The size of your Ego increases multiple times with the Size of your vehicle, stickers, slogans.. etc
BHPian supermax recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I recently read a thread here about how highway hypnosis is being suspected to be a major cause of accidents and fatalities on Indian highways, but I think we need to consider a much more commonly found and dangerous enemy as a big contributor to road accidents and fatalities: Ego.
When trying to piece together the whys and wherefores in the event of an accident, we often come across statements which give us a clue; “A Maruti Alto dared to overtake me! How could I take that insult and let it go, when I’m driving a Tata Harrier? I had to show him his place!” and so on. In Sweden, a mandatory component of the process to obtain a driver’s license is participation in a 3 hour long training session which specifically focuses on the dangers of alcohol and drug use, driving while tired or sick, and the dangers of giving in to ego, peer pressure and other social mores. It is specifically pointed out that it’s silly to compete with others on the road, and several examples where such behavior have led to poor outcomes are discussed to help drill home the point. Does this training work all the time? Definitely not, but it makes it possible to recognize the signs that we are letting ego get the better of us, giving us an opportunity to overcome it, instead of simply giving into it.
An Indian expat who’s lived here for a while was narrating how he lost his Swedish DL. He’d been driving slightly above the speed limit, when a Volvo shot past him, at least 40 km/h over the limit. “How dare he! Let me show him that I too can drive fast!” vowed our friend, and accelerated to over 165 km/h on a 110 km/h road, only to see the otherwise unmarked Volvo light up with red and blue lights from the inside! They were the police, in an unmarked vehicle, and our friend got a fine of around 8000 SEK (~60k INR), got his DL impounded, and sentenced to serve a 2 year ban, before he would be allowed to take the driving test afresh in order to get his DL back, a process that includes repeating the 3 hour lecture about ego clouding ones judgment!
When I drive on the motorways here in Sweden, and merge behind a car that is doing the speed limit, I just slot in behind it, ensure a safe separation, and turn on the cruise control. If the car ahead is fractionally below the limit, I turn the CC down a couple of clicks to continue to maintain the same separation. The only time I overtake a car doing a similar speed is if it is being driven erratically, if it is drifting between lanes etc. Similarly, cars behind me are happy to slot behind me as long as I’m driving safely and predictably. If I’m going over the limit, I’ll have to do many overtakes, or if I’m driving much below the limit, I force a lot of people to overtake me, but when I drive at or very close to the limit, there’s no display of ego like I’ve seen on Indian roads.
The lecture on risky behavior on roads is part of Sweden’s Zero Vision (aim to achieve 0 fatalities on the road from the current 300 odd fatalities each year), and it seems to have along with the other measures, helped to bring down the fatality count steadily over the years. A course like that if made mandatory in India, to secure the learner’s license, or as a prerequisite to take the driving test might ensure that at least a few more individuals drive sensibly, and leave ego out of the equation while driving on the road. Till then, we’ll continue to see cases under the accidents thread here that are attributable to ego overriding common sense.
Here’s what BHPian chandrda had to say on the matter:
The process of Obtaining license is a joke in India and are also the driving schools.
The size of your Ego increases multiple times with the Size of your vehicle, stickers, slogans.. etc
I would be interesting if India also includes a class on Ego management while driving. I can assure you that people have too much ego to even attend Ego Management course.
Here’s what BHPian antz.bin had to say on the matter:
Different speed limits for different class of vehicles ensures that there is no *Peaceful Drive* in India. More than Ego, driving on Indian highways is like playing a racing game on a brick console.
Picture this, you are driving on a road with a 100kmph speed limit. Your speedo shows 100kph but in reality on GPS the car is doing just about 92ish. So you speed up to 110ish to stay at the actual speed limit.
It is a 6 lane highway (like the Jaipur-Delhi NH48, Erstwhile NH8). HCVs, speed-governed by law, are driving along at 70-80 (on speedo, 7-10% less in reality) in all 3 lanes based on their whims and fancies. They stay away from the left lane since commuter 100cc bikes ride on that lane at speeds that are even slower. The only thing a car going roughly 50% faster than this heavy vehicle traffic can do to maintain its speed (within speed limit) is to change lanes every 10 seconds and keep up the stressful game of constant overtaking. The only other option is to slow down and take much more time to do the same distance.
You can’t possibly replicate the Cruise Control scenario that the OP mentioned in the opening post unless you are on one of the very few *newer* access controlled expressways (like the Trans Haryana, Yamuna or Samruddhi) which charge exorbitant tolls for 80+ speed limits which makes sure that most CVs stay away.
I drive very close to the speed limit on any road that I am on but Modern best selling cars nowadays are sometimes more powerful than my own and I realize that so I tend to give way if anyone wants to overtake. My car happens to be at the top of the pile when it comes to power output when it comes to comparing in the same segment so an Alto will rarely be the one to overtake while going much faster than me, especially on plain roads. If it does, I assume that the person is in a colossal hurry and let it pass.
It is a different matter on the Himalayan roads where these small cars have a big advantage and I know better than to overplay my hand on those unpredictable curves.
Here’s what BHPian kadanaJ had to say on the matter:
What triggers my ego is people who break rules getting ahead of me.
Think those who cut in from the left for a right turn, blocking off those who were following rules by being in the correct lane.
If I’m in the front of the correct lane, I happily let me ego get a hold of me. On the green signal, I accelerate and adjust my turning line so that those vehicles following rules and lane discipline can turn right peacefully, those coming from the wrong left lane end up in rather hairy situations sometimes thanks to me.
Is it ego-driven, yes. I like punishing those who break rules and lack civic sense. Could it be a cause of accidents, possibly?
I will probably never be the type of person to let some get ahead of me by breaking rules, whether it’s line-cutting at airport security, or lane-cutting on the streets. This is where my ego comes in. Can’t say I’m ashamed of it either.
Whether what I’m doing is right or wrong, other members can decide.
Here’s what BHPian MC@1986 had to say on the matter:
Thank you Supermax for bringing this much important topic to the forum. Over all Ego is driving the Indian roads in a big way.. This is much more evident on the highways where is fatality rate is very high.
Apart from the Ego factor, we should not be forgetting the Competitive mindset in the India community which at-least the current gen (including most of us) of the drivers/road users were taught since the childhood. We should be quick to grab the opportunities (Be it admissions, jobs etc..). The same competition is being demonstrated on the roads.
Third reason which I observed with my 15 years driving on Bangalore roads is the urge to get to other lanes if we see a small gap (including two wheelers and Auto Rickshaw). This puts the pressure on the driver to drive with out sufficient gap from the previous vehicle; if there is gap it will be immediately taken by vehicles from other lanes which could lead to a crash incase the previous vehicle brakes.
My commute to work had increased from 10Km per day to 40 Km since the past six months with mix of highway and city roads. This had definitely increased my anxiety in driving to avoid any my scratches/crash. Maintaining the vehicle with out an dents/scratches in Bangalore traffic is an achievement
Keyword: How ego is a severe contributor to road accidents in India