[rudra_shiv]

It is really unfortunate to see the accident. Thanks to the Airbags deployment (despite the fact that passengers not wearing seatbelts) they have saved two lives.

Good that you have taken control and swerved avoiding the collision and kudos to the swift for the timely reflex of stopping the car.

Praying for the speedy recovery of the ppl in the Ertiga and the mini-tempo.

This also brings the importance of a dashcam in a car.

[sravankrishnan]

Originally Posted by clevermax

Unfortunate incident. I've had one hit from a ksrtc, so I'll just stop before the curve at the mere sight of a big metal junk coming towards me at a turn like that.

This is the only viable approach to deal with these menaces.

Originally Posted by epiccross

I was completely within the lane (as you can see) and moved further towards the left once the KSRTC bus was approaching.

In this case I would have braked a lot more as soon as I saw that the bus was partly in the left lane. You carried on a tad more than you should have, which of course is by no means aiming the fault at you.

But in such a situation the priority is to avoid a hit regardless of whose fault it is. Trust me when I say that these guys (and private bus drivers as well) are wired in their brain to scare people out of the way with their bulk and nothing else. They will have no other reflexes and so the onus will always be on us to avoid them. You need an extra level of defensive driving in certain circumstances, as correctly demonstrated in the above post.

[epiccross]

Originally Posted by clevermax

Could you manage to get any compensation from ksrtc? That would be the biggest achievement for any vehicle owner.

Oh jeez, that looks crazy! Although the road is narrower than mine, and the curve steeper, just see the speed at which that guy was coming - gave me chills. No, nothing. i've given up, I just want to claim insurance and get this done with.

Originally Posted by sravankrishnan

This is the only viable approach to deal with these menaces.

[...]
In this case I would have braked a lot more as soon as I saw that the bus was partly in the left lane.

If I were to be in the same situation again, I would have braked. The problem is that, I don't know if the dashcam makes it obvious, but from my POV, I felt that the bus driver moved himself in the lane, as you can see, the front passed me. But the rear hit me after a bit. It was all done in seconds. I perhaps should immediately come to a halt whenever I see "the big metal junk" as clevermax mentioned.

Originally Posted by Grand Tourer

P.S.: I am curious which dashcam are you using to get this 360 coverage? It's really effective and am planning to get one for my verna though I don't know if it will play foul with any of the adas systems. Is it connected to your Sonet's display or does the camera come with its own screen. TIA

Joe

Thanks a lot Joe!

The dashcam is of some Chinese brand, I'll let you know once I get my car back. I've installed this independently with a separate screen, I didn't want to install anything on my car's display. Plus, in reverse, I'll just see the rear camera of the 360 cam otherwise which I didn't want.

[locusjag]

Came across this video uploaded by a truck driver from Tamil Nadu:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/717134...40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Mind boggling really, to see a 2 wheeler just standing there like that in the middle of a national highway. I think I recognize this as the NH that you take to reach Madurai from Trichy.

[wheeledwanderer]

I gave up two-wheeler riding because so many lives are being lost in front of our eyes daily! Unlike a four-wheeler, there is no 1st line of defence in the two-wheeler, like an airbag! The trauma the dead leave on their near and dear ones and their immediate family is enormous and unfathomable! Buses and Lorries on the highways take 2-wheelers for granted and think the road is theirs only. Even 4-wheeler drivers as I can see these days are constantly on their mobile phone where the attention is diverted where there is a high possibility of an accident!

[Yieldway17]

Originally Posted by locusjag

Came across this video uploaded by a truck driver from Tamil Nadu:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/717134...40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

Mind boggling really, to see a 2 wheeler just standing there like that in the middle of a national highway. I think I recognize this as the NH that you take to reach Madurai from Trichy.

Crazy video. This is similar to Chengalpattu exit/junction where this happens more frequently than warranted.

The motorcyclist looks like tried to make a quick dash but stalled. They both are super lucky.

The road design is to blame here again, this place needs a proper interchange or at minimum a simple overpass for the highway. A 90 degree intersection on a highway curve is recipe for disaster anywhere. So many rumble strips on the road was just ignored by the truck as by almost everyone.

This situation is why TN police go aggressive with barricades. I know almost everyone hate them here, but in this case the police would have put a barricade well ahead of the curve and slowed the traffic down. They are trying to compensate for bad highway design.

I can list so many high traffic junctions like this on the GST Road which was built in the early 00s. Good news is that many of these junctions are being replaced with simple overpasses (VUPs) by an exercise called as 'Blackspot rectification'.

[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by clevermax

Unfortunate incident. I've had one hit from a ksrtc, so I'll just stop before the curve at the mere sight of a big metal junk coming towards me at a turn like that.

Perfect !.

Honk, slow down, stop, be ready to reverse. That is how all of us accommodate each other on our roads.

If you keep going looking at the line on the road, you will end up with lines on your car.

Hilarious to see 'menace' being used all the time . No particular class of vehicle is a menace. All depends on how it is being driven. Have seen HUGE volvos being driven beautifully and morons on Mercs.

[100Kmphormore]

RIP to that boy and the strength for his parents to tide through this. I got my motorcycle on EMI last year at 25, parents should NOT buy their children a motorcycle. If absolutely needed, not above a single channel ABS 150cc, with a good helmet, subject to conditions of helmet on all the time, and no traffic violations, period. My father only gave me his Dio for my 40 km commute to college in my final year and I absolutely love the freedom that i enjoy with my own hard earned cash. I do keep lower to moderate triple digit speeds on my Himalayan but am always aware of the fact - not to weave in and out on a 21 inch front wheel motorcycle like a Duke 390 - and the fact that I have lousy brakes. This realization and analysis does not come to 18 or early 20s, except very few. 2 things - one, continuously honking, why? Even the taxi guy would have been looking in his mirrors to shift to left. two, do not park in the right lane. I understand the barricades might keep you safe instead of the prospect of moving to the left lane across broken motorcycle parts but you have fast cars in the right lane - a much bigger danger.

[Night Raven]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

I got my motorcycle on EMI last year at 25, parents should NOT buy their children a motorcycle.

“I will never buy my son a bike. He can have his own bike when he is able to maintain it and pay for petrol all by himself “
When I was in my teenage years, once I overheard my father saying this. Needless to say, I didn’t even bother asking him to give me a bike even though he had two at that time. That has been my principle ever since. Started with a CD100 SS when I was an intern, then bought a Unicorn after I got my first job, moved to a 75bhp hatchback after I had sufficient savings and after driving that hatchback for over 1 lakh kms, upgraded to a 160bhp SUV.
Good to know there are others who feel the same.

[100Kmphormore]

Started with a CD100 SS when I was an intern, then bought a Unicorn after I got my first job, moved to a 75bhp hatchback after I had sufficient savings and after driving that hatchback for over 1 lakh kms, upgraded to a 160bhp SUV.

Exactly as it should be. You upskill better in that time frame and get to know the value of things like a simple insurance premium or petrol costs. Small capacity machines are wayyy more fun trust me on that. I know how it is to hang out of BMTC buses just because you have to reach college or walk 10 km if you miss it and not have pocket money to pay for auto or attendance. I have heard of fathers taking away the keys or drastic step of selling the motorcycle if their sons do not obey traffic laws. Even today, I do not get my father's Scorpio to drive unless I contribute to maintain it. I apply the same philosophy to my brother and only very close friends with a safe riding style get to ride my Ghata, not everyone.

[Thad E Ginathom]

This tragedy is so shocking. Running into a stationary object is almost always going to be the drivers fault, but that is not why I am posting this. So far, the driver survives.

Imagine living with this for a lifetime: one's whole family wiped out, including new-born. Just... hell.



This is just heart-breaking.

[VijayAnand1]

My heart goes out in sympathy. Seems the guy was not wearing helmet either. I reckon the motorcycle was a Duke 250. A life that went down in drain in the blink of an eye. Om Shanti!

Cheers!
VJ

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by oh_maan

I caught a heart breaking accident ony dashcam today near Krishnagiri. A young guy on a bike came under the wheels of a lorry. I was about 50m behind when it happened and caught it on my dashcam. I got down to help, called 108 for ambulance and also informed his mother.

Sir, God bless you for being a great human being. However, want to understand the state of your mind when you got down from the car.

1. Did you think that stopping on the right lane would make you look like the culprit?
2. Did having the dashcam footage offer some level of protection against hoodlums accusing you ?
3. Would you have still done the same if you saw a crowd gathering and saw potential harm to you or the occupants in your car?
4. Depending on the injury, other than calling the ambulance, did you think what you would do when you stood by that exiting soul waiting for the ambulance?
5. Is there even time for thinking through all this or you just did what you did based on your instinct and values?

I ask all these because I have seen twice these type of incidents just a few feet ahead of us :

a) Once on the Kanakapura road where a rash biker collided against a village person on his TVS (T boned) and the biker ran away. My friend was driving the 3-door vehicle that we were in and I was in the backseat. Within seconds there were locals and many of them started asking "Is this vehicle that crashed into the tvs", thankfully there was already another bystander that had seen what had happened and said the actual culprit on the bike had gotten away. There was no dashcam on this vehicle that we were in.
b) Another one where a white nexon had pulverized a two wheeler on the Mysore expressway. We were the second or third vehicle to pass after the accident and the locals blocked all vehicles in a few seconds (including us) and started getting too aggressive physically.

Looking at the evidence, in both of these cases, it did point to the victim being careless. The above two points make the accident spot too dangerous even if you are an innocent passerby. Too many people just get away from the place to avoid all this rather than trying to help. Also, did the truck even realize that this had happened?

I hate saying this, especially in the context of the incident, that a huge% of two wheelers get home safely because the larger vehicles take super-extra precautions. The same surely applies to cars, perhaps a lesser %, but many of them getaway with a damaged car because their car gives them an additional layer of safety and balance.

Also, 6 lanes + bike lanes on either side + shoulders should become the norm across all hour highways as a minimum.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

This tragedy is so shocking. Running into a stationary object is almost always going to be the drivers fault, but that is not why I am posting this.This is just heart-breaking.

Honestly, all license holders should be made to watch the goriest of accident videos and answer a quiz and certify annually to retain their licenses. It instills a sense of sobriety and responsibility when you take the wheels the next time.

Drunken driving, Highspeed-for-thrills driving, Fatigued-driving, Not following basic traffic rules, Distracted driving (enjoying a hearty conversation when at the wheels, using mobile phones) are predominantly controllable factors that any responsible rider/driver can easily avoid, bringing down accidents on the road.

[OffRoadFun]

I deliberately follow and watch every video in accidents in India thread every week so as to give constant conscious reinforcement to my brain about the perils of driving in India, to keep on reminding myself one can end up in an accident even though one follows every rule and drives defensive. One can not control others on the road to act irresponsible and number of those who act irresponsible far outnumbers those who drive responsibly.
Unless one has severe compulsions, driving a two wheeler should absolutely be avoided at all costs in India. It's not worth it I guess however tempting it looks

[NiInJa]

Quite a few mind-numbing accident videos/images in the last few posts above.

Fatal accident involving a biker:
When on two wheelers, do not get too close to trucks, dumpers, buses etc. take as much time it needs but only overtake when you have a gap equalling the width of a car.

Ertiga head-on crash with a pick up truck:
I drive an Ertiga, and the one thing that I have learnt is: Whenever the car is loaded with passengers (especially burly adults) in all three rows, the car starts showing signs of understeer, I will become lethargic to steering inputs. I never exceed beyond 60 kmph on two lane roads.
I saw a similar understeer on my way to Lonavala two weeks back. A loaded Eeco overtook us and could not steer properly along a curve and crashed into the median. Luckily it did not overturn or jump onto the opposite side. (High time I got a dashcam)