[LoneRidder]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Hit & Run: Another day, another accident:

Good job

This is a typical trap for two wheelers.Most of the elderly two wheeler riders ride at a sedate speed on the left most lane. Ideally in the above scenario, the bus should have been in the left lane, and the truck in the right lane, trying to overtake. I am not sure if the truck really hit the two wheeler, but would have definitely scarred the hell out of the rider while squeeze between the bus and make the biker to loose balance.

Lucky two wheelers, they missed the rear wheel by a whisker. Few years back, one of my colleagues, a young guy, had taken a U turn, and as he proceed further, a pick-up was parked in the left most lane, and he moved to right to overtake it. At the same time a lorry with full load of sand came from behind and tried the overtake him, he lost balance and his head was run over by the rear wheel. The lorry had just crossed a speed breaker before the U turn and was at a very low speed. The rider got panicked due to small space between the lorry and the pick-up and lost balance and fell.

Parag: You have been catching lot of miscreants on the road, should see if police have any special award for this...like Public "Hadhina Kannu of Bengaluru! (Public Eagle Eye of Bengaluru)

[volkman10]

Senior Bajaj Auto exec, wife die in e-way crash; kids injured.

In a rainy day what apparently seem like the driver lost control over the vehicle.

top-level manager working with two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto, and his wife were killed while their two children suffered serious injuries after their car hit the median of the Pune-Mumbai expressway at Malavli, around 60km from Pune, on Sunday afternoon. The family was returning to Pune from Mumbai when the accident happened.

the family had gone to Mumbai in their BMW car early in the morning to drop off Rath's sister. They were returning to Pune when Rath apparently lost control over the vehicle.

Link

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Senior Bajaj Auto exec, wife die in e-way crash; kids injured.

In a rainy day what apparently seem like the driver lost control over the vehicle.

Link

The expressway has some spots on the right most lane where water a few inches deep gathers. Most cars aquaplane at these spots if speeds are not kept in check. I remember hitting one of these puddles at almost 120kmph in my 3 series a few years ago and the car aquaplaned a fair amount.

[shaktisarangi]

I passed by this spot about 15 minutes after the accident. The car was a BMW 320d and the passenger shell was almost completely intact. Looking at the car, I believed passengers would have survived. It clearly is a case of not wearing seat belts. As quoted above by Akshay1234, the expressway was covered with a film of water and I could feel the wheels shimmy at 120 km/hr in my Skoda Yeti. I kept it at 100 through the entire stretch. The BMW had hit the barrier for one of the storm drains, next to the right most lane. It definitely aquaplaned.

[tanwaramit]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Hit & Run: Another day, another accident:


Lucky was the pillion here for not wearing the helmet too!!

I am not sure if the truck driver can be blamed here entirely.

Driving such a big vehicle, a truck driver may not be able to see the gap at the last end of his vehicle in certain cases.

Since the large vehicles need larger radius to turn, its always advisable to keep some gap from them.

If the large vehicles are coming close, then better to brake rather than contest them.

Let me ask a question, if a big SUV driver is driving his SUV and taking a right turn and at the rear left a two wheeler doesn't keep a gap and gets hit, then is it still the car drivers fault?

Big vehicles need more area to run, turn, park etc. One should respect and give the big vehicles their due.

Also, I feel, its would have been good to help the injured instead of chasing the truck driver who may not have even noticed it OR noticed later.

See this. In cases such as below, its always good to help the injured first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PT5uCE6Wnw

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

I am not sure if the truck driver can be blamed here entirely.

Driving such a big vehicle, a truck driver may not be able to see the gap at the last end of his vehicle in certain cases.

You think so? The hapless 2 wheeler was not even on occupying the full lane and was already on the extreme edge of the road.

And as you think, I am wondering how and where you get hints that the 2 wheeler rider was "Contesting" with the truck as you mention below?

Since the large vehicles need larger radius to turn, its always advisable to keep some gap from them.

1. The Bus is the extreme right lane
2. The 2 wheeler on the extreme left lane
3. The Truck attempts to overtake the Bus and the 2 wheeler by passing in between them, manages to squeeze and halfway through realises that the gap is too less and then ends up hitting that 2 wheeler

In simple words, irrespective of the mistake of the Bus being on the fast lane or the 2 wheeler on the edge, the truck should have never attempted to overtake.

I can assure you that an experienced long haul trucker in such a situation would never ever dare to overtake through such a small gap.

If the large vehicles are coming close, then better to brake rather than contest them.

So tell me what else the 2 wheeler rider should have done here? Climbed on the footpath or even worse, just stopped where he was to let the truck pass?

Let me ask a question, if a big SUV driver is driving his SUV and taking a right turn and at the rear left a two wheeler doesn't keep a gap and gets hit, then is it still the car drivers fault?

Not really in this case and as you know I wont argue for the sake of arguing. An SUV turning right with all indications and then the biker trying to squeeze the gap to turn right is what puts the biker at fault assuming the SUV driver has not suddenly turned its indicators and turned right but only gradually attempted to take a right.

In this accident, neither the biker was at any fault and nor was he contesting with the truck. It was simply the truck driver's fault for overtaking through a tight gap.

Also, I feel, its would have been good to help the injured instead of chasing the truck driver who may not have even noticed it OR noticed later.

Not sure if you read my post entirely. I only wish I had a Dashcam mounted on the rear windscreen so that you would be able to notice how many stopped by including the Santro and the 2 wheeler to help the victims.

Also, you will notice that I didn't immediately rush to catch the truck but paused for a while to check in my IRVM to see if others stopped by and helped and only after confirming this, I started to rush towards that truck.

So, me not stopping to help the biker doesn't make inhuman here if you thought that was a wrong move! It was equally important to have followed that truck, note the registration number and then report it to the cops. I view that task as responsibility too!

There have been enough cases where I have pulled over and offered help to accident victims but its only a fact that there have been none in the recent past that I could capture in my Dashcam. In fact, there was no Dashcam when these have happened.

Asking for water, ensuring to check if they can continue riding/driving, checking if their immediate relatives need to be informed etc are some of the most basic things I have done.

And finally, if anyone says the trucker didn't notice the 2 wheeler, I am more than sure he would have noticed him as these drivers are always looking wickedly in their ORVMs whenever they pass such gaps in their heavy vehicles.

And then, there was no need to run away.

[arun_josie]

Good work parag

Even initially I thought that two wheeler was trying to overtake the truck in that narrow gap but after replaying the video its clear that its the truck which is overtaking the two-wheeler.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

So tell me what else the 2 wheeler rider should have done here? Climbed on the footpath or even worse, just stopped where he was to let the truck pass?

In this accident, neither the biker was at any fault and nor was he contesting with the truck. It was simply the truck driver's fault for overtaking through a tight gap.

In such narrow roads, its better to be on the middle of the lane(in this case he could have occupied the middle of the left lane) so that bigger vehicles can't squeeze in.

[FORTified]

Originally Posted by ajmat

I would not like to be a rear most passenger in that Ertiga

Yeah...leg room will be a problem

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

The expressway has some spots on the right most lane where water a few inches deep gathers. Most cars aquaplane at these spots if speeds are not kept in check. I remember hitting one of these puddles at almost 120kmph in my 3 series a few years ago and the car aquaplaned a fair amount.

Dear Akshay1234 - you are 100% correct! I do Pune Mumbai Pune every week in my car. On the way to Pune, this spot is just after the Sinhagad Institute of Engineering. There is a small dip in the first and second lanes, which is obviously going to be filled with water when it rains. I always go to the third lane there. My friend had aquaplaned and crashed his Manza there in 2014. He spun 5 full circles before stopping. He was lucky that there was no other car involved and the rear of the car took the brunt, which was replaced under insurance! One other such spot is just after the Panvel start near the railway bridge which goes above the expressway. I hope the expressway authorities read this post and immediately implement some way to allow water to drain off such sites. All it takes is just one round both ways to realize where the hazards are. I know all of them. It's just a one hour and fifteen minutes drive each way, it can save lives!

I would like to mention two critically important points on expressway driving:
1. I have observed that 95 (if not 99) out of 100 people just don't sit properly in the driver's seat. I wonder how they drive and how will they will be able to move their right leg from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal when they have to brake in an emergency. The most ridiculous seating position I see all the time is that they just sit too forward, with the steering wheel almost touching their torso. There are so many of my friends who also do this. When I tell them, they just don't seem to understand and they continue to do it. I hope good sense prevails and people improve their seating posture for their own safety.
2. Of-late I am seeing this trend developing on the expressway, a car going in a lane overtaking a truck in the lane to it's left will actually brake and slow down when it is right next to the truck for absolutely no rhyme or reason, then it will move ahead but by accelerating slowly, not quickly. This is downright dangerous and completely unnecessary. The correct way is either you go or you don't go! This behaviour hinders the smooth flow of other cars behind and can lead to a pile-on. Now just imagine more than one cars doing this at the same time! It has happened to me and I see this trend catching on! Nowadays, I can actually sense which car will do this, and I take passive correction without the driver even aware that he could have caused me harm. People should think and drive, then they will remain safe.

It is necessary to educate people on how to drive properly on the expressway in the simple way and in the language that they can understand, then it is very much possible to achieve the target of zero accidents on the expressway.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[freedom]

Cross posting

Originally Posted by freedom

Another fatality on the Expressway

Is this Another case of high-speed driving and Aquaplaning?

I passed by this car a few hours after the accident (Check the post for details). The side and rear part of the car was intact. The driver door was completely open and the bonnet was almost completely 'folded up'. The car did what it was designed to do i.e absorb the impact and keep the passenger cabin safe. +1 to BMW.

I see far too many people speeding on the Expressway. Its wrong to do profiling based on the car. However, I can vouch that I don't recall any BMW/Merc/Audi and the likes doing a steady 80 on this road. Better cars will only increase your safety net and not make you immune from fatalities.

[autobahnjpr]

Three die and two injured in horrific crash in Chandigarh due to late night speeding.
The two front passengers survive due to wearing seat belts but the rear passengers were not so lucky as they were unbuckled.

http://epaper.bhaskar.com/detail/?id...o=1&view=image

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

The correct way is either you go or you don't go!

You are absolutely right on this dilly dallying. Overtaking especially w.r.t. HCVs should be planned carefully taking all factors into account BUT executed with promptness.

Unfortunately, an overwhelming majority do not bother to execute promptly leading to a 80 km/hr HCV being overtaken at 82 km/hr. This invariably leads to vehicles being in the 'high risk' adjoining lane for longer, slows down traffic in the fast lane (causing shadow jams - http://phys.org/news/2007-12-traffic...maticians.html) and leading to unnecessary tailgating.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by shaktisarangi

I passed by this spot about 15 minutes after the accident. The car was a BMW 320d and the passenger shell was almost completely intact. Looking at the car, I believed passengers would have survived. It clearly is a case of not wearing seat belts. As quoted above by Akshay1234, the expressway was covered with a film of water and I could feel the wheels shimmy at 120 km/hr in my Skoda Yeti. I kept it at 100 through the entire stretch. The BMW had hit the barrier for one of the storm drains, next to the right most lane. It definitely aquaplaned.

If they actually weren't wearing the seatbelts then its sad. Not expected.

Do be careful in your Yeti. I find the Yeti is prone to aquaplaning too, and another dangerous thing is the front wheels somehow manage to splash water right onto the windscreen which can be blinding.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Akshay1234 - you are 100% correct! I do Pune Mumbai Pune every week in my car. On the way to Pune, this spot is just after the Sinhagad Institute of Engineering. There is a small dip in the first and second lanes, which is obviously going to be filled with water when it rains. I always go to the third lane there. My friend had aquaplaned and crashed his Manza there in 2014. He spun 5 full circles before stopping. He was lucky that there was no other car involved and the rear of the car took the brunt, which was replaced under insurance! One other such spot is just after the Panvel start near the railway bridge which goes above the expressway. I hope the expressway authorities read this post and immediately implement some way to allow water to drain off such sites. All it takes is just one round both ways to realize where the hazards are. I know all of them. It's just a one hour and fifteen minutes drive each way, it can save lives!

I have ZERO hopes of the authorities doing anything to make the expressway better. In fact you may have seem some of the lanes they are resurfacing, which is done horribly and is far rougher and worse than the 15 year old + concrete of the original road.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

I am not sure if the truck driver can be blamed here entirely.

If the large vehicles are coming close, then better to brake rather than contest them.

Let me ask a question, if a big SUV driver is driving his SUV and taking a right turn and at the rear left a two wheeler doesn't keep a gap and gets hit, then is it still the car drivers fault?

Big vehicles need more area to run, turn, park etc. One should respect and give the big vehicles their due.

Dude, that biker was already to the side of the road and not enjoying in the middle. Should he jump onto the footpath now? That was one horrible incident and the truck driver should be taught a lesson for that. I can agree with your argument of bigger vehicles needing some space around them only if they are also considerate towards the surroundings. For example, if I am driving a huge vehicle and taking a turn, it wont be correct for a biker to get next to my vehicle and overtake me. At the same time, it will not be right for me to cut a biker who is already to my side and take a turn, no matter what I drive, be it a car or a tank.

This is the sense such drivers like the one here lack.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

You are absolutely right on this dilly dallying. Overtaking should be planned carefully but executed with promptness.

Dear Itwasntme - hello to you. You know why people behave the way they do (brake next to the truck, putting hazard lights on inside tunnels etc.)? IT IS IGNORANCE, THEY JUST DON'T KNOW! It is as simple as that, poor fellows! People who drive from Dadar to Mahim also decide to drive from Dadar to Pune. They have no ghost of an idea what they are getting into. I don't blame them, I only sympathize with them. But I can't understand one thing, don't they have common sense to know what to do and what not to do? As there is no point in ranting and raving about the whole thing, I hope many people read our interactions and improve themselves for their own benefit.

In the company where I work (in Pimpri), SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT AND NON-NEGOTIABLE! It is taken extremely seriously, which is very good. In my own small way, I internally conduct an interactive program called "VEHICLE BEHAVIORAL FEEL". It is a one day program, pre-lunch is in class, but post-lunch, I take 3 people out on the highway and expressway. Besides demonstrating to them what to do, I also end up showing them the wrong things that other people are unknowingly doing, which they must not do! When I come back, the people are like ? They also become safer expressway drivers.

Dear Akshay1234 - I know that the recently resurfaced modules are useless, I wonder why they did it in the first place! I avoid driving on them. I can only hope that it does not lead to an accident. Also remember that the stretch from the Pune end start of the expressway upto the toll booth is also rough, it is like the short wave pitching track in VRDE Ahmednagar (the Sanpada crossing bridge is still worse, it shakes up the whole suspension).

However, I always live with hope. There will be many new generation tech-savvy young people in the authority positions who can do wonders if they take it upon themselves to do it. I hope they walk the talk and actually do the things that will make a difference. Let's see the result of the song "mera desh badal raha hai, aage badh raha hai"! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar