[BenjiRoss]

Rachakonda police recently tweeted this video highlighting the dangers of opening an umbrella on a moving two wheeler - something we see very often here in India.

https://youtu.be/syWTUofwB-s

The pillion rider gets blown away and appears to get a bad head injury.
There is so much wrong in this incident:
1. Riding in the rain with less caution.
2. Three riders on a bike (there is a child on the fuel tank)
3. The actual opening of the umbrella
4. The medically unsafe way the accident victim is handled.
All 4 points I've mentioned are unfortunately very common in India.
The tweet did not mention the time or place of the incident - it may be an old video. The fate of the lady is not known either.
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/RachakondaCop/st...502549507?s=19

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

..the dangers of opening an umbrella on a moving two wheeler - something we see very often here in India..

How hard is it to catch an auto rickshaw when you know it's going to rain? Or have 3 aboard.

Ok, scratch that. How hard is it to wear a raincoat and a helmet, both at the same time (without the hoodie)?

Why is common sense so easily thrown to the wind? (Both in the action of opening an umbrella on a moving two wheeler and the unscientific method the lady in this video demonstrates).

That said, I hope she's quite alright. I guess the old adage "Once bitten, twice shy" was proven to these poor folks the hard way.

[Arwin07]

https://youtu.be/ukXnhXqq9ME

A youth died and two more injured when two motorcycles collided head on near Hosur, TN, two days ago. RIP.

Several observations:
1. The misunderstanding about the usage of the lane between the two motorcycles. The overtaking motorcycle takes the position of extreme right side of the lane; opposite motorcycle has space between the oncoming bus and overtaking motorcycle.

2. This overtaking maneuver depended on the oncoming motorcycle slowing down and moving to the left paving way for the overtaking motorcycle to do so safely.

3. But still, the oncoming motorcycle didn't slow down or stop by the road side seeing the poor lane position of the overtaking motorcycle.

4. A scooter with a couple attempting 'Option 2' for merging into the highway.

Originally Posted by Arwin07

How should a vehicle coming out from a roadside shop or smaller road merge into a highway?


Option 2: Traffic is high and I can't cross to join my side of highway immediately. My time is too precious to spend waiting patiently at the side of highway. Let me ride on opposite side (with lights blinking, hazard lights on- means I am on the wrong side, but give me way anyway) and join into my side when traffic is low.

5. Medically unsafe way of handling head injury victims.

6. None of them appear to wear a helmet. What would have resulted in simple bodily injuries treatable as outpatient ended up as head injury and death.

Take away:
Do not overtake if your overtaking depends on other person's adjustment- be it their slowing down, braking, moving out of their way. Wait for the traffic to clear and overtake safely later.

[manjubp]

Originally Posted by Arwin07

[url]
Take away:
Do not overtake if your overtaking depends on other person's adjustment- be it their slowing down, braking, moving out of their way. Wait for the traffic to clear and overtake safely later.

Just this one guidelines can save 100s of life in India. However I see more and more drivers on highways overtaking assuming other vehicle's drivers adjustment. Very unfortunate trend...

Add to this trend is overtaking from Left or shoulders , this has become like accepted practice, both on divided and undivided highways.

[arighna.dutta]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

The pillion rider gets blown away and appears to get a bad head injury.
There is so much wrong in this incident:
1. Riding in the rain with less caution.
2. Three riders on a bike (there is a child on the fuel tank)
3. The actual opening of the umbrella
4. The medically unsafe way the accident victim is handled.
All 4 points I've mentioned are unfortunately very common in India.

Adding to your point - 5. sideways sitting of the ladies - even more common and dangerous; actually not legal as per the Motor Vehicle Act (couldn't find the exact MVA number) and considered as an act of stunt.

Point 4 is so true, it is saddening to watch the way victims of road accidents are handled in India every time.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Just this: Do not overtake unless you can see that the road ahead is clear.

That means nothing is coming. Nothing. Not a car, not a bike, not... anything.

There is always a should-have/could-have, secondary to what the primary offender is doing. The oncoming bike is on his side of the road, it is his right of way. The overtaking bike should not be overtaking at all. There is no question about who is in the wrong.

But the could-have? If you are driving on your side of the road, minding your business, doing the right thing, thinking all is well with the world, and suddenly somebody is driving straight at you, what do you do? Hitting them is really not a good idea: you move to the far left and give the idiot his space.

When I first joined this this forum I thought that, eventually, government, courts, RTO, etc, would impose greater discipline on traffic. Since that time things have only got worse. The number of cars on the road tripled during my first few years here: goodness knows what the statistic for bikers is. New drivers, especially on two wheels, know and care less than they did fifteen years ago. Along with a general drop in civic standards leading to less and less courtesy on the roads, it isn't driving, it's warfare.

Actually, the most astonishing thing of all is that many of us manage, most of the time, to stay safe... and even enjoy our driving!

[Arwin07]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

When I first joined this this forum I thought that, eventually, government, courts, RTO, etc, would impose greater discipline on traffic. Since that time things have only got worse. The number of cars on the road tripled during my first few years here: goodness knows what the statistic for bikers is. New drivers, especially on two wheels, know and care less than they did fifteen years ago. Along with a general drop in civic standards leading to less and less courtesy on the roads, it isn't driving, it's warfare.

Actually, the most astonishing thing of all is that many of us manage, most of the time, to stay safe... and even enjoy our driving!

Because, a vast majority of Indians do not value safety, be it on roads or in their day to day lives.

Implementation of strict traffic rules is by Traffic Police which comes under respective State governments. Majority of people see wearing helmets as inconvenience and wearing seat belt as hassle. So when Traffic Policemen try to implement the laws, Police and government are seen as dictators, fascists who are oppressing people who are exercising their right of not wearing helmet.

Common man's anger turns up against the governments in elections. So governments don't implement the laws strictly and let Charles Darwin win.

Recent examples in Pune and Ahmedabad:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/pune-...6HPr9jWFL.html

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/72411205.cms

Children learn their bad road manners seeing their parents drive/ride.
(I have been saying this time and again) Traffic rules, etiquette, laws should be a separate subject (of equal importance to Social science, languages) from 6th to 10th grades. Law should be passed that only if they pass the subject in 10th grade, they are eligible to apply for driving license.


Driving license test pass rate should be less than 25%. Test should be scientifically, thorough and corruption-free.

There should be a fundamental change in attitude of our people about safety consciousness. This will take a few generations.

Let us all Team BHPians cultivate safety culture in the younger generation starting with our own children.

[RaviK]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Just this: Do not overtake unless you can see that the road ahead is clear.

That means nothing is coming. Nothing. Not a car, not a bike, not... anything.

You must be joking !! Forget about the high speed overtake, we try to overtake even in crawling traffic, even where there is a sea of vehicles & no space to move !!
Just yesterday in Chandigarh, crawling in 1st gear in traffic, waiting to merge into traffic on a main road(from an arterial road), an elderly gentleman behind me thought there was some space in front of me (there wasn't !!) plus he can bully the main road traffic a bit & he'd flying through unlike me who was patiently waiting for an opening. Result ? To avoid being hit by the incoming cars, he swerved hard left, giving my brand new Baleno its first scars !!
Now all you can do is pull your hair in helplessness & anger (grandpa was apologizing profusely & I was asking repeatedly where he was flying to, what was the emergency !!)

It has just become a reflex, an in-built desire to win. We have to be ahead. we have to overtake, even if means saving 1 second (or playing with our lives as is evident in this thread), we have become hardwired for this !!

[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by Arwin07

A youth died and two more injured when two motorcycles collided head on near Hosur, TN, two days ago. RIP.

Both of them had ample time to spot each other running straight into a collision. But only the guy overtaking seemed to be making an effort at the last minute to swerve away. The other guy decided that he will cause an accident to prove that he had the right of way!

[TheHelix0202]

You know what saddens me even further? It's the fact that the news reporter says the accident happened because the bikers "couldn't control their bikes". Really? Like Thad sir mentioned in one of his older posts, it's not about "losing" control. It's about never having it to begin with.

It's because of the half-witted way those guys were riding that they ended up in such a bad situation. I doubt they'd have even registered what was happening in that last second. I don't think any helmet is going to save my countrymen if this is how they value their safety and others' as well.

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by Nalin1

Both of them had ample time to spot each other running straight into a collision. But only the guy overtaking seemed to be making an effort at the last minute to swerve away.

I think the guy who was overtaking wanted to go to that petrol pump and got confused whether to go or not go when he saw the oncoming biker.

[Neeraj1903]

A horrendous accident took place on Salem Highway yesterday morning. A Kwid rear ended a truck. A family of 4 was travelling in that car and all of them died on the spot.
Will post link of the same which has video and more photos of the aftermath but would advice you to not watch it unless you are very strong hearted.
LINK

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by Neeraj1903

A horrendous accident took place on Salem Highway yesterday morning. A Kwid rear ended a truck. A family of 4 was travelling in that car and all of them died on the spot.

WHen I first saw the pics I thought that the truck didn't have an under-run bar at the rear which is supposed to be there in place to avoid just the kind of fatalities that happened here. But then in the second pic there seems to be something that resembles an under-run bar just behind the rear tyres. I think it's those flimsy ones the truckers put on just to hoodwink the law as they really won't like the heavy ones which are mandatory. I think our road craters create a problem with it.



If that under-run bar was a legit one, I'm not sure a Kwid would have gotten this cosy with the truck because neither is the Kwid so heavy nor so powerful. Yes but flimsy it is. Does it even have a crash test rating? I'm not even going to mention airbags here because their presence is irrelevant in the current situation.

[Rahul Rao]

Originally Posted by pixantz

WHen I first saw the pics I thought that the truck didn't have an under-run bar at the rear which is supposed to be there in place to avoid just the kind of fatalities that happened here. But then in the second pic there seems to be something that resembles an under-run bar just behind the rear tyres.

Under run bars are designed for low speed impacts, they are supposed to collapse and absorb the energy of the hit, the test level is for a 80kph car hitting behind a 50 kph truck, and full collapse with a 56kph car hitting a stationary truck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svyDtDRxdH0

This is in Germany.



Rahul

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Neeraj1903

A horrendous accident took place on Salem Highway yesterday morning. A Kwid rear ended a truck. A family of 4 was travelling in that car and all of them died on the spot.

My goodness. What a tragic loss of life. I'm not even able to imagine the speed that they were doing in what is a small city car. What hurts the most - 3 souls were lost for no mistake of their own. The driver at least can play a part in an accident. The 3 passengers had no control what so ever. RIP...

As for crash tests - hardly any car would have ensured safety of occupants in this setup. Even good safety rated car would have found it hard to protect the passengers.