"Felt Helpless": Bengaluru Man After Auto Driver Scrolls Instagram Mid-Ride, Stalks Actress' Profile

A routine ride turned into a helpless and risky experience for a man in Bengaluru after his auto driver started scrolling Instagram during the journey -- even slowing the vehicle to stalk an actress' profile. Taking to Reddit, the user wondered if these cab drivers could keep their phones down while driving, as it posed a risk to the passenger as well as commuters on the road.

"I had booked an auto through Uber because I needed to reach my office in 20 minutes for an important call. The office is usually just a 10-minute ride from my place, so I figured I'd make it comfortably on time," the user wrote on the r/Bangalore subreddit.

As soon as the OP got into the auto, the driver looked at the map on his phone before minimising it. Instead of focusing on the commute, the driver opened Instagram and started scrolling while driving with one hand.

"What made it worse was that he came across a post by Sreeleela(Actor), and instead of just moving on, he actually slowed down the auto right in the middle of the main road to open her profile and scroll through her feed," the OP wrote.

The user who was in a hurry to reach the office said he was furious but "felt completely helpless" at the situation.

"The ride had just begun, and I could already feel the minutes slipping away."

See the post here:

Can't They Keep Their Phones Down While Driving?
byu/krapher13 inbangalore

Also Read | "Time To Leave": Frustrated By Bengaluru's Traffic, Man Decides To Move To...

'Just reckless'

As the post went viral, social media users echoed the sentiments shared by the OP, adding that auto drivers were indeed more focused on scrolling their phones instead of driving.

"That sounds so frustrating! Slowing down in the middle of the road to check out a celebrity's profile is just reckless," said one user, while another added: "Man, I've seen many auto walas just slow down and pull over suddenly to the road side, without any indicator, and I notice they're always looking at their phone."

A third commented: "At this point, I have stopped asking question or show animated expressions to this clan that has made their cell phone more important an organ than their brains combined."

A fourth said: "If this is what's needed to reduce auto anna's rash driving, I have no complaints."

India's IT capital has long been infamous for its chronic traffic congestion. Residents are seen complaining about the long traffic jams, narrow streets and inadequate public transport. To combat the problem, Prashant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip, has come up with an initiative where he is pledging Rs 1 crore to identify and fix the Garden City's choke points using artificial intelligence (AI) and Google Maps data.