[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by Divya Sharan

I only hope that we teach our children to be better road users, irrespective of the number of wheels, from an early age. Until then, all parties just need to be a little patient. At most, it adds 5-10 min to a long journey.

I always suggest someone to learn a 4-wheeler before a 2-wheeler.
Why? Simple - Lane discipline. I myself was surprised in the improvement of my 2 wheeler riding style after I started using the 4-wheeler. Also, not to mention the fact that consequences are usually much worse when a 2-wheeler jumps lanes without indication or looking into the RVM's.

[sumathindra]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

This hit and run was captured by my friend’s dashcam near Marur toll plaza.

Wondering why your friend did not stop to help the injured biker. Yes it was his fault however did the chase result in catching the car driver?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by VKumar

It is always better to first conduct a situational analysis and then jump to the conclusion, my thoughts and observations can be found in my replies below.

• Maximum resolution available: 480P
• The point motorcyclist started turning to right: 19th second
• The point when contact between the vehicles happened: 22nd second
• Difference between the first sign of turning and contact: ~2.5 seconds
• Reaction time available for an alert driver: 2.5 seconds
• No. of people on motorcycle: 2

Other observations:

• The Terrano driver didn't brake at all
• The pillion rider on the motorcycle had given the hand indicator - can be seen in the picture posted below:

Attachment 1765592

Mathematics time!!

Not Mathematics time: common-sense time.

I had not done so before, but your frame made me suspicious, and I watched the video.

It doesn't matter how many wheels (except perhaps for survival): If a vehicle pulls out across a faster overtaking vehicle, and thinks that hand, or light, or horn, or god-sent signals is going to save them, then they are an idiot. And probably won't live long.

Attitude: the whole world has to give way to an arm waver.

Expectation: others will brake from 100kmph to , well, 0, if necessary, because... Because.

What the media would say: A speeding car hit biker from behind...

Ever been to a newspaper office? You'll find a lot of bikes parked outside!

[Thad E Ginathom]

We have another in the accidents thread, who thinks that waving an arm is enough to cross slowly in front of a fast-moving vehicle. Result: accident.

[AdityaRai]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Not Mathematics time: common-sense time.

Attitude: the whole world has to give way to an arm waver.

Expectation: others will brake from 100kmph to , well, 0, if necessary, because... Because.

What the media would say: A speeding car hit biker from behind...

Ever been to a newspaper office? You'll find a lot of bikes parked outside!

Very well said!

India has 6 times more 2 wheelers than 4 wheelers. They always get the sympathy, because they'll show up with the blood and bruises. Car owners tend to be middle class guys with no street clout, unlike most of the rowdy riders (that's how they'll get into the crash) who'd usually be a local goon of sorts.
Its nice to be a good samaritan, but I won't get my teeth knocked out because of my misfortune of our run in. I'd rather let it remain just your misfortune, although I'd pray you survived.

The Terrano driver has been called Ignorant here. Maybe he was. However, it wasn't the driver's ignorance that made those riders forget to wear helmets.

I'm sorry, but I can't accept a single word in defence of a rider without a helmet.

This accident, if nothing else, taught a bunch of overconfident village youth to respect the highway.

The riders were very lucky! What if it was a desi lorry instead of a Pedestrian-protecting-soft-bodied-20LakhRupee-Terrano?

Stopping his car would've only gotten the Terrano guy beaten up (because: tit-for-tat, biker hurt=driver also hurt) and not helped the injuries of the bikers in any way. It was quite a simple judgment call for the driver (although unethical and illegal, but then so is the mob mentality here).

I'll always drive safe, and save every biker I can, because I feel bad if anyone gets hurt on our roads. Roads are my favourite place. My happy place. I want everyone, from bystanders to lorry drivers, to be happy when they are on the road. I'd like to share my happiness with you. I'd admire your well kept motorcycle as well as your decorated lorry.

But ultimately, its your life, and you must do everything to protect it. God wants it that way and may teach it in a very hard way.

[Mu009]

Two news reports:

https://www.rushlane.com/amp/range-r...-12242297.html

The way the car is mangled is really something. This really makes me wonder how Volvo plan to eliminate the possibility of fatality in their vehicles by 2020 (I'm sure Volvos are better and that Land Rovers have many shortcomings, but it's a question in isolation about Volvo).
I don't have a high opinion of LR vehicles, but this really does look like no car could've saved him - must've been at a senseless speed.

The other:

https://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/mass...akamai-rum=off

This article is more about the long traffic jam than the truck overturning.

[promit]

Originally Posted by Mu009

Two news reports:
The other:

https://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/mass...akamai-rum=off

This article is more about the long traffic jam than the truck overturning.

Was stuck in this traffic jam yesterday morning. A 70 trip km across NCR took 3 hours instead of 1.5. I caught a glimpse of the mayhem, I didn't think there would be survivors. Very glad that there were no casualties!!

[Mu009]

Originally Posted by promit

Was stuck in this traffic jam yesterday morning. A 70 trip km across NCR took 3 hours instead of 1.5.

Ouch!

Originally Posted by promit

I caught a glimpse of the mayhem, I didn't think there would be survivors. Very glad that there were no casualties!!

How bad was it? Did the truck overturn onto other road users/bystanders? The article has absolutely no details about the accident itself.

[promit]

Originally Posted by Mu009

Ouch!

How bad was it? Did the truck overturn onto other road users/bystanders? The article has absolutely no details about the accident itself.

I looked and looked away. My Uber driver had apparently passed the site on the way to Gurgaon earlier in the morning and told me the truck fell on the car. When I found out there were no casualties I thought maybe it dropped its load of sand on the car. The pictures speak otherwise. Attaching articles and a picture of the car.

Picture - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/64391429.cms

Article - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/64391416.cms

[shubhodeepdas@g]

Originally Posted by Mu009

but this really does look like no car could've saved him - must've been at a senseless speed.

Yes, most of these high priced SUVs are driven at speeds that are completely incompatible with our average road surfaces. Add to that, the occasional large stone left by a trucker to prevent his truck from rolling back or sickles hidden inside hay drying on the road.

These vehicles are perfectly safe at the speeds they are tested, that about 60Kph, anything more till about 90kph is the manufacturer's initiative. There is a famous youtube video of Skoda conducting a medium overlap test between a Superb and a Yeti at those speeds.

After that anything to do with safety is completely dependent on the driver's common sense and sensibilities. Coming to the insane speeds I witness on NICE from Audi, BMW and Mercedes SUV drivers, it's easy to imagine they are doing speeds in the higher ranges of 100 as a Yeti or a Fusion doing 90-110 feels like its standing still. Add to this the Top Heavy nature of these vehicles, its a disaster waiting to happen if you are not on an Autobahn.

Unless these cars have some radar guided system to assess the road and restrict the speeds based on the data gathered, there is very little that can be done to save. The new generation A8 and some other cars have a system to watch the road ahead and prep the car's suspension to accept a pothole, same can be developed and extended to restrict the speed as well. Many top end models pre-empt a bend on the road using GPS and reduce speeds already (Europe only).

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

... It doesn't matter to me whether its a two-wheeler, autorickshaw or car.. they are jointly defined as motorists. ...

..caught in a gridlock ..made all the worse by a never-ending stream of two-wheelers and autorickshaws who kept pushing and pushing and honking their way out of the tightest spots, it took 10 minutes just to escape that 50 feet long junction. If the two wheelers from all sides allowed the opposite side to pass first then it wouldn't have taken more than a minute.....

In the end all I plead for is lane-discipline, adequate indication before turning...

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

.. always suggest someone to learn a 4-wheeler before a 2-wheeler.
Why? Simple - Lane discipline. I myself was surprised in the improvement of my 2 wheeler riding style after I started using the 4-wheeler...

It is scientifically and practically proven worldwide that if all motorists (2,3,4+ wheelers) resist from changing lanes and continue to drive in their own lane even if they see a gap in their adjacent lane, they will reach their destination at worst at the same time as it takes by changing lanes (carries higher risk of collisions and is highly stressful) or they will reach significantly faster compared to lane changes.

Also the mere act of closely tailgating the vehicle in front resulting in the need to frequently apply brakes will slow down the entire lines of vehicles behind in a cascading effect. This has been illustrated very well in the following link.
a link showing simulation of tailgating slowing down traffic /
The simple act of maintaining a distance while following a vehicle in traffic and maintaining continuous movement of your vehicle (rather than tailgating closely and braking frequently) does wonders in improving road congestions.

A significant majority of road users have to realize the above facts and resist from lane changes and tailgating the vehicle ahead, our road congestion situation will dramatically improve.

Having the sense to allow the vehicles in the opposite lane to pass rather than blocking them is a basic common sense.
How can anyone pass if you block the opposite lane and cause a pileup? Everybody realizes this fact but it is their selfishness that masks their common-sense.

"Hmm everybody are waiting in their lane... opposite lane is empty (because its blocked in the jam ahead), looks so tempting, let me just use the opposite lane and squeeze in at the jam and somehow pass, others be dammed." Now imagine the majority of them thinking the same way and completely blocking the opposite lane and causing a gridlock.
Two wheeler and autos tend to think more in this fashion because they know that their vehicles have higher maneuverability giving the edge to squeeze in through the tightest spots at the jam.
The car drivers also wants (and dreams) to do the same but knows that (s)he will be cursed by all the other motorists of blocking the opposite lane if their vehicle gets struck ahead and is unable to move out of the tight spots, so they stick to their lanes and wait

Hope sanity prevails and the majority realize that its best and faster eventually to wait in their lane and not zoom ahead in the opposite lane and block everybody in the process. Our strategic thought process as a nation has to considerably improve. We tend to think of very short term/ seemingly immediate gains rather than getting the big picture.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by jaaz

Many Indians are obsessed with high beams, even If they don't benefit out of it. It's a daily routine to see even parked cars with their high beams on. Some use high beams even while reversing.

Latest trend? High beam on scooters/bikes with LED lights great way to distract everyone on the road.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

.... I personally always prefer driving in the left lane all the times unless I am overtaking; At the same time, look for gap in medians whenever I am next to it anticipating even a dog to cross the road!)

In 4-laned urban roads separated by a median (i.e., 2 lanes proceeding in one direction), I always stick to the median when in my car. The left-lane is fraught with vehicles that stop or behave erratically - share-autos, slow vehicles, buses etc. Moreover, the left lane tends to get further subdivided into 2 lanes by our lovely road-users and eventually the median alone doesn't harass me and it stays put! So I love the median and stick to it.

I really wonder what I'd do on our 4-laned highways since the left-lane belongs to slower-than-a-bullfrog Tata Aces and trucks, while, as you said the right lane and the median brings with it all kinds of risks...I have tended to hug the median there too as far as I can remember.

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

I always suggest someone to learn a 4-wheeler before a 2-wheeler.
Why? Simple - Lane discipline.

Great point! In fact, with the same wisdom behind it, the state of Connecticut, US, mandates two-wheeler license applicants to first maintain an accident-free car drivers license (i.e., a points-free license) and then people need to apply for a motorcycle endorsement. And just to get a car license in Connecticut is a major achievement to begin with, thanks to the super-strict testing system there...

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by locusjag

In 4-laned urban roads separated by a median (i.e., 2 lanes proceeding in one direction), I always stick to the median when in my car. The left-lane is fraught with vehicles that stop or behave erratically - share-autos, slow vehicles, buses etc. Moreover, the left lane tends to get further subdivided into 2 lanes by our lovely road-users and eventually the median alone doesn't harass me and it stays put! So I love the median and stick to it.

Debatable topic with lots and lots of points on why not to stick to the median right from intruders to water logging which is always common near medians. So I will leave it here.

More on this I have mentioned here (Tracing the Konkan Route in the Monsoon - 6 cars and 1,750 km of driving pleasure) that also says it's not a hard rule that I always remain on left lane.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Debatable topic with lots and lots of points on why not to stick to the median right from intruders to water logging which is always common near medians. So I will leave it here.

No I agree with you; in an ideal world, the lane that hugs the median is the overtaking lane (a.k.a, the 'passing' lane in the US) and should be used for overtaking only. Cops in the US do pull people over for traveling incessantly in the passing lane. And moreover, apart from water-logging, in cold places the space immediately adjoining the median is usually iced over and in all countries, that space is also strewn with debris, car parts, ripped truck tyre treads etc., not to mention the possibility of animals, old ladies, bicycles, farm tractors and mopeds crossing the median at any time in India.

But sadly, in our country, we cannot travel in the clogged left lane in a 4-laned dual carriageway highway since there is no concept of a minimum speed and most highways leading out of Chennai are 4-laned dual carriageways.

Indeed as you said, if ever there were a centre-lane, that's where I'd love to be in.