news flash of 2 college kids losing their lives to a KSRTC bus driver. I googled ‘KSRTC accidents’ under the news section for the last week, and was appalled at the number of cases that cropped up. I agree, not all might be due to the fault of the bus driver. But there is a significant part of such incidents which are directly or indirectly attributed to their actions.
To be frank, many of these are not accidents, they are homicides. If you think that reckless driving of a pre-historic heavy vehicle, with poor design, wayward dynamics and questionable maintenance doesn’t bear any real-life consequences, you are not fit to be a driver! Period! Hence, putting this thread here for some peace of mind and public awareness. This madness has to stop, somehow!
Here’s what BHPian kosjam had to say about the matter:
A couple of years ago, we (2 bikers on 2 bikes) had a similar experience with the Mangalore – Goa KSRTC interstate bus on the NH-66. My friend was riding slowly because the traffic was heavy and the roads at that time were not completely 4-lane.
The bus driver brought the bus so close to my friend’s bike from the rear that had my friend not increased his speed, he would have been crushed under the bus. We immediately stopped and tried to tell this to the traffic police constable at the next signal less than 1 km from that point, but instead of listening to our complaint, he took our keys and started asking for our papers. The bus meanwhile cleared the signal after stopping at the signal for a good 2 minutes.
Eventually, we were let go, as all our papers were proper, but the bus had gone by then, and the police didn’t even entertain our complaint, saying that the bus was long gone by now, and nothing can be done because any complaint would require us to be present and we are out of towners, so its effectively useless.
Here’s what BHPian giri1.8 had to say about the matter:
Such behaviour is why people are okay with privatisation even though we end up paying a bit more.
Here’s what BHPian one-77 had to say about the matter:
Fact is that private bus drives in Kerala aren’t any better. Especially the pink-coloured ones which do longer routes and have lesser stops.
Along with such aggressive driving as seen in the OP, they also blow your brains out with their terrible horns if you don’t yield, and blind you with their 90/100 bulbs in a perpetual high beam in the night.
Many of these guys also abuse marijuana and stimulants like MDMA which are known by various pet names in Kerala and apparently quite freely available. They also carry weapons on them, and hardly a week goes by before someone on the road is attacked in road rage incidents.
Sadly this is the reality of a state where general driving etiquette is on a downward spiral, and the law and order situation is worsening by the day.
Here’s what BHPian jkrishnakj had to say about the matter:
For all the drama that the Kerala motor vehicles police do, I wonder what stops them from reigning in these buses and getting the KeSRTC drivers in order.
I was at Kaladi in December and in this exact stretch is where I got bullied by one such bus. I’m searching for the dash video and will upload it if I find it.
Keyword: 10 acts of dangerous driving of a KSRTC bus driver caught on a dashcam