[Raghuwire]

Originally Posted by boohooper

In the Thoppur accident, the White car was at fault here, in a way. But if all the truckers were to be on the outside lane (the slower lane), this accident might not have occurred at all. Truckers with their own stupid lane in discipline cause a lot of hardship for cars in the inner fast lane. In fact, we need a third lane for Two Wheelers but, i digress. I shall put the fault here on the truckers themselves.

You need to think from the perspective of the truck drivers to really understand why they drive on the right most lane. Most of thoppur section is 4 laned highway. Even while going at 40 kmph, a fully loaded vehicle takes time to stop. Errant car drivers, cutting across, bikers suddenly entering and changing lanes, parked vehicles, pedestrians, animals, and God knows what else always pose a threat to trucks. There is no way they will risk driving on left continuously. I work with trucks for a living and regularly assess truck accidents for my employer. Most of the accidents post inspection is usually the fault of the smaller vehicles. This will only increase if they drive on left roads. Anyway most trucks on highway go at atleast 60kmph unless there is a large ascent. Cars are driven at 100 -120 on a speed limit of 80, so you can't blame trucks for being slow.

[Gansan]

^^ Truckers are not driving on the "fast lane". They are driving steadily on the "overtaking lane" at 60 kph, which is as wrong as cars driving on it at 120+ kph. People berate cars doing 80-90 kph on the highway as being slow drivers, whereas they are actually sticking to speed limits, while the accusers are overspeeding!

[GTX+]

Originally Posted by Raghuwire

You need to think from the perspective of the truck drivers to really understand why they drive on the right most lane. Most of thoppur section is 4 laned highway. Even while going at 40 kmph, a fully loaded vehicle takes time to stop. Errant car drivers, cutting across, bikers suddenly entering and changing lanes, parked vehicles, pedestrians, animals, and God knows what else always pose a threat to trucks.

I do understand the point you are trying to make and agree that on some highways or on some portions of an highway, it is very difficult for trucks/large vehicles to drive on the left lane due to so many intrusions/slow/parked vehicles.

But what explanation do you have when on a 6 lane highway like Delhi-Jaipur NH48 (erstwhile NH8), the truckers hog all three lanes and drive at the same speed!! And not 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 instances of truckers hogging all lanes, but throughout the distance one travels.

So while there are definitely genuine cases where truckers do face problems driving on the left, this really has become a nuisance as we find such driving even on good wide multi-lane highways which by and large are free from the issues mentioned above.

[BlackBeard]

Originally Posted by Gansan

^^ Truckers are not driving on the "fast lane". They are driving steadily on the "overtaking lane" at 60 kph, which is as wrong as cars driving on it at 120+ kph. People berate cars doing 80-90 kph on the highway as being slow drivers, whereas they are actually sticking to speed limits, while the accusers are overspeeding!

Any idea why the trucks and even buses driving on the extreme right on highways (overtaking lane) indicate left but do not change lanes when they see a faster vehicle attempting to overtake them?

I have seen the same with trucks & buses parked on the extreme left lane stopped and indicating to the right!

As ridiculous as it may sound but my guess is its a "desi ingenuity". Their way of informing that overtake from the indicated side!

[sumzup]

Originally Posted by Raghuwire

You need to think from the perspective of the truck drivers to really understand why they drive on the right most lane. Most of thoppur section is 4 laned highway. Even while going at 40 kmph, a fully loaded vehicle takes time to stop. Errant car drivers, cutting across, bikers suddenly entering and changing lanes, parked vehicles, pedestrians, animals, and God knows what else always pose a threat to trucks. There is no way they will risk driving on left continuously. I work with trucks for a living and regularly assess truck accidents for my employer. Most of the accidents post inspection is usually the fault of the smaller vehicles. This will only increase if they drive on left roads. Anyway most trucks on highway go at atleast 60kmph unless there is a large ascent. Cars are driven at 100 -120 on a speed limit of 80, so you can't blame trucks for being slow.

Hi Raghuwire, I beg to differ on the above you have mentioned and let me explain the same.

1. " perspective of the truck driver"- This leads to personal perceptions and all of us have a different one and rules are framed for this specific reason, and to ensure that we have a safe roads for all road users and not an individual one but what we see on the highway is exactly opposite.
2. "Errant car drivers, cutting across, bikers suddenly entering and changing lanes, parked vehicles, pedestrians, animals, and God knows what else always pose a threat to trucks"- This point is most crucial and you are absolutely right on that but to reflect it only on trucks in not fair. Imagine what the cars who are driving at national highway speeds or more have to deal with and is it right and appropriate? Now, the left lane is specifically designated for slow-moving, loaded, heavy, and two wheelers so that they can be more watchful and also due to their relatively slower speeds can anticipate the sudden entry and exit. Also, it is totally inappropriate that bikers, errant car drivers, parked vehicles, parked and moving animals , one-way jay drivers(which is so rampant on highways within TN), and others are educated, warned, penalized for their noncompliance which has led and leading to so many accidents as we speak. The trucks are leading a cumulative effect in the way and manners other vehicles are driving on these 2-laned motorway which is causing many skirmishes and headaches which is not at all justified.
3. "Most of the accidents post inspection is usually the fault of the smaller vehicles." - This again cannot be a reason for right lane driving and needs to be analyzed deeply as most instances it will be due to the cumulative effect risen from the above over long periods of time. I will be completely wrong if I say that all small vehicles are law-abiding drivers and of course they are at fault too but to blame them totally is again not fair. Most accidents occur when person enters the highway with city road mannerisms and also they try the city snake move .
4. "Anyway most trucks on highway go at atleast 60kmph unless there is a large ascent." - You forgot to add to this, abruptly changing lanes, not giving way for vehicles when they horn during overtaking, not looking into the rearview to allow smaller vehicles moving at national highway speeds to overtake, suddenly coming on to the highway from their parked position or from lay-bye, competing with fellow truck in slow-driving contest , and so forth. Again, I don't blame the entire truck-driver force because in my past 34-year experience of driving I have seen some phenomenal truckers who have managed to save lives, manage their own, and create a safe environment on the highways.
5. "so you can't blame trucks for being slow"- Well, they are being slow on the right lane which is not right, and there is a driver who follows rules and is on the left so how can one expect other smaller vehicles driving at national highway limit to overtake. If you now look at the highways, there are more trucks on the road all along the day which was not the same pre-covid. If anybody else has noticed this or not but logistics have grown tremendously post-covid leading to lot more trucks of all sizes and at all times.

Again, all of the above are my observations over the past 30 years of driving and having driven extensively on the highways so do take them with a pinch of salt if and when needed. Cheers

[AttyBhai]

Originally Posted by Gansan

I doubt it was a lucky escape. Note how hard the pillion rider's head impacts the road. That is why a good quality full face helmet is a must while riding. Hope that fellow went straight for a CT scan and was found alright.

They look more like school students to me.

The CT would have revealed a hollow space in the skull - a wind tunnel!

[NG_EV]

Originally Posted by BlackBeard

As ridiculous as it may sound but my guess is its a "desi ingenuity". Their way of informing that overtake from the indicated side!

You are right. The indicator indeed means that - I will not move, you go from the indicated side. It becomes difficult to understand if they are about to change lanes or if they want us to go to the other lane.

[HIGHWAY_PATROL]

Originally Posted by NG_EV

You are right. The indicator indeed means that - I will not move, you go from the indicated side. It becomes difficult to understand if they are about to change lanes or if they want us to go to the other lane.

It could be that the driver had forgotten to switch off the indicator after completing a lane change? I see this sometimes even in cars, predominantly taxis.
Or it could also be just that the driver has switched hazard lights on but one of the indicator lights doesn't work.

[GTX+]

Originally Posted by HIGHWAY_PATROL

It could be that the driver had forgotten to switch off the indicator after completing a lane change? I see this sometimes even in cars, predominantly taxis.
Or it could also be just that the driver has switched hazard lights on but one of the indicator lights doesn't work.

While those certainly are a few possibilities, but going by what OP is asking, in this instance it is indeed a way of telling the driver at the rear to overtake from the indicated side.

Some drivers keep the indicator on so that they don't have to bother every time someone honks to overtake, while some prefer to turn it on on every instance, as I observed during last few days in my Jaisalmer trip.

[Street_Smart]

Originally Posted by Raghuwire

You need to think from the perspective of the truck drivers to really understand why they drive on the right most lane. Most of thoppur section is 4 laned highway. Even while going at 40 kmph, a fully loaded vehicle takes time to stop. Errant car drivers, cutting across, bikers suddenly entering and changing lanes, parked vehicles, pedestrians, animals, and God knows what else always pose a threat to trucks. There is no way they will risk driving on left continuously. I work with trucks for a living and regularly assess truck accidents for my employer. Most of the accidents post inspection is usually the fault of the smaller vehicles. This will only increase if they drive on left roads. Anyway most trucks on highway go at atleast 60kmph unless there is a large ascent. Cars are driven at 100 -120 on a speed limit of 80, so you can't blame trucks for being slow.

Especially with this Thoppur Section, Truckers are advised to maintain left lane at the start of the section by the traffic police. Only for that couple of kilometers, if Truckers can maintain the lane, I am sure, other smaller vehicles will confortably use the fast lane, without weaving in and out of the lanes (as it is only two lanes, downhill). Truckers - with all respect to very few handful responsible drivers, the rest of the population is unmindful of anyone on the road.

[chaitanyakrish]

This happened in Kottayam,Kerala.
A driver possibly in an automatic car ran over some passersby at a church.

https://www.manoramaonline.com/fastt...-kottayam.html

[Thyag]

Originally Posted by jigar1791@gmail

2 college going lads (without a valid DL, in all probability), joy-riding at high speed on a busy intersection, without worrying to even slow-down while approaching the junction.

Maybe school going kids, but the lesson learnt is for life !

Suggestion, Advice, Rules & all, doesn't get inside when your blood is hot, incidents like these makes sure that it gets etched in your brain for life.

[anjan_c2007]

This can happen with anyone of us commuting on the city traffic. You are dutifully awaiting for the traffic signal to turn green. Similar is this incident that happened in Indore at a busy junction.

The vehicles had stopped at the square as the signal was red when a recklessly driven speeding sedan crashed into two stationary cars and a bike from the rear as its driver had dozed off. The impact was so severe that the poor bike rider was thrown into the air and came underneath the wheels of one of the cars. He was taken to the nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The driver of a hatchback car that the sedan hit was also injured in the accident. The sedan driver tried to flee but police managed to detain him.
Poor soul, the young bike rider lost his life. The bike could be a Hero Honda CBZ ( may be corrected).

The video on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5Bx8..._web_copy_link

The newslink
Indore: Bike Rider Thrown Up In The Air, Gets Crushed Underneath Car Wheels (WATCH)
http://dhunt.in/TGpJ4?s=a&uu=0x4a09defdfbda8a93&ss=pd
Source : "Free Press Journal

[IamNikhil]

Biker riding with impunity on the wrong-side ends up hitting not 1 but 2 vehicles. Rider is definitely hurt, pillion seems to be limping. When will these idiots ever learn?

https://youtu.be/9nPsAIDxSPY

[Arwin07]

Originally Posted by IamNikhil

Biker riding with impunity on the wrong-side ends up hitting not 1 but 2 vehicles. Rider is definitely hurt, pillion seems to be limping. When will these idiots ever learn?

No doubt the motorcyclist riding on the wrong side is to be blamed. But I see another bad driver in this video, the car entering the main road, who could have helped to avoid this accident. The driver does not see the dashcam car and enters the main road without waiting. Even in the absence of the wrong side motorcycle, there would have been a near miss sudden braking or a minor accident between the two cars.

1. Never ride/drive on the wrong side. Period.
2. Stop and look both sides before entering a main road.
3. In India, dashcam is a must to save yourself.
4. In India, it pays to look into both sides of the road even in one way because of those wrong side drivers.
5. Always do a shoulder check before merging into adjacent lanes.