[chaitanyakrish]

Originally Posted by freakmuzik

If you slow down the video and watch it

That looks like an avoidable accident at all cost.

A side road is merging with main road. There are two main rules that apply here.

1. Vehicles going straight has right of way, so the other car must Stop, Look and Proceed before merging. The other guy didn't do as its a norm in our country.

2. If the other guy didn't do, the victim car has another rule, which says, slow down near intersections, which he didn't do.

When we see a bus coming from the opposite side and there is a side road, be defensive, expect someone to popup suddenly from side road, slowdown a little until we cross the intersection point, even if there's no one.

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by chaitanyakrish

When we see a bus coming from the opposite side and there is a side road, be defensive, expect someone to popup suddenly from side road, slowdown a little until we cross the intersection point, even if there's no one.

From the reports we get to hear, the vehicles were not at high speed. It's not proper intersection as well, but one of those numerous byroads that merge onto main ones.

The byroad is likely to be the type thats perpendicular to the main road where the vehicles plying freely will have very low visibility (it's difficult to even see that there's a road there)

To me, this accident is caused by that erring car who merged without looking and others paying the price. This is a serious menace.

[GeneralJazz]

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

Police party obliterated. I don't know what is safe and what is unsafe in our country.

The calm and composed manner in which he gathers a couple of his belongings and slips out of the vehicle, makes me think this isn't his first "accident". Hope he's caught soon.

[jigar1791@gmail]

So finally, the car is back from the workshop after spending 21 days. Front and Rear bumpers replaced, 1 rear parking sensor unit replaced and few minor bumps and dents worked upon. The vehicle looks brand new, with wax polish and fresh paint applied wherever necessary.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Passengers can be useful. Never nag the driver, but be like a watch keeper at sea. Just tell what you see. I always tell my passengers to do that. Usually I have seen, but there's always a chance they might save some bodywork or even a life.

That can be made possible while we're in motion, when our co-passenger acts as our navigator, alerting and informing us of any probable blocker on the left side (majorly) BEFORE we spot it. This sort of an arrangement/tele-pathy works well when I'm at the wheel with my father/wife being the navigator, but never works when my mom occupies the front passenger seat
But when you are stationary and in an event of a rear-ending, you're as hapless as a chicken is when it's under the knife!

Originally Posted by amrutmhatre90

Glad to know you and your family are fine. I always am scared about the rear impact rather than front collision. I drive with good distance between two, but during hard breaking scenarios my first reaction is checking the rear view mirror.
Road is filled with idiots and careless people.

Time and again we have experienced/been warned of the dangers lurking on our roads. These dangers are not just present in terms of badly designed structures, hastily laid roads filled with pot-holes, the ever-so-eager bikers/3 wheelers but also with the heavy haulers with egos matching Mt. Everest.

In my case, the dumper driver was talking on the phone which I could see very well when I stepped out of the car after the impact (he had his phone in his hand when he got down from the truck).
In short, I had to bear the brunt of the mental stress post the accident for no fault of mine !

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

We can just imagine two Tata trucks on both ends and a Maruti in between to fathom what could have been the scenario had the dumper hit the car at any higher speed. Moreover, the Ciaz endured it well though the damage that has happened makes one sad and much disturbed.

While we all have debated the fragile build quality of the Ciaz on this forum, the car did manage to save us all from a certain catastrophe!
We have a CNG WagonR as our city beater, which we generally prefer while doing in-city travels. On that fateful day, I just thought to take the Ciaz out for our travel (maybe a god-send sign) and that happened.
My family gets terrified by the thought of us being in the WagonR on that day.

It was bad luck that played a major role.

Can't we call it negligence? That the dumper driver couldn't brake his vehicle from a distance, when everyone in front of him were stuck for ~ 10 seconds?

The ASC will surely be able to put your car back in ship shape soon, even though at a cost.

The total claim amount is around INR 83,000/-. Since my insurance isn't Maruti affiliated, I had to pay about 4K towards painting/polishing charges.

Originally Posted by whitewing

Good to hear that you and your family is unscathed!

Was the car in neutral / was the hand break engaged?

Yes, the car was in neutral, with brakes applied. I do not engage the hand-brake while being momentarily stuck.

[MT_Hyderabad]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Very unfortunate. However, another thing to observe is that Police is having barricades in middle of the road and at night times the visibility is already poor. Such barricades are just not visible till the last moment.

At first, it looks like a case of poor visibility; the moment you start peeling the onion, the real cause comes up.

The time on the clock is 2:45.

1am to 4am is the most dangerous time in 24 hrs for drivers. I read it somewhere that accidents are reported higher during this time than any other interval in 24 hours.

All the other vehicles in front of this truck had fully functional and above and beyond lighting. See the ones on top of the truck which was immediately in front of the truck. Moreover, the whole area is over illuminated. See the crashed truck had full light being thrown at it to capture vehicles on the CCTV. An alert driver cannot miss this.

The truck did not make an attempt to brake or swerve just before hitting the barricade. Usually, on seeing such a big obstacle (including the truck) in front of the vehicle, you will swerve. In this case, nothing. An alert driver would have moved up on the divider, I had seen many videos where this is done. Driver tries to save the maximum he can on the driver side. Survival instincts.

Conclusion: Driver slept while driving.

[CarNerd]

Originally Posted by kaps454

Why are you so shocked? A doctor is an ordinary next door guy, they are not the epitome of righteousness. Or are other professions staffed by lessor people and doctors are on some pedestal in your opinion?
I am of the opinion that neither money nor what degrees you have earned make you the person you are. They are a very small part of it. And I am a doctor.

A policeman is also an ordinary next door guy but if he steals, he goes against his duty right? If a judge whose duty is to uphold the law, commits a crime, people get shocked. That was my simple point. A doctor knows more about a human body than the rest of us. There is a reason why Medicine is called a noble profession. There is a reason why used cars driven by doctors are referred as "Doctor maintained car". It instills trust in the eyes of a buyer. So please take my comment in that context.

[Yash390]

What the hell did I just watch. Clear case of DUI ?

https://youtu.be/_1kN4GgTv4g

[WhiteSierra]

Originally Posted by Yash390

What the hell did I just watch. Clear case of DUI ?
https://Youtu.be/_1kN4GgTv4g

Looks like DUI or some insane person behind the wheel. No sane person would do this for others. This person should be banned from driving for life.

[MT_Hyderabad]

Getting some tips from youtube free driving schools is so beneficial. Sometimes, they show you what to do, but this is something what you should never do.

This driving school owner's last maneuver beside the truck was so dangerous that I was shocked to see what he did.

Never overtake a vehicle when the road in front is not visible.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=32Fb_XHNVgU?feature=share

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by WhiteSierra

Looks like DUI or some insane person behind the wheel. No sane person would do this for others. This person should be banned from driving for life.

It could also be a DUI- I meaning drugs case. I am surprised that the police (if on the scene) did not shoot the tyres of that car to prevent further damage to life and property. In the US , the driver also might have been shot by the police.

[ph03n!x]

Originally Posted by chaitanyakrish

...
...
2. If the other guy didn't do, the victim car has another rule, which says, slow down near intersections, which he didn't do.

...

There is a #3 to this, that we have to inculcate.

If your lane is blocked partially or completely, the first reflex is to brake/ slowdown. Not switch to the other lane.

It is a common reflex on our roads (until a while ago, I'm guilty of this behaviour too) to avoid whatever is blocking our path by going around it.

Works fine if the road's relatively empty, or if the other driver (who's lane you're cutting in to) is accommodative and brakes for you.

This is an instance where the driver who's lane got cut in to (bus) is taken by surprise too, couldn't brake in time to avoid a hit.

Like with all accidents, this is my view of the causes -

1. Merging into the traffic without looking
2. DZire not anticipating the merge (not defensive in his driving)
3. When the merge happened, DZire instinctively cuts into the opposite lane (instead of slamming the brakes, maybe resulting in a fender-bender), takes the bus by surprise
4. The bus driver not defensive in his driving either. His height vs. the road ahead gives him a vantage point to view the merging, could have slowed/ braked earlier.

I do not want to include anything sarcastic about the bus driver or how this is too high an expectation when KL bus drivers are in the news for all the wrong reasons off late

Originally Posted by sarathlal

...
To me, this accident is caused by that erring car who merged without looking and others paying the price. This is a serious menace.

While I agree with you that the erring car that merged triggered the string of events, no accident is caused by a singular event.

Had even one of the 4 things listed there happened differently, the accident would have not happened.

I think the learning we should take back from all accidents in this thread is to analyse the string of events that culminated in an accident, and mentally practice/ prepare ourselves to do it differently if we are ever to be involved such a situation (fingers crossed, will never happen!)

[Yash390]

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

This driving school owner's last maneuver beside the truck was so dangerous that I was shocked to see what he did.
Never overtake a vehicle when the road in front is not visible.

He said "left mere khayal se khaali hai", meaning "I guess the left lane is empty". This guessing game can become deadly without any warning. We have already seen many clips on this thread showing the hazards of doing that. There is a reason why, in India, overtaking is to be done from the right and not from the left. It is just not possible to judge the left lane completely when you are driving a RHD vehicle behind another vehicle. People straight up refuse to understand this logic and sway from lane to lane without a worry in the world.

As for the last idiotic manoeuvre, he thinks that changing lanes after indicating is right in all cases. In his case, the vehicle behind him(if any) in the left lane would've had no time to react to this. If you want to change lanes, look in the RVMs for a while, judge the situation, make sure no vehicle is close behind, then use your blinkers, giving some time for the following drivers to understand your intention and then finally overtake. Indians do not have the patience do such a thing. It is too much effort for them. The most annoying thing about Indian drivers is lack of lane discipline. Even in 6/8 lane highways you see cars/trucks chilling in the overtaking lane at 60-70kmph even after all other lanes are empty.

Indian drivers have 0 regard for safety, 0 knowledge, 0 skill, 0 road sense and 0 situational awareness. The combination of these factors is what makes our roads are so dangerous to travel on.

Whenever I see such posts, the rant demon inside me comes to life. Time to snap back to reality and come to terms with the fact that the driving situation will not get better in our country, the end.

[MT_Hyderabad]

How to control a brake failed overloaded truck:

https://youtu.be/0WwRtvdVHDA

[tharian]

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

How to control a brake failed overloaded truck:

https://Youtu.be/0WwRtvdVHDA

Couldn't really understand which direction the road is sloping. From the looks of it , it is a ghat section. (Pune-Mumbai?) If the brakes failed on the flat bed trailer truck and pushed the container truck, ideally the slope is in the direction of the trucks. But after they stopped, the flatbed rolled back and managed to stop too.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by tharian

Couldn't really understand which direction the road is sloping. From the looks of it , it is a ghat section. (Pune-Mumbai?) If the brakes failed on the flat bed trailer truck and pushed the container truck, ideally the slope is in the direction of the trucks. But after they stopped, the flatbed rolled back and managed to stop too.

Erstwhile Amrutanjan Bridge as far as my 18 year ago understanding goes. I think it's a upward slope, hence it rolled back initially, followed by the driver trying to move it to the side.