[donabrh]

About the Jimny - Bolero Kerala accident.

In every post incident discussion, the construction quality of a vehicle becomes, 'The Devil' (say Devil B). However the construction quality of a vehicle comes into play only on IMPACT.

'The Actual Devil' (say Devil A), exists and remains in play BEFORE IMPACT. Devil A, conveniently escapes from sight post impact and the focus shifts to Devil B.

Before revealing the hideous and omni present Devil A, more about road infrastructure, road markings and accidents in Kerala.

Road Infrastructure

Most of the road network starting with the state highways are scenic but undivided, narrow and dotted with curves, which combined with rash road users would be a non issue if it were a part of the video game Road Rash. Hit reset after a crash and get going.

Outside the video game, where reset does not work it becomes a problem leading to disastrous accidents.

Road Markings

Good thing about the undivided roads are that they are well marked (markings on the road and sign boards) as are the roads we experience in the video game Road Rash. While road users in the game can afford to ignore road markings and be all over the place, actual road users cannot.

Road Accidents

The state ranks No. 1 when it comes road accident fatalities and serious injuries. Two wheelers, 3 wheelers, 4 wheelers including private and state run transport buses are involved in fatal accidents and yes Devil A is at play in most scenarios.

Infamous Devil A

The infamous Devil A is none other than the Driver who especially in Kerala undergoes a strict learning and licensing process no hanky panky. Ironically while being on the road emulates the game chooses to ignore or is unaware about the road markings, is least bothered about other road users and is always riding on the centre line and beyond. Imagine everyone going both ways being on the centre line.

Coming to the Jimny - Bolero accident, if we carefully notice the centre line in the below image we will find it to be a continuous line where overtaking is not permitted. But with Devil A playing Road Rash, it can be safely assumed in both vehicles the Devil was exercising it's right to be on the centre line or beyond forgetting reset does not work.



Till the time Devil A chooses to not cross the thin line between the Virtual and Real Game, more disastorous accidents will continue to happen with the blame shifting to Devil B.

Surprising observation

While everyone is playing Road Rash on the centre line. Try staying on the left most part of the road closer to the white markings on the left. That part of the road has less traffic, is more free flowing and less stressful. Experienced in Kerala.

[buzzy_boy]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

The passenger shell must be strong and robust (like a roll cage) to avoid major deformation during impact. It also must keep people safe during a roll over. To do this hardened steel or high strength steel is used which basically becomes a "cage" for the passengers. This increases the torsional rigidity of the structure which is why you will see thick A pillars in cars, excellent example will be the thick A pillars of the Altroz.

Roll over is completely different from a head on crash. I think you are mis-reading the situation. The Jimny's roof wasn't ripped off due to a roll over, but it was ripped off due to a head on crash with the load bay of the Bolero.

From the images, it is extremely likely that the first point of impact of the load-bay is the A-pillar of the Jimny. That's why I said that this accident is very similar to an underrun - where the first point of contact is usually the A-pillar.

Please watch this video to see how a vehicle behaves in an underrun.

It's very very difficult to make any judgement on the structure through anecdotal evidence. Otherwise, GNCAP needn't have bothered with standardized tests - they could've used videos such as this.

If we go down this route, how would we reconcile this story?. Does this mean that the Jimny is a safe vehicle? There's no way to know.

[John316_WRC]

Originally Posted by buzzy_boy

I think you are mis-reading the situation. The Jimny's roof wasn't ripped off due to a roll over, but it was ripped off due to a head on crash with the load bay of the Bolero.

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

The way the right side of the Jimmy has ripped off is very scary. Cars these days are designed to take such offset impacts. Offset tests are also carried out in various programs.

I think you have mis-read my post.
This is an offset impact and not a head on collision.
I have never said this is a roll over crash but clearly an offset impact. Cheers!

[Tom Sooraj]

Received this on Whatsapp a few days back.



I don't like to comment on the build quality of Jimny until we get a proper NCAP rating.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

From the videos it is evident that the Bolero was doing about 60-70 kmph and not crazy illegal speeds. The Jimmy's speed I could not make out. While multiple factors are in play, this is a failure of the Passenger shell. The way the right side of the Jimmy has ripped off is very scary. Cars these days are designed to take such offset impacts. Offset tests are also carried out in various programs. Please let us not call this a one-off or a freak accident. Car getting ripped off in this way is just not acceptable.

Let us take an every-day, very non-freak occurrence. I don't intend this post to be really personal, it's just the easiest way to phrase it. Please bear with me...

Take the best, safest car on the roads today. Get in a nasty accident with a tree or pole. If you survive, would you then say that "Car getting ripped off in this way is just not acceptable?"

[ashivas89]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

The passenger shell must be strong and robust (like a roll cage) to avoid major deformation during impact. It also must keep people safe during a roll over. To do this hardened steel or high strength steel is used which basically becomes a "cage" for the passengers. This increases the torsional rigidity of the structure which is why you will see thick A pillars in cars, excellent example will be the thick A pillars of the Altroz.

The accident is deeply disturbing and saddening and is more of a failure of our system than structural dynamics and strength (a subject on which i have a masters degree from Germany on and several years of experience). A rollover in this car will still have 6 pillars participating. In this accident only one out of 6 pillars took ALL of the crash energy of two 2 tonne + vehicles hurtling towards each other.

A pillars have no chance here. A Merc. G WAGEN's A pillar isn't designed for this kind of loading

[Mustang Sammy]

Using Mobile phones causes so many accidents and deaths on our roads.
Two wheeler riders especially - we all have seen people riding around with their head tilted to one side and the phone between head and shoulder.

https://x.com/potholewarriors/status...2153755058550?

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Two wheeler riders especially - we all have seen people riding around with their head tilted to one side and the phone between head and shoulder.

Head tilted to one side while talking on mobile is nothing, I spot so many riders and drivers having their head and eyes looking into mobile screens. If you noticed, guys on the other bike were also busy on the mobile.

These days whenever I see or hear about any road accident, mobile distraction appears as the primary cause behind the accident to me.

Just today I was going in the marked by riding my bicycle and after few meters from my house I encountered one young boy who kept coming in wrong side and was just about to collide in me because his head, eyes and attention all were in the mobile screen.

Few days back I was walking on the local street and spotted a boy riding electric two-wheeler was watching video with loud volume on his mobile by holding it in the landscape mode, his head and eyes were tilted downwards in the mobile and he was laughing.

Spotting car drivers busy in their mobile or head-unit screen has become so common that I find it surprising to spot some rare soul driving with full attention on the road.

IIRC few years back one accident was reported in this thread from Delhi where a radio jockey ended up killing someone while he was going back to home in the late night in his car. Later he admitted to the police that he got distracted by watching some video on Whatsapp and could not spot the victim on time on the empty road in his speeding car.

Driving-riding-waking on the roads deserve full attention. Its so risky to be on the roads relaying on the unconscious part of the brain and keeping the conscious part of the brain occupied with some other distracting tasks like mobile or vehicle's feature screen.

Its frustrating to see that there is no distinctive action is taken by the authorities on the mobile users (while driving, riding and walking) who are no less dangerous than terrorists. Well why would the authorities will do so when they are just puppets in the hands of the auto-companies and helping them preparing the large market base for the next big evolution - autopilot vehicles.

[SS-Traveller]

This morning, a tractor-trolley overloaded with chaff (bhusa) toppled onto a city bus in front of my residence. A biker ahead of the bus had a narrow escape from being crushed underneath. The tractor driver detached his tractor from the trolley, and ran away.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=tanMcpbL...gcjQXDNywbblLO

Traffic restrictions, beautification of Delhi, all in the name of the G20 summit less than 2 weeks away, and yet, not 5 km from the IGI Airport, we find such abominable contraptions endangering lives and limbs of other road users.

[John316_WRC]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Take the best, safest car on the roads today. Get in a nasty accident with a tree or pole. If you survive, would you then say that "Car getting ripped off in this way is just not acceptable?"

If the passengers were safe after the accident, then the car getting ripped off or being totalled will be a small price paid for the lives of the people. So no, I would instead say the car did it's job and kept the passengers safe.

Let us not forget people probably died in the first place because of the car opening up in this manner.

[jbpanda]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

This morning, a tractor-trolley overloaded with chaff (bhusa) toppled onto a city bus in front of my residence. A biker ahead of the bus had a narrow escape from being crushed underneath. The tractor driver detached his tractor from the trolley, and ran away.

This is actually insane and quite common sight when one travels to places through UP where tractors and trucks are seen overloaded with chaff and sugarcane. I have personally seen the front 2 wheels of the tractors in particular getting raised in the air with the driver having no control whatsoever posing serious threat to life of many. Unfortunate that they manage to ply on roads.

[g_shyam]

https://youtu.be/5mCVsqOTGhw?feature=shared

Rolls Royce Phantom hits oil tanker coming the wrong way.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

So no, I would instead say the car did it's job and kept the passengers safe.

There is no car for which the specification is keep the passengers safe in all circumstances. None. Expectations tend to get smashed in hard meetings with reality!

Trees, poles, under-run situations, etc etc will always win arguments with cars, and sometimes fatally so.

[mgastor2022grey]

Hi respected members, hope you had a great weekend. I returned today from a long drive from Madurai to Chennai, and witnessed various close calls and various accidents. However, one incident caught my attention and I feel very distressed about this. So, I'm writing this post to tell how Indian roads are unsafe and warning others of this danger.

Note: This will be a long post, so please bear with me.

As many of the Chennai'ans will know, there are a huge ton of MTC buses in both the cities and highways, and many of them drive very rashly, cutting others, having no respect for slow drivers, blowing their so called 'air horns'. Many road users such as me who are travelling with their family and kids and ones who are very calm will mind it, but not say it outrightly and keep it with themselves. But, new drivers who are very tensed in highways and people who are a little short tempered or travelling with their elder parents will feel very distressed with continuous honking and rash driving. Many private cab drivers and private van drivers will also feel very annoyed and distressed. One such incident happened today.

While I was cruising at triple digit moderate speeds in the Trichy to Chennai highway, a 4 way junction came, and I slowed down to double digit city speeds. There was a huge herd of goats crossing, so we had to stand for around 1-2 mins. A private van (Swaraj Mazda type) was near me. From behind, a speeding MTC bus came and started honking and flashing lights at us, signaling us to move. The Swaraj Mazda driver calmy signaled to wait (no cuss words or hand abusing). The MTC bus was very aggressive and was continuously honking and flashing their high beams. Then, a Compass driver came between the Swaraj Mazda and the MTC, between which there was a lot of space (around 1.5 cars). When the goats crossed, the Swaraj Mazda driver started moving. The MTC driver from behind, came near the Swaraj Mazda on the right side, not considering that I and the Compass were in the lane. I luckily managed to brake, and the Compass driver ahead of me also braked properly. The MTC driver then started abusing and showing hand signals. The Swaraj Mazda driver got very agitated and sideswiped the MTC bus. When there was another lane opening up (2 lane to 3 lane), the Compass driver decided to go front, from all this ruckus. But this time, the MTC drives did not signal any merging and crashed straight into the Compass, smashing its right side. However, the Compass did not get pushed onto the Swaraj Mazda. The Compass driver immediately pulled over. The MTC driver, without any remorse, went ahead and fought with the Compass driver that he was the one who merged into him and got into his lane. The Swaraj Mazda driver also stopped to support the Compass driver. This was when the talk got dirty. The MTC driver started swearing with Tamil bad words and started to cuss the Compass driver. All this was happening in the middle of a three way highway, as none of them were ready to move their vehicles onto the service lane. Soon enough, traffic started to pile up and luckily, everyone braked on time, preventing other accidents. The Compass driver and the Swaraj Mazda driver finally took initiative and moved their vehicles onto the shoulder, when the MTC driver fled the scene. I got down and consoled the Compass driver and has a small talk with the Swaraj Mazda driver. The Compass driver was a youngster, around 28-29 years and was feeling bad to have damaged his new car. I told him that I had a dashcam and shared the video with him. He got ready to claim insurance and called for Jeep RSA. I also left the scene, with the Swaraj Mazda driver hanging around for a bit and then leaving.

This incident left me very sad and is disturbing me, so penned it down here. BHPians, please tell me who is wrong here. @Mods, if necessary, please merge it with another thread or create a new thread for it. I have the number of the MTC bus, but I am not sharing it here as it will violate the rules.

Thank you for reading, hope this serves as a warning and an eye-opener to all the highway commuters.

[deathwalkr]

Nothing good seldom comes out of road rage. We just have to be the bigger person and let things breeze past us. No matter who is right or wrong. We might be right, but risk of things going against us is always there and in my opinion just not worth it.

It's hard but we must try and not let ego/pride come into play.

Speaking of road rage,
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../103117067.cms

Just why...