Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Why's it got to be like this ?! (the driving version)

I hate driving in India. I thought I'd put that up front. I hate it more than hemorrhoids, I hate it more than Rush Limbaugh and I hate it more than George bush.

Three classes of drivers come to mind when I talk about this subject:
  • Auto Rickshaw drivers: These mofos are the worst. They drive like the road is all theirs; turning without warning, driving in the fast lane at 30 KM/h, cutting people off like nobody's business, and generally being dangerous. I think the one quality I hate the most about their driving is the fact that at red lights, or anywhere else where traffic might have slowed down, they will try to wriggle their rickety vehicles through the narrow gaps that exist - inevitably scratching or bumping into some other vehicle and then acting like the reincarnation of buddha - like it ain't no fault of theirs. And while we're on the subject, let me also add that these assholes are a pain in the ass to get a ride from. Most of them are theiving fucks who will regularly charge you well over the meter price to go from point A to B. I don't have the energy to list out the troubles, so go read this if you're interested - but suffice it to say that they are an overall bane to this society, not a boon.
  • Taxi drivers: These are the second most hated class of drivers. They too act like the road is their daddy's - stick their hand out and everyone coming in the other direction must stop, cut people off like it don't matter what happens to the guy behind them, stop at places where they really shouldn't be - slowing down (and maybe even stopping) traffic for miles behind them, stand half way into a right (or left) turn waiting for some benevolent asshole to give them the way - or steal it from a not-so-good-in-indian-terms driver. The list goes on, but you get the point.
  • Two-wheeler drivers: They are the 3'rd most hated - specifically 'cause they have nimble vehicles. Now this hate might be due to the fact that I am not used to driving with 2 wheel vehicles on the road (in my defense, you hardly see any of those on Texas roads) but hate them, I do. The fact that they constantly try to wriggle through a block of drivers, the fact that they will go onto pavements instead of waiting for the traffic to clear up, the fact that they will not leave an inch of space between themselves and me (etc. etc.) all frustrate me.
I can probably come up with many more examples, but I don't have the patience, nor the nerves for it. Just thinking about all this crap is making my head hurt. All you need to know is this - I think 10 times before taking out my car.

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