[Funny]

https://youtu.be/NhwkUsE0btU

This unfortunate incident happened a few weeks back. The biker put the indicator and immediately turned right without checking for vehicle behind which could've been avoided if he had mirrors on his bike or if he had checked properly before switching lanes. I was also at fault for not honking since I was not anticipating this situation. I was focusing on the scooter guy ahead and I could've avoided this collision if I had slowed down completely or maintained speed but I had to slow down slightly at the last moment since he abruptly braked without any apparent reason without indicating while merging with the main road. This coupled with the thick A-pillars of the EcoSport prevented me from noticing the biker's lane change intention. The biker's handle hit the rear left portion of the car which resulted in a minor scratch along the rear door edge and rear fender.

Thankfully there was no vehicle behind the biker else the outcome would've been very different. As you can see from the rear cam footage, there were few cops around who rushed to his rescue while I parked my car. The biker sat on the footpath while I grabbed a water bottle for him from my car. The biker got verbally aggressive (adrenaline rush) with me claiming that I ran into him which wasn't true since I had almost crossed him when he collided with my car, the cops diffused the situation and accompanied us to a nearby Hospital where I got him treated for his injuries, he got a minor shoulder fracture sadly. The cops present were very supportive and understood the situation before blaming any party. I had also shown the dashcam footage to the senior cop post which he assured me that it's going to be okay and he would press for amicable resolution between both the parties which he did and I am grateful to him for that because in such scenarios the car guy is always at fault and if there is no one to support you then you will be in a soup. No charges were filed by either party. Although I was not happy about the damage to my car, I was really glad that nothing major happened.

The other lesson I learnt that day was related to post accident handling of the situation. If one needs medical attention then it's best to find a small clinic nearby and avoid big commercial Hospitals. This being my first time, I didn't think much while we went to a big Hospital at a walkable distance. The experience at the Hospital's Emergency Room was below par. They made me run to the pharmacy and invoicing counter multiple times that took a up lot of time which resulted in delayed attention to the injured. And let's not even get to the amount I was charged at the Hospital. The Hospital didn't care about the emergency situation, they lacked any sense of urgency and were only focused on creating a huge unnecessary bill. Let's just say I was billed for 3 different doctor consultations (1 of which got waived off after my confrontation) which supposedly happened within a span of 15 mins while I was busy clearing some other invoice at their reception

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by Funny

The cops present were very supportive and understood the situation before blaming any party. I had also shown the dashcam footage to the senior cop post which he assured me that it's going to be okay and he would press for amicable resolution between both the parties which he did and I am grateful to him for that because in such scenarios the car guy is always at fault and if there is no one to support you then you will be in a soup. No charges were filed by either party.

I'll make it a practice to comment and congratulate folks who use dashcams. Thank you for getting one and yet again, another example of how dashcams can save you from a ton of hassles!

Although I was not happy about the damage to my car, I was really glad that nothing major happened.

I applaud you for stopping and taking the guy to the hospital. Not many would have done that and yes, consider yourself extremely lucky. Another vehicle from behind could've turned this thing bad very quickly. As a mental note, if you see bikers without rear-view mirrors splitting the lanes, try to stay behind, honk as much as possible and then overtake. It is pathetic, but that's the reality.

[poised2drive]

Originally Posted by Funny

https://Youtu.be/NhwkUsE0btU

This unfortunate incident happened a few weeks back. The biker put the indicator and immediately turned right without checking for vehicle behind which could've been avoided if he had mirrors on his b

Whoa.. lucky escape for both of you. Glad that nothing untoward happened.

That biker, like a typical Indian biker, was ignorant of the fact that there could be other vehicles on the road and cannot change the lanes like he jaywalks into his bathroom.


Thank the Dashcams that served as your guardian angels !

Without them, I am afraid it could have been worse.

And my Thumbrule, though it might stand against the spirit of this forum- Honk when you see a bike in front; honk more if the bike is adjacent as my instinct always tells he will veer into my path.. honk till biker acknowledges your presence

This may seem irksome, but I am just fearful of the crazy antics of the bikers!

[Funny]

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

As a mental note, if you see bikers without rear-view mirrors splitting the lanes, try to stay behind, honk as much as possible and then overtake. It is pathetic, but that's the reality.

Originally Posted by poised2drive

And my Thumbrule, though it might stand against the spirit of this forum- Honk when you see a bike in front; honk more if the bike is adjacent as my instinct always tells he will veer into my path.. honk till biker acknowledges your presence

Yes, although I am not a fan of honking unnecessarily. After this incident I have started honking more when I see any two wheeler around me while overtaking. But nowadays majority of the two wheeler riders have their ears plugged. They are either listening to music or taking phone calls due to which one has to honk multiple times to draw their attention

Also to add to my previous post, the bike rider was doing fine. He was much calmer after getting treated, maybe he realized that it was not entirely my fault. He was treated for his bruises, given a shot of tetanus and a arm pouch for his shoulder. The doctor had asked him to take rest for few days to allow the shoulder to heal automatically. His wife came to the Hospital to take him home and we parted ways after exchanging numbers.

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by Funny

...The biker got verbally aggressive (adrenaline rush) ...
I got him treated for his injuries...
The cops present were very supportive and understood the situation before blaming any party...

You did the right thing and this is no mean feat given the circumstances. This is a quality very few have. Its easy to lose your humanity under stress.
Also encouraging to know that the police were fair and professional.
A dashcam is probably the most important accessory you can have in your car.

[adisan]

Originally Posted by Funny

The biker put the indicator and immediately turned right without checking for vehicle behind which could've been avoided if he had mirrors on his bike or if he had checked properly before switching lanes.

Have observed that some people look to be in deep thought, even while driving or riding. They then seem to arrive at a decision to make a turn as a result of their deep thought. A few of them switch their indicator, others don't do even that. Regardless of indicating or not, they immediately make the move for the intended change in direction, without checking the RVMs.

It is as though they believe that the responsibility for their safety lies with all the others on the road.

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

As a mental note, if you see bikers without rear-view mirrors splitting the lanes, try to stay behind, honk as much as possible and then overtake. It is pathetic, but that's the reality.

+1 to that. If I see a biker without RVMs than I exercise extra caution until I cross him (or he passes me). I really don't know what it is with bikers and their aversion to having RVMs. I for one cannot ride my bike without both mirrors. Of course, I have also seen bikers with RVMs but with the mirrors pointing to the sky or elsewhere. Awareness is the key which unfortunately is lacking big time in our country.

[prajwalmr62]

Originally Posted by poised2drive

And my Thumbrule, though it might stand against the spirit of this forum- Honk when you see a bike in front; honk more if the bike is adjacent as my instinct always tells he will veer into my path.. honk till biker acknowledges your presence

I always honk like a clown when I see a biker going in the middle of the road. Bonus honks if,

* 3/4/5 people on the bike
* No helmets
* Speaking on a phone
* No mirrors at all
* Mirrors exist, but turns around to see me (after honking).
* Zig zaging on road (why tho)
* Talking to the pillion rider

I also once saw a middle guy holding the phone for the rider while all three of them talking. No helmets, No mirrors, bike's all over the road. Once I honked, all three turned around to see me.

These are very immediate indicators that they are totally oblivious to their immediate surroundings.

Even if someone riding carefully, I honk a very short curtsy one before overtaking so that they are not caught by surprise (especially if older people are riding).

[Funny]

Originally Posted by prajwalmr62

* 3/4/5 people on the bike
* No helmets
* Speaking on a phone
* No mirrors at all
* Mirrors exist, but turns around to see me (after honking).
* Zig zaging on road (why tho)
* Talking to the pillion rider

Let me add few things that we should check in case of 4-wheelers:
* Overloaded vehicle
* No mirrors/folder mirrors
* Tinted/Govt vehicles
* Maniac/Zig-zag driving
* Talking on Phone or with Passengers
* Racers/Drifters (I have actually seen few instances of people drifting on crowded public roads)
* Traffic violators (They don't care about traffic fines, don't expect them to care about your vehicle)
* Distracted drivers (Like driving very slowly on the middle lane of a empty main road)

Driving in India entails so much analysis on the road

One cannot simply enjoy driving peacefully without worrying even if you are driving in a very sane manner following all the traffic rules, you must anticipate and analyze every move of every other road user while driving/riding. Whereas in a developed country with sane people on roads, you can actually enjoy driving since you don't have to worry about so many things going wrong.

[aniketi]

Mahindra cars are surely safe (5 stars) cars but IMHO they don't have enough braking power to stop the car at speed. Cars weight is also at play here. There are so many accidents reported for XUV500, Scorpio where drivers are driving fast and met with an accident as brakes are not sufficient enough to stop the car in time. I have driven XUV500 of my cousin and I found braking insufficient for the kind of power it generates from the engine. Frankly speaking I felt unsafe in it due to this particular reason.

Coming back to accident here, driver of XUV700 is at fault for sure and must be a stupid driver. The way he crashes into bus is just horrible and careless driving. First and basic mistake is by XUV700 driver only, at road crossing he was driving at such insane speed. He is fortunate enough that he & others are still alive.

[honeybee]

Witnessed an accident today.

After leaving the Pune - Mumbai expressway, I drove over the two flyovers and moved to the left lane, as I had to take a right from under the next flyover.

There was a cabbie way ahead, taking the flyover. He decided to take a sharp left to get into my lane (as he wanted to skip the flyover and take the same right as I). A biker following the cab was caught by surprise. The cab knocked him off his bike, and sped away. The biker rolled over a couple of times and fell flat.

As I pulled over my car close to the spot, I could see his nose bleeding, but to my relief he moved and got up, on all fours. Within no time a few other bikers had stopped too, and along with one of them I helped the injured biker walk away. As we sat him in an empty rickshaw, I heard him ask about his chappal that had slipped off his foot, and I knew he would be more or less ok. Relieved, I left the spot.

He was wearing a helmet. If he hadn't been, he would have had some serious head injuries. Thank god and his safety measures. Hope he recovers soon.

Just one request: Observe all safety precautions, please.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Funny

I was focusing on the scooter guy ahead and I could've avoided this collision if I had slowed down completely or maintained speed but I had to slow down slightly at the last moment since he abruptly braked without any apparent reason without indicating while merging with the main road.

Good on you for looking after the two wheeler rider.

More than blind spots created by your vehicle, speed was the real culprit. Your time window to react is less when you carry more speed.

I can't say if its the footage appearing to play faster or if that is the true speed you were traveling at. It does not appear you had slowed down for the intersection (or cut in the road) either. It looked like a close call with the guy in the blue shirt cutting across the road too. He did pretty much the same thing. This is a dangerous situation to be in. You must slow down for intersections.

[chaitanyakrish]

Originally Posted by Funny

https://Youtu.be/NhwkUsE0btU

This unfortunate incident happened a few weeks back. The biker put the indicator and immediately turned right without checking for vehicle behind which could've been avoided if he had mirrors on his bike or if he had checked properly before switching lanes. I was also at fault for not honking since I was not anticipating this situation.

Unfortunate, but very nice of you and the cops to handle the situation in a very polite manner, thanks to the dashcam.

The biker at 00:04 started moving towards your lane and turned his head to look at you. That might be the first indication that he will change lanes and for you to slowdown. Just a thought.

Faced a similar situation a few days ago, where bikers are changing lanes without indicator, we have to guess from their wheel direction, which way they would go.

Some interesting videos on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYmdz6dujqM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHnXrX9GRfo

[Akshay6988]

Originally Posted by Funny

This unfortunate incident happened a few weeks back. The biker put the indicator and immediately turned right without checking for vehicle behind

Another save by dashcams, rear one too !! Had there been any vehicle behind that moron biker, situation would have been very grave, I can't even imagine. I'd not blame you for accident, as it's not your job to move aside for a moron who can't see clearly in front. Just turning on indicator and slightly tilting nake towards direction doesn't grant bikers permission to turn blindly I see lot of these idiots on Pune roads daily, that too without helmet

[kiranton]

https://youtu.be/baDX3VBeRZ0

Something very similar happened to me. Was cruising at around 85-90km/hr on Nh 47 near Thrissur when a biker merged onto the highway and crashed onto my car (BMW 320d). He was a young guy 19-20 years old on his new Dominar, hardly a month old. I took him to a nearby hospital and was soon joined by his friends and locals at the hospital. Those who saw the incident admitted it was biker's fault. I paid for all the hospital bills/procedures/consultations. The biker apologised for his mistake and his mother also thanked me for paying hospital bills.

2 weeks later, I got a call from the local police station (2 hours away from my house) that there is a guy who filed a complaint against me for causing an accident. I told them that I have the dashcam footage and can share it with them. He asked me to meet the SI next day with my footage and also called the biker. The biker didnt turn up. Police told me not to worry as my dashcam footage clearly showed the incident and I left.

2 weeks later, I got a call from the same police station saying the biker has now has some new evidence against me. I went again and biker was there this time around. He showed a 2 second clip of the accident (from the cctv footage from a nearby bakery) from a side profile where you can't make out who's at fault. I showed my clip and the SI immediately asked the other guy why he wants to file a case against me as my footage clearly shows who's at fault and dismissed the case.

I should have made a GD entry in the police station that same day itself. Someone must have instigated the young guy to file a case me to get some more money. Attaching the footage