[Sounak]

Well myself not an expert but my 2 cents on certain observations made over the last 3 years of driving in Delhi NCR region. Would also like to state, that I am a biker by heart, have driven 2 wheelers in city traffic at Bangalore and Mumbai for 7-8 years, but never had the guts shown by today's bikers :

1. Paying respect to bigger vehicles is an insult. Bigger vehicles are considered Buffaloes who squats on the road and create obstructions

2. Cutting from left and right comes as birth right. Sometime it feels that they are suicide bombers - will either blow themselves by crashing at me or will blow me with negligent driving case registered against me

3. Driving on the wrong side of the road (Mahamaya Flyover in Noida during evening is case study material). People driving on the right side feel as if they are driving on the wrong side of the road

4. Even the smallest gap between two vehicles is an opportunity to overtake or squeeze through

5. No respect for turn blinkers. After giving turn indication, you need to watch and re-check to be double sure that no one is going to ram while the turn is executed (this is applicable for cars also, especially cabs)

6. Driving triple/quad-triple under influence of alcohol

7. Not willing to accept or learn from mistakes. It hurts their egos

8. Lack of patience and getting irritated quickly during long waits in traffic signals

9. Always they are in a rush and overtaking from left is the norm

10. Lane discipline does not exist

11. Tendency to drive through the middle of the road and not willing to give pass

12. Urge to cross the signal even after it becomes Red

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by mustang 99

12. Head and face was the most vulnerable area followed by limbs.

It reinforces the facts already known, need for good quality helmet

True that.
When my wife was window shopping for a scooter for commute, I told her she could pick whatever she likes but the helmet will be my choice--full face, no exceptions.

I've been in an accident on my Pulsar 180 at 110 Kmph and I can vouch that my Full Face helmet also saved my knees from scraping. Sounds strange, I know, but the rubber around the helmet's jaw-line created a grip with the divider and held me back, while the bike kept sliding for another 25-30 mtrs.

So I said, it doesn't matter if the helmet messes with your freshly done hair rebonding, you ain't walking away from a full-face.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by mustang 99

10. Nearly 68 % victims were transported to the hospital by PCR vans , about 29 % by private vehicles and only about 2 % by ambulance.

This is the saddest statistic in that me feels. Just 2% by ambulance. We have a long way to go. We seem to value so many other things in life. Hell, a guy can afford to purchase a bike that costs 2L but he is not ready to plonk down 5k for a good helmet.

[mustang 99]

It is ironical but true that ambulance service is sparse even in NCR region. Most of times it is the police PCR vans which transport the trauma victims to the hospital. In case you witness an accident and find people injured, do you know which number to call? Probably 100.

[mustang 99]

“ Attitudes about risk in motorcycling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_safety[/quote]

The reason I brought up this attitude about risk in motorcycling is that the thread has been constantly discussing attitude of bikers from the commuter segment i.e 100 - 200 CC displacement capacity bikes. A lot of commuter segment bike owners use it as a sole mode of transport, travelling to and fro from work etc. Their sheer numbers have increased to a level where they are everywhere, with light maneuverable bikes they cut across lanes jump barriers, jump traffic lights. These are more of ignorant type of bikers, totally unaware of traffic rules and simply unable to comprehend that their actions may have serious and possibly fatal outcome. A lot of people specially on a forum like Team BHP do not have pleasant experiences with them.
A lot of us have ridden bikes during our college days and slowly graduated to cars, with infrequent use of motorcycle if any. But there is also a segment of life style bikers with bikes with large displacement > 500 cc perhaps. These bikes costing more than an average car on road, having all types of safety features riders wearing all sorts of personal protection clothing yet risk of riding is not totally eliminated.
I would really like people who own large displacement bikes to comment on how they look at safety issues and enlighten us about how super bike clubs approach safety issues.

[Urban_Nomad]

Motorcycle riding is dangerous when compared to driving cars as there is no cage protecting you from an untoward incident. This is common knowledge and by that implication, known to most. But what do people ..... at least Indian people do with this knowledge? They make the situation a lot worse and much more dangerous for any motorcycle rider.

I commute 100 kms (round trip) almost on a daily basis and I am well aware of the horrors that exist on the roads. I am not racing or trying to set a lap record, but just trying to get home safe.

Oftentimes bikers are accused of being rash, mindless and insensitive beings on the road with little to no regard for fellow commuters. But what about those countless car & heavy vehicle drivers who do not bat an eyelid before putting anyone on 2 wheels in grave danger?

Going back to my earlier point of the dangers of motorcycling being common knowledge, do you think it is possible Mr Schumacher Kumar that you utlize this knowledge and:

- Do not drink & drive and brag about it with your friends about what an awesome car-o-bar you had with your buddies last night
- Please get off your mobile phone and pay attention towards me and many others on the road. For crying out loud, DO NOT TEXT
- Maybe finish that coffee at home? I know you have cupholders but.... pretty please
- Do not tailgate
- Use your mirrors for more than checking yourself out
- Dont slam onto your brakes because you were speeding and thought you saw a cop hiding in the bushes ahead, without as much as looking behind. While we are at it, maybe dont drive at break-neck speeds
- Understand that most motorcycles in India are much slower that most cars. They will not be able to accelerate faster than you. Be patient, its not worth it to run someone over
- Understand that motorcycles can move better in traffic and will be filtering. Dont block their path out of spite. Be courteous
- Just because bikes are way skinnier than 4 wheels, does not mean they require no space whatsoever. Give some space please. Goes double when you cross the solid line and veer into the opposite lane where a poor biker might feel like the proverbial Deer in headlights

For my bikers & bikerni buddies, I ll keep it simple:

- Wear your gear (Duh). At minimum, a good quality full face helmet secured properly via the strap provided
- Dress your pillion as well as yourself. Being in the back seat of a car may be safer than the front but no such thing on the bike. Please value the life of the person you carry behind you. They are totally dependant on you for their safety. Let sleeping Rossi lie and give them a pleasent, non hear attack inducing ride. If its your wife of your girlfriend or boyfriend behind you, they will love you and thank you for a wonderful time
- We ride motorcycles because it brings us immense joy, something a lot of folks would never understand. Instead, they will brand every single biker out there as a law breaking poser and will even try to intimidate you on the road. They are not worth your time. Maintain your distance and find some pity in your heart that uncleji leads a very uninteresting life and needs to get fish fry back home before it gets cold. He would have eaten it in the car had bhabhiji not instructed uncleji to not do it again as he did not leave any for Bunty and Pinky the last time he decided to "just get a little taste". I mean, that big fat belly wont fill itself
- Stay away from cabbies, especially the call center ones. They are the WORST kind of losers
- Check your mirrors every few (5 - 10) seconds, especially whilst braking
- At traffic signals, keep an eye out for traffic behind you and be ready to take off if you see trouble coming your way & refusing to stop. Also, do not engage in red light Gran Prix and NEVER be the 1st one off the line
- Overall, just ride safe and do not take silly risks (Double Duh!!!)

Stay safe peeps. Take care!

[highsteem]

Originally Posted by mustang 99

7. Nearly 40 % deaths were due to collision with other vehicles from behind followed by fall due to loss of balance.

8. Majority of times the offending vehicles was heavy vehicle followed by medium weight vehicle.

11. Ring road and other interstate highways were most prone for fatal motorcycle accidents.

Thank you for this post. I am quoting few points only because I have similar observations. I drive both car and bike.

And it would be interesting to know in the above 7, 8 and 11 cases was there any junction, cross-road or intersection close by.
My observation is that the guys entering the main road from side roads are not careful enough. Similarly the guys entering the intersection need to pay extra attention. Otherwise for sure accidents happen.

Another observation of mine is ...
As a car driver I am extra careful because if a small mistake from my side may turnout to be fatal for others on the road. However of the 50% of the time I am in the driver seat, I feel that the bikers and pedestrians don't even worry that they would be hit!! Onus is on me to be careful not to hit them!! How's that and why is that? This is really a strange mentality.

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by mustang 99

“But there is also a segment of life style bikers with bikes with large displacement > 500 cc perhaps. These bikes costing more than an average car on road, having all types of safety features riders wearing all sorts of personal protection clothing yet risk of riding is not totally eliminated.
I would really like people who own large displacement bikes to comment on how they look at safety issues and enlighten us about how super bike clubs approach safety issues.

'With great power comes great responsibility.'
I'm also interested in knowing how lifestyle bikers take safety and how are their road manners different in comparison to the commuter segment in general?

I'd also like to know how BHPians who happen to have car(s) as well as bike(s) ride when on two wheels.
Did graduating from two wheels to four wheels bring about any change in your usual riding style? Getting behind the wheel made me realize that the safe return of a lot of bikers depends on my decision to take a defensive driving approach.

I would love to see the careless bikers make their safety their responsibility and not leave their lives at the mercy of the following vehicle's brake pedals.

[highsteem]

Originally Posted by MaheshY1

I would love to see the careless bikers make their safety their responsibility and not leave their lives at the mercy of the following vehicle's brake pedals.

I wish they show this video in all the schools. Says a lot about how not to approach an intersection!!
http://overdrive.in/opinions/death-wish/

[CapnCook]

Originally Posted by Renjith Rajan

Hmm...Statistics

so 54% died even though they were wearing helmets. This is kinda surprising and doesn't favor the helmet wearing folks. Are you sure about this number?

Common head injuries are usually caused as a result of linear acceleration of the skull by impact with another object. Helmets may benefit here by reducing and spreading this force. The type, direction, intensity, and duration of forces all contribute to the characteristics and severity of TBI (traumatic brain injury). The impact force sends shock waves through the skull and brain, resulting in tissue damage. Shock waves caused by penetrating injuries can also destroy tissue along the path of a projectile (any sharp object), compounding the damage caused by the missile (sharp object) itself. So helmets are useful to prevent such injuries but only to a particular extent.

There is one more category of head injuries called diffuse axonal injury. DAI is the result of traumatic shearing forces that occur when the head is rapidly accelerated or decelerated, as may occur in auto accidents, falls, and assaults. It usually results from rotational forces or severe deceleration. 90 % of people who get DAI never recover from coma. Bike helmets ARE NOT DESIGNED to prevent such injuries. According to some studies (only studies), wearing a tight chin strap can also aggravate head injuries if the helmet gets stuck and thus causing high rotational forces. So helmets with hard and smooth outer shell should be preferred as they can easily slide over the surface again provided the conditions are ideal e.g level asphalt road.

Now coming to the legal speed limits in our country which is set to 80kmph. Imagine if you are driving at 110 kmph and crash into a concrete wall and your car comes to a rest in 0.05 seconds then the peak g-forces could be of the order 100g's. While it would have peaked under 60g's if you were travelling at 80kmph. ( g force is a measurement of acceleration felt as weight. Weight = mass X g-force acceleration). Hence you will find your body 100 times heavier if subjected to acceleration of 100g's ,much more than it is capable to handling. Such high acceleration can burst blood vessels and sometimes rip the two lopes of brain apart causing you to enter coma.
Note : The above calculations are after taking a lot of assumptions & simplifications. Please don't take them for actual.