[JithinR]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

I've said my bit about the accident and don't have anything else to add, but I couldn't help but notice the irony in that comment seems lost on you. I hope not.

Given how the majority drives on our roads, number of wheels on their vehicle notwithstanding (lest you accuse me of being royalty too), two-wheeler riders need to realize that an incident that'll redirect a 'cager' to a body-shop, can put the two-wheeler rider in the morgue!

Our biggest traffic problem is we've got too many 'immortals' sharing roads with us. Again, number of wheels on their vehicle notwithstanding.

Nope, I realize that quite well. Otherwise, I would not have put 6.2k helmet on my head and 4.9k glove on my hands before going to get my first bike (no prior experience even on a scooter). This on a IT junior salary was most of my monthly income at the time.

I hope you don't miss the fact that I was pointing out that those with heavy vehicles also have the responsibility of taking a more measured and careful approach when on our choatic roads. Otherwise, we can just go on hoping that the hot blooded teenagers and the lost in their own worlds uncles and aunts on scooters are going to be responsible for their own lives.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by JithinR

.... Otherwise, we can just go on hoping that the hot blooded teenagers and the lost in their own worlds uncles and aunts on scooters are going to be responsible for their own lives.

Everyone has a responsibility to drive safely and not endanger others around them, but everyone is also ultimately responsible for their own safety too.

Visibility and dynamics vary widely across vehicle types, which the majority of our self-taught drivers/riders either don't assign enough importance to, or are just ignorant of altogether. Cutting in front of another bike or a small car with inches to spare might get one screeching brakes followed by an angry honk, do the same thing to a loaded truck and one will need to be scraped off the road.

Given what we witness on the road everyday, far too many people don't understand or appreciate the difference. It's all just the same to them. 'Gap see, gap fill'.

I refer you to a comment I made on the previous page. If people followed even this basic etiquette, of making sure their presence has registered with the vehicles in their immediate vicinity before making any moves, we'll all be much, much safer.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

....
If one is involved in a traffic situation where staying safe involves both parties to act a certain way, it's of paramount importance that both parties are at least aware of each other's presence, before any other considerations are taken into account.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Everyone has a responsibility to drive safely and not endanger others around them, but everyone is also ultimately responsible for their own safety too.

Yep agreed with this. Obviously.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Visibility and dynamics vary widely across vehicle types, which the majority of our self-taught drivers/riders either don't assign enough importance to, or are just ignorant of altogether. Cutting in front of another bike or a small car with inches to spare might get one screeching brakes followed by an angry honk, do the same thing to a loaded truck and one will need to be scraped off the road.
It's all just the same to them. 'Gap see, gap fill'.

Despite what some might think or believe there are a quite a few riders who acknowledge the risk a two wheeler has to take on roads and ride in a safe manner to reach their homes.

I do try to follow the advice from youtuber mcrider who stated the best way to be safe on a bike is to ride it like a car (that is no 'gap see gap fill') just to reduce the risk. Don't worry, this knowledge is not some arcane mumbo jumbo known only to four wheelers.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

I refer you to a comment I made on the previous page.

I would like to point out that in this incident your comment would apply to both the bus driver and bike rider (you obviously already know this). The bus driver can't possibly see the bike due to his blindspot but that does not absolve him and the conductor of their responsibility to do exactly what you mentioned (there is a reason why heavy vehicles take a slow long turn with a spotter to get into these roads and not short quick ones ...their bus time and schedule be damned).

This is exactly what I have mentioned from the beginning but it seems to beyond the grasp of some members here.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by JithinR

...this knowledge is not some arcane mumbo jumbo known only to four wheelers....

I usually go out of my way to generalize my criticism of on-road behavior, because the only true difference I see is the higher vulnerability of a pedestrian or two-wheeler rider to injury/death in incidents that would only cause inconvenient material damage to a larger vehicle and its relatively safer occupant.

Otherwise, the mentality doesn't really change with vehicle type. 'Gap see, gap fill' is practiced as much by BMTC buses (esp. the slick-handling Volvos) on Bangalore roads as moped riders. Consequences vary, of course.

Hence my perennial insistence that the most vulnerable road users should also be the most careful, mostly out of a sense of self-preservation. I practice what I preach, I'm far more paranoid on my feet and scooter than in my car.

P.S. I attribute the apparent anti-biker bias to the fact that there are a lot of them (us?) around, are most at risk, and most (not all) seem oblivious of the dangers they're nonchalantly subjecting themselves to.

P.P.S. Thad has an old-time saying that went something along the lines of 'Whether he was right or wrong, he was just as dead'. Food for thought.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

P.S. I attribute the apparent anti-biker bias to the fact that there are a lot of them (us?) around, are most at risk, and most (not all) seem oblivious of the dangers they're nonchalantly subjecting themselves to.

Speaking for myself - if you saw my dashcam clip on the prior page where a rider almost got run over by a turning JCB backhoe, you'll notice the self-righteous indignance with which the 2 wheeler rider glared back at the backhoe operator.

That self-righteous indignance of theirs gets my goat every single time. And I don't carry a chip on my shoulder against 2 wheelers since I qualify as a rider myself. It is just appalling to me how self-entitled our 2 wheeler riders are.

As Martin Niemoller might put it in this context - first, these errant riders came at the backhoe driver, then they came at the bus/lorry drivers....pretty soon, they'll be taking a swing at me when I'm driving my car. I'd be blinking with my jaw hanging low at how cavalier such riders are and at their chutzpah - to blame us for their mistakes!

[self_driven]

Friends, let's put the 2-wheeler vs 4-wheeler debate aside and just stick to the topic of this thread.

Also, I'd request members to avoid using words such as "get squashed", "scrape off the road" and "end up in the morgue" to spice up their posts. End of the day, those who are involved in accidents are also humans, with feelings, with families. Please exercise your good command over English language in other threads and try to be more considerate here at least when referring to humans.

It's a request

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by self_driven

....avoid using words"scrape off the road" and "end up in the morgue" to spice up their posts...

...those who are involved in accidents are also humans, with feelings, with families....

I said both those things, and let me tell you in no uncertain terms I meant both of those things as written. It's neither spice to grab eyeballs nor a language skills competition (who are we trying to impress here?), it's just harsh reality.

It happened to a rather close classmate back in college, and we literally had to experience both those things in quotes you're offended by. I'll spare you the gory details, but let's just say I haven't forgotten the horror of witnessing the aftermath or having to inform the unfortunate family, and experience their reaction to the devastating news while I stood there shaking with a few other classmates, mere kids barely out of our teens who had no idea how to react or console them.

It's a very painful memory to this day, and every single biker I see on the roads avoiding an accident by a whisker makes me flinch in my mind (and sometimes visibly) to this day.

If these posts help even one of our readers avoid a similar fate by convincing them to drive/ride safe(r), or talk some sense in to someone they know, I'd consider it worth our while. If getting offended by 'insensitive' comments makes an irresponsible pedestrian, biker or car driver pause the next time and think about their families and their feelings as they indulge in risky on-road behavior, I hope to 'offend' a lot more people, as many as I can.

You're entitled to your outrage, as am I in telling you it's utterly misplaced.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

P.P.S. Thad has an old-time saying that went something along the lines of 'Whether he was right or wrong, he was just as dead'. Food for thought.

This is the rhyme my dad taught me when I insisted that I was right, as a young child, to run across the pedestrian crossing:

He was right, dead right, as he toddled along
But he's just as dead as if he's been wrong

Originally Posted by self_driven

Friends, let's put the 2-wheeler vs 4-wheeler debate aside and just stick to the topic of this thread.

In some cases that is just not possible.

Also, I'd request members to avoid using words such as "get squashed", "scrape off the road" and "end up in the morgue" to spice up their posts.

In some cases it is sadly appropriate.

End of the day, those who are involved in accidents are also humans, with feelings, with families.

Haunting, seeng that guy come under the wheel. Almost wish I hadn't watched it. Horrible.

Please exercise your good command over English language in other threads and try to be more considerate here at least when referring to humans.

Have done and will continue to do. Day by day, what I see and have to deal with on the roads makes me less patient, and more blunt.

If more people really considered the possibility of getting squashed, scraped off the road, and ending up in the morgue, they would live longer. And cause less grief (passing to their fellow motorists; sometimes horribly permanent to their families) to those around them.

Here's an old fishermen's saying:

People should be afraid of the sea, or else they will end up drowned.
We are afraid of the sea, and we are not drowned very often.

Sadly, what we see the most is, Nothing will happen. And if it does, it's everybody else's fault.

[Sarvodaya]

From facebook fowards. Drink and Drive Aftermath





https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater



This Driver should be given Bharat Ratna Award for his State of the Art Skillful Driving

https://www.facebook.com/16654969637...zMzYyODgxMTI0/

[rakirank]

I don't drive around much in the city (Bangalore) off late.

Today was one of those rare occasions and it only reinforced my resolve to leave the car at home unless it'a an early morning or late night drive.

I switched on the dash-cam after seeing bikes riding into on-coming traffic with utter disregard for their own safety and that of other road users.

See for yourself. I count 14 bikes on the wrong side of the road in just 2 mins.
The first one at 25 seconds is completely undeterred by the on-coming traffic and seems to believe he has right of way!
He is soon followed by another bike which plays should I/shouldn't I from 40 seconds onwards before throwing caution to the wind.
Other merrily follow.

I appreciate that I was a bit tardy myself in making the turn as I could not see the signal (vehicle in front of me completely blanked the signal from my view).

PS: I need to reset the dashcam date and time.

https://youtu.be/LEvpV2-FSF4

[shankha007]

Was moving out of the Honda dealership after taking a test drive of the City petrol, and this wrecked Amaze was towed in. It was already evening and i was running late and could take only two pictures. Also, nobody from service was there to give any kind of information about the crash.

From what it seemed like, the impact was biased towards the right of the vehicle. Both the airbags were deployed and the hood had folded back creating a hole in the windshield glass.

The right side A-pillar and passenger compartment seemed intact. Although could not see the other side of the vehicle.

So the GNCAP ratings for the Amaze under the "Safer Cars for Africa" campaign might hold true for the Indian version as well. Just a speculation as i am unaware of the background or severity of the accident.

Here are the images. The rear bumper might have gotten a little loose due to the impact.

Take care, drive safe!

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by JithinR

have put 6.2k helmet on my head and 4.9k glove on my hands before going to get my first bike

Dear friend, I appreciate your preparedness, however you are probably in 0.1% of the total bike riders in our country.

I rode bike since college days to well into my professional life (and even now ride occasionally), but never had true sense of understanding about how to ride properly. Used to commit all the kind of idiotic mistakes that are being attributed to bike riders in past few pages. I learnt to swirl, cut, race bikes like most Indians do, from friends, and probably from movies etc. No formal trainings obviously.

those with heavy vehicles also have the responsibility of taking a more measured and careful approach when on our choatic roads.

I agree here. However, I had chance to drive medium commercial vehicles (like Tata 407, 709) in controlled access locations. And I can very well say that there's a limit to which a driver in such vehicles can react to sudden situations, however slow the speed might be; and not to forget the huge blind spots these vehicles have.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Everyone has a responsibility to drive safely and not endanger others around them, but everyone is also ultimately responsible for their own safety too.

Visibility and dynamics vary widely across vehicle types, which the majority of our self-taught drivers/riders either don't assign enough importance to, or are just ignorant of altogether.

Absolutely correct. The short experience of driving trucks surely made me a better bike rider and car driver, as thereafter I can understand the limitations of big vehicles. Proper training and evaluation before issuing license is the need (for every vehicle class).

Infact, I tend to change my driving style when my car is fully loaded or when I drive longer vehicles like Innova, just to account for added weight --> increased braking distance; and longer wheelbase --> longer turning radius. Not to miss the change in turning characteristics in both cases; and a few other adaptations for road conditions and visibility.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

the only true difference I see is the higher vulnerability of a pedestrian or two-wheeler rider to injury/death in incidents that would only cause inconvenient material damage to a larger vehicle and its relatively safer occupant.

True. Whenever, I am :

Driving car --> be careful of everything on the road,
Riding bike --> be careful of everything on the road
Walking --> be careful of everything on road

In nutshell, my safety lies with me. If I worry about my safety, I will automatically care for others' safety.

Originally Posted by locusjag

That self-righteous indignance of theirs gets my goat every single time. And I don't carry a chip on my shoulder against 2 wheelers since I qualify as a rider myself. It is just appalling to me how self-entitled our 2 wheeler riders are.

Whenever I read a news that a two wheeler was run-over by a heavy vehicle, I tend to think "was it really a mistake of bigger vehicle?". This is based on countless near misses that I have seen on the Indian roads, where in most cases the two wheeler riders were the reason for near miss. They simply don't understand the blind spots and, as Chetan_Rao said, the dynamics of big vehicles. I just end up cursing the bikers as their behaviour will create life long trouble for some unsuspecting driver.

PS: before I am bashed, a disclaimer. Not all big vehicle drivers are sane, some are equally big idiots.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

If more people really considered the possibility of getting squashed, scraped off the road, and ending up in the morgue, they would live longer. And cause less grief (passing to their fellow motorists; sometimes horribly permanent to their families) to those around them.

Being a billion sized country, we don't value individual life, neither others' nor ours. Safety is not part of basic curriculum and habit. That's the sad truth.

[mohan41]

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/74156234.cms

This accident has been in the news for a week now. What caught my attention in the above news report is this statement : "But hospital head Dr Perumal said they couldn't treat them since it was an accident case and suggested they go to the nearby government hospital"

Isn't it against the law for private hospitals to refuse treament for accident cases? Are private hospitals still refusing to treat people injured in accidents and should we go to a government hospital first?

[airbus]

Extremely painful to see loss of young lives in this kind of avoidable accident. Rest in peace young souls.

Four school children burnt alive after school van catches fire in Punjab, principal arrested.

CHANDIGARH: Four children including three of the same family burnt to death and eight others were injured as their school van caught fire near Longowal in Sangrur district on Saturday. The police arrested two including the principal-cum owner of the school.

...

Deputy Commissioner of Sangrur, Ghanshyam Thori said that he had ordered police to register a case under section 304 of IPC against the school principal, management, driver and others. He also said that if any official of Regional Transport Authority is found guilty of getting the clearances for this vehicle inspite of its dilapidated condition, action will be taken on that official too.

[NKN]

This happened with us on 15th Feb. My family (with Wife, 2 small kids aged 4 and 11) was travelling from Pune to The Statue of unity. The plan was to travel further onto Ahmadabad and return next Tuesday. Started at around 3am from Pune and took a 40min break around 8:30 am post which my wife took over. We have in the past done multiple road trips with the last being to Udaipur in Jan’20 and hence are very comfortable with the varied highway driving conditions
Anyways, I was catching a quick shut eye while she was to drive the next couple of hours. About over an hour into the drive, was woken up by a loud thud. I see the car spinning, hitting the median and then coming to halt by hitting a truck head on.
First thing I check was for everyone and luckily all seemed to be alright except that my wife was in shock. By Gods grace, not a scratch on either of us. Everyone got out of the car and by this time the truck which had hit our car had driven away. The rest of the traffic had come to a stop and a police training centre driver in a white minibus wanted me to come along to give the truck a chase. He told that the truck turned to the left hitting our car. Before I could move the car to the road side, check on the damage and physical health of others again, they drove away as soon as the car was moved to the side. The other truck driver which we hit head-on stayed back to check on us. I don’t know if the guy who actually hit us was caught. I will admit that I was also in a daze and reaction time was longer than ideal
This was at Ankeleshwar-Motali on NH48 and I next called the highway helpline to receive no response. Sifted through the Honda service booklet and called the near by service centres. Luckily, the service manager from Gopinathji Honda responded and he asked me to send the location and car photos. Immediately after, I called the insurance provider helpline and they also provided the same service centre with Insurance Coordinator details.
In the meanwhile, the service manager called back saying that the car was in drivable condition and can drive slowly. He sent me the location which was luckily only 14 kms from the accident location.
We crawled to the service centre where they were waiting for us. As of now they had assessed the primary damage and have prepared a claim quote . The insurance survey is in progress. All original documents which were on us were provided and photocopied for claim processing. Will get to know the real damage tomorrow- Monday.
From the looks of it, there is damage to the bumper, headlamps, front impact bar, bonnet, left and right fenders, LHS alloy, washer fluid container, rear panel and cladding. We spent almost 2 hours there completing the documentation. The bonnet was yet to be opened to assess for any additional damage while we left the service centre. They assisted arranging a taxi for us to proceed to our SOU accommodation. Have cut short the trip and returned home this evening.
Prima facie, from the dash cam footage it looks like a tight squeeze, but my wife mentions that the traffic pace was slow, there was enough space for the car to get through and the truck would not have hit had he not turned. Anyways, there is no point going that rout since the damage is done.
Any pointers in dealing with the claims process will be helpful and I hope the entire process will be smooth. Any fellow members who is from this area and can provide any assistance please unicat. Thanks for reading