[honeybee]

Am amazed at how the OP is being proven wrong for saving his life and his car from a near certain collision just because it fouls with the notion of safe driving of a few. Perhaps the OP should have stuck the left and braked, had a head on collision with the mini truck or run into the trees or the unfortunate bikers so he could claim to have followed the safe driving principles. Probably from a hospital bed or a courtroom or from a morgue.

The mini truck has no traffic behind it, the OP must have been aware of the traffic behind himself, which is not visible in the video, none of us were in that situation to make a decision that would have a far reaching impact on the lives of the OP and his fellow passengers and most importantly none of us know if the driver of the mini truck had attended any defensive driving courses, was aware of how his vehicle would behave in a sudden swerve or braking scenario or had a general regard for that six letter word called safety.

Yet, the OP is wrong in having come out unscathed from the incident just because he didn't follow the rulebook.

Will try to remember that the next time I face a choice between saving my life and following the rulebook.

Hindsight is always correct. But then in hindsight, if the drivers in so many head ons had probably thought out of the box, a few more people might have still been around in the world.

Comparison with other industries such as aviation is meaningless because there, one expects the other pilot to have learnt and practised the same sets of procedures to avoid collisions and accidents.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Am amazed at how the OP is being proven wrong for saving his life and his car from a near certain collision just because it fouls with the notion of safe driving of a few. Perhaps the OP should have stuck the left and braked, had a head on collision with the mini truck or run into the trees or the unfortunate bikers so he could claim to have followed the safe driving principles. Probably from a hospital bed or a courtroom or from a morgue.

The mini truck has no traffic behind it, the OP must have been aware of the traffic behind himself, which is not visible in the video, none of us were in that situation to make a decision that would have a far reaching impact on the lives of the OP and his fellow passengers and most importantly none of us know if the driver of the mini truck had attended any defensive driving courses, was aware of how his vehicle would behave in a sudden swerve or braking scenario or had a general regard for that six letter word called safety.

Yet, the OP is wrong in having come out unscathed from the incident just because he didn't follow the rulebook.

Will try to remember that the next time I face a choice between saving my life and following the rulebook.

Nobody is trying to prove OP wrong. We have all congratulated him on his driving skills, reflexes and for being lucky to come out unscathed from a dangerous situation. All people have done is to suggest a safer alternate course of action. How could the OP have known that there was no traffic behind the truck? The truck was blocking his view while in the correct lane and in the split second that the truck drifted in to OP's lane, there was no time to check for traffic and the visibility was still blocked. OP took a chance by swerving in to the opposite lane. It worked out. That is great. However it remains a risky manouveur. The left shoulder was empty. this very video shows that the truck would have corrected its mistake and gone back to its correct lane. While trying to save one crash, another collision almost occured in addition to the risk of hitting other oncoming traffic. There is no issue with the motorcycles. They were travelling far ahead and if OP had braked, they would have pulled further ahead.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

... All people have done is to suggest a safer alternate course of action. How could the OP have known that there was no traffic behind the truck? The truck was blocking his view while in the correct lane and in the split second that the truck drifted in to OP's lane, there was no time to check for traffic and the visibility was still blocked. OP took a chance by swerving in to the opposite lane...

I see people clearly stating the OP should have kept to the left and calling his move wrong. Why, you have stated as much above.

I am astounded at the armchair experts who could see behind the mini truck and also see behind the OP and have a better vision of the road than the OP himself who was physically there. Perhaps the brief dashcam footage reveals more than the driver who went through it firsthand.

Just to put this on record, there's no vehicle following the mini truck and a driver could have seen it from far. It's a straight road and not a blind curve.

So let's stop bashing the OP's decision based on hypothesis, theories and armchair analysis of a video clip and give him credit for applying his mind to come out safe.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

How could the OP have known that there was no traffic behind the truck? The truck was blocking his view while in the correct lane and in the split second that the truck drifted in to OP's lane, there was no time to check for traffic and the visibility was still blocked.

How are you so sure about what I saw?

And am amazed at how people think I was stupid enough to take a chance wothout knowing what was coming in the oncoming lane. If I were that stupid I might as well take a chance with the damn minitruck!

If in doubt, feel free to ask, do not assume what I saw and what I didnt.

And then we have members commenting that it is ok to take the right lane for overtaking, but it is not okay to take the same right lane for an emergency panic situation, though it is empty, followed with 10 urls from Google.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Deleted some comments. I think I was talking rubbish! but it led to this...

... But so far, the assumptions about the truck driver have been pretty-much accepted. We know about DRIV3R; he and the video are here to tell us. We actually know nothing for sure about the truck driver, and probably never will.

Which might have some validity.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by honeybee

So let's stop bashing the OP's decision based on hypothesis, theories and armchair analysis of a video clip and give him credit for applying his mind to come out safe.

Yes I think this is a good idea. Clearly OP is not in the mood to listen, let alone acknowledge that he may have been wrong and learn from his experience. Hopefully there are those who can distinguish the nuances of a smart move from one that is legally and practically the correct thing to do.

For those reading this thread and sitting on the fence: if you are in a similar situation for God’s sake, slow down and head as far left as you safely can. That is the only correct course of action in this situation. It’s laughable that people are being accused of being “armchair experts” for pointing out what any first world teenager with a license will recognise as a basic principle of defensive driving.

I would have had much more respect for OP if he at least acknowledged that he could have handled the undoubtedly difficult situation differently. But since he insists on digging his heels in and insisting he was correct, nothing much to do here.

[Vysakh]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

The left shoulder was empty. this very video shows that the truck would have corrected its mistake and gone back to its correct lane.

How could OP possibly have known this? It was going rogue already. There's an equal chance that it could've kept drifting, or did a minor correction and stayed in the middle or did a full correction and went back to the lane.
Maybe if there was a time machine, OP would go back and kept to the left shoulder

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by noopster

For those reading this thread and sitting on the fence: if you are in a similar situation for God’s sake, slow down and head as far left as you safely can. That is the only correct course of action in this situation. It’s laughable that people are being accused of being “armchair experts” for pointing out what any first world teenager with a license will recognise as a basic principle of defensive driving.

Any first world teenager with a driving license will know this? Wow, quite a tall claim.

This thread can be closed so we can at least stop reading absurd generalisations and claims.

[AMG Power]

Originally Posted by noopster

.. if you are in a similar situation for God’s sake, slow down and head as far left as you safely can. That is the only correct course of action in this situation.

Thank you noopster for stating my exact viewpoint. Just repeating it for good effect.

That is the ONLY CORRECT COURSE OF ACTION in this situation.

[Thad E Ginathom]

first world teenagers and what they know.

(I used to be one.)

Sorry. Couldn't resist. But really, sometimes the rest of the world gets much more credit than it deserves!


.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Any first world teenager with a driving license will know this? Wow, quite a tall claim.

It’s part of the theory course you take to become eligible for a driving license. Not a concept that too many Indians are familiar with, apparently, going by this thread.

This thread can be closed so we can at least stop reading absurd generalisations and claims.

I find it absurd that anyone can justify driving on the wrong side under any circumstance, especially when there is video evidence that the left shoulder was available for pulling into. In fact I was quite neutral when OP started his thread, and shared the general admiration for his quick reflexes that most here have expressed. I am still maintaining that it was a smart thing to do.

Just not correct. I hope you get the difference.

[Thad E Ginathom]

My dad's poetic lesson to me as a young pedestrian...

He was right, dead right,
As he toddled along.
But he's just as dead
As if he'd been wrong.

[kiku007]

Is Australia part of the first world? Let's not drag foreign countries into this debate.

Originally Posted by kiku007

I have an Indian and Australian license. The question you posted wasn't part of my training material or license test in Australia. Please don't give the impression to others that every driver in Australia or The USA would have learned what you quoted.

[/i]

Originally Posted by noopster

It’s part of the theory course you take to become eligible for a driving license. Not a concept that too many Indians are familiar with, apparently, going by this thread.


I find it absurd that anyone can justify driving on the wrong side under any circumstance, especially when there is video evidence that the left shoulder was available for pulling into. In fact I was quite neutral when OP started his thread, and shared the general admiration for his quick reflexes that most here have expressed. I am still maintaining that it was a smart thing to do.

Just not correct. I hope you get the difference.

If it ain't correct; then how is it smart? Come on Noopster.

It's a simple post/video on how someone survived a crash. It's not an educational tutorial. Why is so much time being spent dissecting it?

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

How are you so damn sure about what I saw?

If in doubt, feel free to ask, do not assume what I saw and what I didnt.

This is my last direct response to you on this matter as you obviously have made up your mind to defend your position at all cost. However I will make this final point. Instead of trying to argue on technicalities, at least keep an open mind and review the suggestions provided to you based on the law and internationally accepted best practices that were developed after decades and decades of crash analysis. Just answer this one question: is there anything that could be learned from carefully reviewing the video and hearing suggestions from other learned members or you are convinced that your instant reflex action was simply perfection itself? Anyone watching this video can learn that the rule to keep left and never go on to wrong side yourself as the erring driver is likely to correct his /her mistake is a valid rule. That is exactly what happened in your own video. If I had to pick a video for driver education to underscore this very point, your video is a perfect example.

Originally Posted by honeybee

I see people clearly stating the OP should have kept to the left and calling his move wrong. Why, you have stated as much above.

I am astounded at the armchair experts who could see behind the mini truck and also see behind the OP and have a better vision of the road than the OP himself who was physically there. Perhaps the brief dashcam footage reveals more than the driver who went through it firsthand.

Just to put this on record, there's no vehicle following the mini truck and a driver could have seen it from far. It's a straight road and not a blind curve.

How could the OP have seen what was behind a large truck? There could have been another vehicle not visible behind it. Regardless, there is an internationally accepted rule and best driving practice that states what I am trying to argue here. If I had to prove my point, I would use this very video as an excellent example.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Is Australia part of the first world? Let's not drag foreign countries into this debate.

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