[Guru_Shikhar]

Terrible terrible accident on the infamous Navle Bridge near Narhe in Pune on Mumbai Bengluru highway (while coming from Satara).

https://https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/tanker-30-vehicles-punes-navale-bridge-injured-8279660/

https://www.esakal.com/pune/terrible...-injured-rak94


The estimated number of cars / vehicles affected is minimum 47 if other official news are to be believed.


High times for Highway Authority of India and concerned officials to take action and sort the problem.

[antz.bin]

The accident site is barely 3-4km from my place. In front of my pre-covid office. It is a long flyover with a speed camera with a prominent flash to discourage over-speeding just before it starts.

To have such a massive pileup, there has to be a mechanical issues leading to brake failure. Since it is a flyover, the truck probably couldn't be steered off the road to avoid the vehicles which usually slow down to take the exit towards Sinhgad Road.

There is not much info but it is a gentle slope down the flyover to the aforementioned exit. I read somewhere that it was due to brake failure. Seems plausible. Brake failure must have happened much earlier and the driver may not have realised. The down-hill slope starts almost 8km prior to the accident site (starting from New Katraj Tunnel). The altitude goes down almost 400m in the span of those 8 km which is usually free flowing traffic going at good speeds (google says it can be done in 8 minutes). This could have led to the brakes heating up too much and failing eventually.


The first article I find for this is 9:23 PM yesterday in Sakal. Probably happened 30-60 minutes earlier. I was thinking of going on a drive with family on that side yesterday afternoon. Good that we decided not to go at the last moment.

[Yash390]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

To have such a massive pileup, there has to be a mechanical issues leading to brake failure. Since it is a flyover, the truck probably couldn't be steered off the road to avoid the vehicles which usually slow down to take the exit towards Sinhgad Road.

As per the RTO inspection, the brakes were fully functional. The driver was coasting in neutral it seems. Putting the vehicle in neutral when going downhill is a very common and dangerous practice I frequently see in hilly areas.

https://indianexpress.com/article/ci...sment-8280342/

[NiInJa]

My house is situated right on the highway, just 3 kilometers away from Navale bridge and I could see quite a few ambulances heading towards the bridge around 9 PM yesterday. Few minutes later I got a message about this massive accident.

While driving on this stretch right from the new Katraj Tunnel till Warje, I spend a lot of time looking in the rear view mirror, taking mental notes on which trucks are passing by my car and pray that there is no traffic jam after the Narhe viaduct. The slope is deceptively steep and heavy vehicles will gain tremendous amount of momentum if the speeds are not controlled. There are warning boards of all sorts on the entire stretch, but it is still not enough. A time will come when I will start using the old Katraj ghat and avoid this road entirely when heading towards Pune. It will add some time but atleast the drive will be a little stress free.

[StopUnderrides]

Originally Posted by Yash390

As per the RTO inspection, the brakes were fully functional. The driver was coasting in neutral it seems. Putting the vehicle in neutral when going downhill is a very common and dangerous practice I frequently see in hilly areas.

https://indianexpress.com/article/ci...sment-8280342/

Involuntary manslaughter charges should be filed against this truck driver for negligent driving. I hope someone files a PIL in High Court asking the authorities to install a runaway ramp-such ramps are common even in undeveloped countries like Thailand to take care of brake failure cases.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runawa...scape_ramp.jpg

[adi.mariner]

Passed the section today at 4pm where the accident had taken place. There are multiple hoardings saying "Do Not Coast in Neutral Gear or Switch off your Engine" as well as Rumbler strips. Also the speed limit of 60 kmph is very clearly mentioned everywhere. A speed camera which flashes a LED light has been fitted as well (not sure if it actually issues challans). The driver should be held and booked for the offence of damaging the vehicles. Luckily there weren't any deaths.

[Maverick_4662]

Originally Posted by Yash390

As per the RTO inspection, the brakes were fully functional. The driver was coasting in neutral it seems.

Driving in neutral with the engine switched off according to a news article. How will the air brakes work with the engine off? It is my understanding that with no pressure in the system, the brakes will stay applied , not allowing the vehicle to move. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Considering that the truck was in motion, safe to assume that there was enough pressure in the air bottle for the brakes to be applied even with the engine shut off?

[Hbh]

Apparently, the driver of the truck turned the ignition off to save fuel which is the stupidest thing I've read in a while. Trucks should use as much engine braking as possible and not drag the brakes even when they are fully functional. And this guy thought who needs power brakes or power steering.
Although, the driver has not been caught so I'm not sure how they came to this conclusion. Article linked below.

https://www.timesnownews.com/pune/pu...ticle-95658271

[Ice]

Originally Posted by Hbh

Although, the driver has not been caught so I'm not sure how they came to this conclusion.

Possibly the truck was found in neutral at the accident spot?
This is the only explanation I can think of to explain the statement.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by Hbh

Although, the driver has not been caught so I'm not sure how they came to this conclusion.

The RTO had checked the vehicle and declared that there was nothing wrong with the bakes so ruled out brake failure.

Sadly a common practice is to coast in neutral to save a few drops of fuel.

So I assume they assumed.

[Axe77]

^^. Re Navale accident.

The level of driver stupidity in our country is really beyond belief and I wonder where a correction can even begin.

I have no idea how they would even begin to try and enforce against drivers practicing this. Even if they do, its far too systemic to change with mere policing. Attitudes have to change and I really don’t see how such a deep rooted change can be implemented.

[GeeTee TSI]

I might be making sweeping statements here, but the skill level, knowledge and experience in drivers of heavy vehicles are not always proportionate to the type (and weight) of the cargo they haul. Shortcuts learnt as 'tricks of the trade' in the most unscientific manner is an utmost dangerous trend coupled with blissful ignorance (I don't think any veteran driver would have attempted this 'hack').

I sometimes rue the fact that perhaps the drivers have no ownership (literally as well) owing to their hand-to-mouth existence

[chaitanyakrish]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

Shortcuts learnt as 'tricks of the trade'

One of my friend is driving cars for more than 20 years and he has this habit of coasting in neutral.

We always had a disagreement on this practice and when I shared the above incident with him, his response was "somehow I do it more often, but I do it only when absolutely safe" .

May be these habits are picked up in early stages and never got corrected.

[silverado]

How is it possible to steer the truck when engine is switched off? IMO hydraulics need engine power without which the truck would be rock hard to steer. Of course brakes will not work as well, but assuming he did that inside the tunnel or just after that he had ample time to correct his mistake.

Unless the driver is found, this could just be a theory the local investigators may have come up with. Why has no one thought about driver being intoxicated or driver fatigue?

[AttyBhai]

Originally Posted by theabstractmind

To me there looks like two elements involved:
1. The flyover seems to have a sharper than expected curve - at least for the speeds which some of the vehicles were doing and especially for the biker. You can see the yellow truck also struggling a bit to negotiate the curve just before the biker arrives at the scene.

2. The biker seems to be trying to overtake the LCV which appears immediately after the biker crashes. Most likely the biker was already doing fairly high speeds, tries to overtake this LCV from the left without judging the curve ahead - of course the curve is blinding his line of sight - and is taken by surprise when he attempts to overtake.

Just to clarify to my fellow motorists - It is a straight flyover. Doesn't curve.

The gentlemen on the two-wheeler were most probably inebriated and hurtling down the flyover in a hurry to meet their maker.

The message communicated by the DCP in the video was that about 35% of accidents in that jurisdiction occur at night by people not following rules and speeding, jumping signals, wrong side driving - you name the violation - it happens.

I have expressed my angst in this forum earlier too about the callous attitude of many motorists at night who believe that traffic rules do not have to be followed after 9.00 pm. There is scant regard for discipline and safety -theirs or others. And sadly most of these violators are "educated". IT employees.