[Vik0728]

Yet another "Young" life claimed on the KIA (Bangalore) road.

Link

Excerpt

"Suvin, who was seated on the bucket seat in the front without wearing a seat belt, suffered the most in the accident and was killed on the spot. The the entire front portion of the car was crushed into the bucket seat. He had suffered major head and abdomen crush injuries."

Clearly, lack of seat belt seems to be the cause for the only casualty here, as the others have escaped with injuries. With such an impact, it is quite easy to assume that seat belt could have saved this chap, but IMO there would have certainly been a remote possibility.

Ofcourse, the deadly mix of youth and powerful engine cannot be completely ignored

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by swift_guy

That is sad to see. I hope that no one was injured.

One advice I would give is to use the brake pedal everytime you slow down or turn or stop

Thanks.

Originally Posted by hserus

Was the Bolero tailgating your wife?

He did, in a way. Eventually ramming her car from behind.

Originally Posted by honeybee

Just out of curiosity did you point out the bull bar on the Bolero to the police?

I did point it out to the police, indicating that this is what had caused some of the damage. They didn't say or do anything about it though.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Simple solution to all this is just to be more aware of your surroundings . Looking into the IRVM and ORVMS every now and then should be enough to asses what kind braking is needed.

True. There are however times when you may be aware, but there is little or nothing one can do about it. This is one such instance, and I am quite direct in my feedback to my wife when she makes a mistake (intentional or otherwise) while driving.

Originally Posted by jpcoolguy

Sad to see the damage done to the car, but happy that you folks are safe.

Thanks all for the wishes.

My wife had a bit of whiplash related pain and disorientation, but is fine now.

The Bolero was coming from a straight road, while my wife had taken a right turn about 200mts before the site of the accident. This was at just after 5 in the morning, so it was still dark and the lights were on. I asked my wife, and she said that she had applied the brakes (she is a much safer driver than I am), so the tail lights would have lit up along with the HMSL.

The Bolero applied brakes only after hitting the car, because there are no skid marks of the Bolero, just from my car's rear wheels when it was pushed sideways. The owner is a small-time business man, and has been decent enough as of today though I haven't received an estimate or how much he should be paying. Let's see once the insurance inspection is done tomorrow.

Initial estimate is 85k for the rear-left quarter panel, straightening of the boot well, touch-up of the door and panel below the door, rear tail-light and bumper, boot lid alignment. They said that it will take at least 15 days, and the work will be done to factory standards, and I am hopeful based on other examples I have seen in the past. Fingers crossed.

[aerohit]

Originally Posted by StringerBell

Dense Fog Leads To 20-Car Pile Up On Yamuna Expressway Near Delhi

And here's a horrible case of car ramming into a truck without under-run bar (same pile up). Doesn't look like driver would have survived.

Step 1) Fog
Step 2) Turn Blinkers on
Step 3) Drive fast, overtake

This is my observation - they turn their blinkers on and start speeding. They think that are invincible by turning on their blinkers. They deserved it. Sad for others who were victims of foolish actions of others.

Always drive slow in fog.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by StringerBell

Dense Fog Leads To 20-Car Pile Up On Yamuna Expressway Near Delhi

Originally Posted by KreativeGeek

20 car pile up accident caused due to fog on Yamuna expressway

Wrong, wrong wrong. Fog doesn't cause accidents.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Simple solution to all this is just to be more aware of your surroundings . Looking into the IRVM and ORVMS every now and then should be enough to asses what kind braking is needed.

It's not about the braking: it is about the communication.

Originally Posted by binand

In particular, there is usually no reason to switch on the hazard lights in a moving vehicle. Usage of hazard lights should restricted to stationary vehicles.

There are reasons to do so. Becoming aware of a bank of fog ahead would be one. Seriously. fog, heavy rain, suddenly reduced visibility, let people behind you know. Stuff happening on the road: accident, people wandering, animals.

There are all kinds of reasons to use hazard lights in a moving vehicle.

Then there are the trivial, stupid, bad reasons. There are quite a few of those too!

[Bigzero]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Wrong, wrong wrong. Fog doesn't cause accidents.

I agree with you 100%. Most, if not all, of the accidents are caused by bad driving and human error in my opinion. One has to drive according to the conditions present .

Its always better to allow some factor of safety while on the road. I have had some near mishaps on unfamiliar roads due to some surprise potholes, speed breakers or sudden turns ( or sometimes roads suddenly losing its shape ( reduced width or bad shoulder ). It doesnt make sense to blame the road or the conditions or the government when such incidents happen. The best you can do is to be aware that the conditions are not with you, and drive safely. Unfortunately, many drivers don't seem to understand this, and end up putting themselves and others too in danger.

[mayankk]

I think you have to be a PRETTY bad driver to be able to have an accident on the YEW. I mean, its a little understandable to have an accident in the city citing fog.
But this is a mostly empty highway. Broad highway. You've got to drive at speeds that are concurrent with the state of visibility. But there are still monkeys who zip around at 100kmph when they cant see a 100 metres. Being able to see that far doesnt mean you can stop in that distance. I pity people who ARE being careful, but are struck by maldonados who believe going slow is for fools and dash away assuming they will be the only ones on the road.
Very idiotic to be dependent on the expectation that the other drivers will be more careful in a nation that thrives on "not my responsibility".

[swift_guy]

In the recent comments, we should consider those who didn't cause an accident but became a victim of this pile-up. I am sure there would be drivers who stopped in time but would have been rear-ended by some other vehicle. YEW is "mostly empty" and "broad" highway, and some of the people would have definitely slowed down (say from 100 km/h to 70 km/h) and at the same time, would have expected other vehicles to move at a similar constant pace. What got them involved in this crash is that the car ahead of them would have stopped (came to a halt). And they crashed. Maybe they were maintaining a safe distance but had not expected to stop for a 0 km/h vehicle. Even if they stopped inches away, some other car would have hit them from behind and sandwiched them in between. In India, you can't expect people to be careful in city roads, let alone expressways. In my humble opinion, this pile-up would have been started by one driver and vehicles kept coming and hitting one by one (to form a pile up of 20). It is true that fog doesn't cause an accident. It is a condition, what one can do is be careful. Fog can catch you like it did to these 20-odd cars and it might not catch you, like the 20 others who would have reached safe despite doing 120 km/h.

It was not a crash but a pile-up, similar to what happens on flyovers. One can't control what happens when he comes in the trap. I agree one or two would have started this mess, but blaming the entire public involved in it is not good.

Use of words like "They deserved it" without knowing the actual reason and framing one of your own is not at all acceptable.

When a similar pile-up occurs on a flyover, when one car rolls back and catches 10 other cars, can we say that they all deserved it? :/

[harry10]

It's the lack of common sense which is the major cause for all these fog related accidents. First of all everyone knows the fog timings are primarily between 11pm at night to 7-8am. Even if you are the world's most defensive driver you can get caught in the foolishness of other people. So, why take the risk. Simply, don't drive in those timings. Whatever journey you need to do just do it in the daytime.

Secondly, even if there is a dire need to drive then don't go beyond 30 kmph limit. In a pile up situation even if you won't spot the car in front the damage to the car and yourself will be minimal.

Sadly, very few care about all this. Personally, I don't do any drives in between those timings and I don't let my parents do the same no matter how important the work is for them. Our life and the ones we love is more important than we consider it to be.

[chandra1]

Video of the accident on Yamuna Expressway. It looks really horrible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZKX74XFI-0

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by swift_guy

In the recent comments, we should consider those who didn't cause an accident but became a victim of this pile-up. ... ... ... One can't control what happens when he comes in the trap. I agree one or two would have started this mess, but blaming the entire public involved in it is not good.

Use of words like "They deserved it" without knowing the actual reason and framing one of your own is not at all acceptable.

Sure. In fact, in these situations it is the careful, slow drivers who are very likely to be the victims of the speeding idiots. Even in UK, this is a worry when caught in fog: I would go slow, and fear that some other idiot would not. It is an international problem.

Actually there is an answer: stay at home. Seriously. It is almost certain, for most journeys, that the journey is not worth risking one's car, limbs and even life, for.

But, when thinking does not even extend to changing one's driving style for road/weather conditions, people are unlikely to even think about not going out at all.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by mayankk

So here's ----------SNIP--------- selfish?

So here is how this whole incident has finally culminated to closure.
The guy kept calling every alternate day, saying that his bike is fixed. He wanted cash to collect it, as insurance would take time to clear. I told him, I gave you money, use it. Post that his tone changed and he started going all sanskari, "you are not doing teh right thing. You should give me money. You promised. I will have to do something about this now."
This time I completely lost it, and told him, if you wish, I will start doing "wrong" now. Some choice expletives were heard, after which I told him very politely that all your conversations are recorded, if you are not aware. I also told him that I have teh original medical reports. I will submit them to the cops and the call recordings and file a case for blackmail.
Haven't got a call since, and I still went ahead and accelerated his insurance claim so that he received the money in 3 days. I did get another call from the police guy, and he told me to not worry, he'll "fix" these fellows. Even asked me if I wanted my money back ...oooooh, tempting.

Precautionary:
1. Get a DVR. I have.
2. Slow down, scrape the left side of the road/wall, if you have to, but be very wary of bikers, especially in such areas where locals utilize the route.
3. Stop if you can safely help, else get away to a police station, make a call to 100 proactively.
4. Get to a police station to work out details. The cops will manage settlement. Don't go for "yahin kar lete hain". It will results in fights, damages, and will be costlier.
5. You do not owe the monkeys anything. Whatever amount you have had to pay, is because you've been trapped. Let it go.
6. Again, you don't owe anything. If you get harassed, file another complaint.
7. If you have greased some palms, you CAN get a copy of the signed settling letter.
8. DO NOT disclose your address to the other guy. Only to the cops. Phone numbers can be changed later, yeah?

But all the above are applicable only when you are being victimised.

Take care, and drive safe ( as much is possible).

[airbus]

Received this photo from a friend. Two persons (husband and wife) died in this accident and their daughter was seriously injured. On 24 Jan, while taking a sharp turn at high speed on NH31 driver lost control and hit the side wall of the culvert then car fell down in the drain below. Victims were senior to me in college.

[swift_guy]

Originally Posted by airbus

Received this photo from a friend. Two persons (husband and wife) died in this accident and their daughter was seriously injured. On 24 Jan, while taking a sharp turn at high speed on NH31 driver lost control and hit the side wall of the culvert then car fell down in the drain below. Victims were senior to me in college.

That is sad. May their souls rest in peace.

Did the victims die of (car) drowning or because of the impact of falling down? Sorry to say, but it looks like the passengers were not wearing seatbelts because the cabin structure looks in decent shape (the impact has been absorbed by front part).

Does anyone else see an airbag on the driver side?

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by chandra1

Video of the accident on Yamuna Expressway. It looks really horrible.

Fog is it? I can't see a thing. Let me drive fast and get over this thing ASAP - seem to be the thinking of those unfortunate folks in the video.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by swift_guy

Sorry to say, but it looks like the passengers were not wearing seatbelts because the cabin structure looks in decent shape (the impact has been absorbed by front part).

Does anyone else see an airbag on the driver side?

Agree it seems like no one wore seatbelts. Nope that looks like a piece of garbage or a plastic bag. Moreover, the driver's side airbag is located in the steering wheel so there is no way it can extend above the wheel, over the dashboard and jut out of the windscreen.