Dealing with arrogant and rude auto drivers can be a difficult and aggravating experience. It is rare to avoid an argument with an auto driver in Bengaluru, whether it is over fares or getting into an incident with them in between roads. You will be the target of ruthless aggression and abuse.
Arrogant and rude drivers
The increasing number of aggressive and abusive auto drivers in Bengaluru is becoming a worrying reality for many residents. People traveling by car with family frequently face the problem of auto drivers getting out of their vehicles and abusing them.
A video posted by a Twitter user named Thirdeye shows slow traffic with a car and an auto moving on the same road. The car approaches the auto, and the auto driver gets out and begins abusing the car owner. He claims there is a scratch on his car and moves on to scratch the mirror.
THREAD ? – Road Rage between car driver and auto driver caught on dashcam #RoadRage #RoadSafety
Video credits – IdiotsOfBangalore
1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/O8WtMdR2f1
— ThirdEye (@3rdEyeDude) May 23, 2023
“The car driver in this video says he visited the police station to lodge an FIR. However, the police personnel insisted on not filing the FIR and instead trying to compromise. The car driver has lost hope and returned without lodging the FIR,” read the tweet.
Cases on a daily basis
This is not a one-off occurrence; several residents claim to face aggressive drivers on a daily basis.
“This has been happening for a week. I travel from Koramangala to Frazer Town every day, and I have to take an auto. Just this week the auto drivers were speeding on almost four instances. Even when you try to tell them to slow down, they don’t listen. Yesterday, while coming back home late at night, it was raining, so I told the auto driver to drive slowly, but he refused. Instead, he was driving so recklessly that the auto was about to hit a divider,” said Swati, a commuter.
“I told the auto driver to drive slowly, but he refused. Instead, he started driving more recklessly in the rain,” said Swati.
Another citizen said, “I have come across videos of auto drivers getting into fights with bike taxi drivers. Personally, I have not had arguments with auto drivers. However, I feel many of them have no regard for traffic rules. They seem to be totally unaware of aspects such as lane discipline. People also fear confrontation with them as they have their groups to back them up. Action should be taken against any violators irrespective of the type of vehicle. Awareness initiatives for groups such as auto drivers, bus drivers, and commercial vehicle drivers must be undertaken.”
However, not all auto drivers are aggressive or rude; there are those who are simple and kind enough to keep the passengers comfortable. At times, these drivers will go above and beyond to assist passengers with their problems. Good people exist too!!
