[Bhupesh_2628]

Originally Posted by avi_swift

And suddenly, a BMW X1 decides that the gap is wide enough, so he crept up to my right.

Hi,

Glad that no one got hurt.

From your incident, I learnt a lesson way back.

Its a serious issue I see everyday that the moment a gap is left by us in crawling traffic, someone will come to jump & fill that gap, thus initiating road rage, more traffic, blocks, minor accidents etc.
Due to this, I always get left behind by others because when 1 person enters that gap, immediately a line of 2-3 cars also try to cover their gaps following him thus leaving me behind by 4 cars with no fault of mine.

I learned that I have to be quick in filling those gaps & keeping (at least 1 metre) safe distance even if I have to use clutch extensively. I have no problems in 2-wheelers passing though as they eventually get to their lanes.

Also, sometimes I act cleverly by blocking the extreme sides of the road where bikers pass through. I do this only when there isn't sufficient space for them to pass. But I know many bikers who still try to pass through that small gap even knowing about it & thus hit my side mirrors.

But if there's gap on extreme sides that I know is sufficient, I always leave enough gap for them to pass but in case of small spaces, I usually block their way because the damage is mine, not theirs.

[StopUnderrides]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The Thar is a total loss as it appears. The 2020 Thar was moving at a high speed but the two occupants escaped with minor injuries. It was providence and perhaps the four NCAP stars that this recent launch from Mahindra has earned which helped save the two lives.

1) The truck had an underride protection bar. This is the factor that contributed the most to saving them
2) The Thar has a high and long bonnet which engaged with the truck
3) Build quality of Thar was able to handle the impact since it was partly on the bumper and partly on the hood instead of entirely on the A pillars. It was somewhat like the GNCAP full frontal against a rigid barrier

[StopUnderrides]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

In the real world, safe supersedes everything else. Physics doesn't care for any laws except its own.

Very well said! The physicist Richard Feynman said something on similar lines post the Challenger space shuttle disaster

Originally Posted by Arwin07

https://Youtu.be/dAkBhn4XDDw
So the doctor sped, chased the bus, overtook the bus and tried to block it's way by sudden brake but lost balance and his car veered to the opposite lane whether it hit another government bus head on resulting in his death on the spot.

In effect, he was PIT manoeuvred by the bus. Doesn’t seem like the bus driver initiated the manoeuvre though. The car seems to be trying to swerve right to brake check the bus.

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by avi_swift

And lastly, I have decided to get a dashcam. I was dilly dallying whether to get one since I consider myself a safe driver and never test my limit or the car's. But as this incident rudely pointed out, I can get into trouble even after driving safe. I don't think the outcome would have been any different in this case even if there was a dashcam, but if the situation is more serious than this, a dashcam would have been vital.

Good for you!

Dashcam is the first thing I bought for my new car. In fact, it was already part of my budget when we were looking for a new car.

I still don't understand why I don't see dashcams in every car that I see. Safe driving has nothing to do with it. If someone believes that accidents will not happen because they drive safe then sorry to burst that bubble.

I'm glad you shared your experience here and your decision to buy a dashcam after this. I hope others who have been toying with the idea goes ahead and buys a good one!

[Small Bot]

Originally Posted by avi_swift

[*]And lastly, I have decided to get a dashcam. I was dilly dallying whether to get one since I consider myself a safe driver and never test my limit or the car's. But as this incident rudely pointed out, I can get into trouble even after driving safe. I don't think the outcome would have been any different in this case even if there was a dashcam, but if the situation is more serious than this, a dashcam would have been vital.

A dashcam should really become a mandatory car accessory. I don't know the statistics, but I bet that a solid percentage of nasty accidents involving injuries happened to drivers through no fault of theirs.
A dashcam is not just a tool to capture events impartially and help you with insurance and police processes, it's also a deterrent in many cases. Almost like how the presence of a CCTV deters many aspiring shoplifters. People behave once they know there's no escaping the big brother who's watching.
I hope to see the day when cars come with factory-built dashcams.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by Small Bot

A dashcam should really become a mandatory car accessory. I don't know the statistics, but I bet that a solid percentage of nasty accidents involving injuries happened to drivers through no fault of theirs.
A dashcam is not just a tool to capture events impartially and help you with insurance and police processes, it's also a deterrent in many cases. Almost like how the presence of a CCTV deters many aspiring shoplifters. People behave once they know there's no escaping the big brother who's watching.
I hope to see the day when cars come with factory-built dashcams.

***Start of Rant***

Oh yes of-course. Since we can't really drill ethics, morals and obedience for law and order, let us simply have more surveillance, dump privacy and choice and take the easier way out by buying more protection when it shouldn't be necessary

***End of Rant***

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by sunilch

***Start of Rant***

Oh yes of-course. Since we can't really drill ethics, morals and obedience for law and order, let us simply have more surveillance, dump privacy and choice and take the easier way out by buying more protection when it shouldn't be necessary

***End of Rant***

How does a dashcam affect privacy, choice??

[Rohan265]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

A Mahindra Thar hits a truck from the rear on the Lucknow Expressway at dawn, gets totalled but the two airbags get activated and the two occupants driving down from Delhi are saved.

https://www.cartoq.com/mahindra-thar...igh-speed/amp/

The Thar is a total loss as it appears. The 2020 Thar was moving at a high speed but the two occupants escaped with minor injuries. It was providence and perhaps the four NCAP stars that this recent launch from Mahindra has earned which helped save the two lives.

Thank you for sharing this.

Originally Posted by StopUnderrides

1) The truck had an underride protection bar. This is the factor that contributed the most to saving them
2) The Thar has a high and long bonnet which engaged with the truck
3) Build quality of Thar was able to handle the impact since it was partly on the bumper and partly on the hood instead of entirely on the A pillars. It was somewhat like the GNCAP full frontal against a rigid barrier

The car's body structure and strength had nothing to do with why the occupants survived.

1. The underride protection device has failed in the crash. The bar has sheared-off, as is common in most underride cases in India.
2. The car has continued to go forwards and has only been stopped by the truck's rearmost tyre on the left. As expected in underrides, the car's body has barely resisted the truck until the car's front hit the tyres. I don't think that the front structures have done much to absorb the impact as the front of the vehicle has lodged in between the truck's tyres and undercarriage.

The car occupants (at least the driver) were saved because the truck had a shorter overhang. If the truck's rear overhang was a foot or two longer, we may have had a fatal crash with the news article stating how the Thar is still unsafe even after getting a 4-star GNCAP rating.
I personally believe that the "safe car" image promoted by some manufacturers may act as a double-edged sword down the line.

Originally Posted by mayankk

Kudos to the car for saving these fellows, but looking at the car, I think it's pure chance/luck that they survived.

I agree. It was dumb luck.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by mayankk

How does a dashcam affect privacy, choice??

1) The rant wasn't just specific for DashCam but in general towards preference towards increased surveillance to safeguard ourselves rather than solve the actual issue of why does someone does anything that may need monitoring? Why shall we employ more surveillance to prove ourselves 'not-guilty' or claim our rightful damages?

2) But it should not be mandatory to have this for sure. It should be a choice. If it becomes mandatory then of-course the entire onus of proving your innocence and/or claim any damage (insurance or otherwise) will fall on the car owner. Imagine if the dashcam develops fault and doesn't work on the day it was expected to work? Simpler life for cops and insurance companies, another headache for the owner to live with.

Anyhow, it was just a rant on a lighter note. Perhaps this thread may not be where we should discuss the topic

[Small Bot]

I'm not sure if we're going off-topic here (Mods, please call it out and delete if it is OT), but I don't think that possessing a dashcam is a violation of anybody's right to privacy. Similar to how you accept that a mall might have CCTVs recording your face when you step in, a dashcam just records events around the car (unless you have an additional cabin-facing cam).
Uploading dashcam footage onto social media or video streaming sites (like FB, YT), with private information like car plate numbers etc. without obtaining prior permission from the people involved, might probably fall into the violation part.
So while I understand your fears of surveillance, letting the dashcam record and then submitting the footage directly to the police / insurance company / court in the event that it is required, is not considered a violation of anybody's privacy rights in India.
Many of us have experienced creepier intrusions into our privacy with Echo or Alexa. I don't understand the resistance towards dashcams.

[ashokabs]

When will people learn that it is always the driver at fault in a skid unless something that is unexpected happens that is outside his control or knowledge - oil on the road is one such possibility or both front tyres bursting at the same time. (It is not hypothetical. I have been in an accident in 1949 when the front tyres both burst one after the other. The driver could not stay on the road!! I was 3 years old and have a vivid memory of that accident.

[avi_swift]

Originally Posted by Bhupesh_2628

Hi,
Glad that no one got hurt.

Thanks. I also drive in a relaxed way and always give space to other impatient motorists. But the situation on that day was such that I was forced to creep towards the service road whenever I got some empty space. The auto was on the extreme right and I was just beside it. As soon as the auto went ahead, a small void was created. Now I was not able to follow the auto since I wanted to go straight to the service road and there were other cars to my left. The BMW driver saw the gap and erroneously concluded that he can fit in resulting in trouble for me

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

Good for you!
I'm glad you shared your experience here and your decision to buy a dashcam after this. I hope others who have been toying with the idea goes ahead and buys a good one!

Yes after my experience, I agree dashcam is very important, irrespective of the way you drive. I had my share of fender benders when I was learning to drive but for the past 6+ years, I did not have a single accident. I believe it was mainly due to me never trying to go out of my abilities and tempting fate (like driving too fast for my reflexes, avoiding driving at night on highways etc.). Sadly, my streak was broken and it was completely due to the other person's fault

One thing I must add is that after I told my family members about it, they strictly instructed me not to behave like that again. Their concern (and I agree with this) is Delhi/NCR sees many incidents of road rage where people has even been murdered for petty incidents like these. And even without insurance, I don't think the repainting will cost more than 5000. So after we recounted our ordeal to our family on 25th evening, they advised me that if faced with this kind of situation again, do not confront them and contact the police directly and hope for the best. I just pray that I don't have to post in this thread in future about something which involves me.

[Akshay6988]

Originally Posted by avi_swift

It was a bad Christmas for me as my car got hit by another yesterday.
At the police station, the officer looked at both the cars, then spoke to each of us separately...

...would have been any different in this case even if there was a dashcam, but if the situation is more serious than this, a dashcam would have been vital.

Buddy I'm sorry about damage to your car, I've faced the similar situation for no fault of mine. But I feel you could have just taken the pics of the cars at that position, took photos of the BMW and the guy's driving license and straight away told him that your insurance company will get in touch with him. Frankly it's just paint damage, luckily no dents. With some rubbing compound, most of the scratches will be taken care of. As far as chipped paint is a concern, will probably need a proper paint coat. Let me assure you, in no way I am belittling your post or the damage to your car. I am just saying you could have avoided the cops and police station ride and just focused on enjoying holiday with your family completely agree with you on getting the dashcam installed ! I'll suggest getting one dashcam for rear as well, as city traffic is just worse.

[StopUnderrides]

Originally Posted by Rohan265

1. The underride protection device has failed in the crash. The bar has sheared-off, as is common in most underride cases in India.
2. The car has continued to go forwards and has only been stopped by the truck's rearmost tyre on the left. As expected in underrides, the car's body has barely resisted the truck until the car's front hit the tyres. I don't think that the front structures have done much to absorb the impact as the front of the vehicle has lodged in between the truck's tyres and undercarriage.

The car occupants (at least the driver) were saved because the truck had a shorter overhang. If the truck's rear overhang was a foot or two longer, we may have had a fatal crash with the news article stating how the Thar is still unsafe even after getting a 4-star GNCAP rating.
I personally believe that the "safe car" image promoted by some manufacturers may act as a double-edged sword down the line.



I agree. It was dumb luck.

Not disagreeing that the tyre may have played a role-perhaps a major role as you say. However breaking the underride bar needs roughly 30kJ of energy so that itself is equivalent to an energy equivalent speed of 20kph. Ultimately even if the tyre was engaged if the frontal structure was flimsy and did not absorb the energy the situation would have been worse. Maybe relative speed was around 40kph though the Thar might have been at 100kph.

I never said that meeting the GNCAP 4 star is sufficient-it’s necessary since otherwise you can get killed even if you hit a plain wall (no underride at all).

[anb]

A speeding lorry crashed into a TNSTC bus today morning. 8 people were injured. Looks like the Lorry lost the brakes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B690ALph_oc