[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by alstonlobo

Udupi: Speeding Tempo Rams into Bolero, Three of Family Injured
.

God I hate this thread getting updated. The pictures are so gory and you can see blood on the seats.

Sad to hear about the little girl. Flung out of the windscreen and stuck in bonnet?? :shocked: parents should realise that the safest place for their children is not on their lap.

Horrific incident. Thank god they escaped without any casualties. Btw what happened to the tempo driver? Nothing's been mentioned whether he survived or not.

Drive safe guys.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by mannubhai

Bad news
..

That's sad Mannubhai. These things happen. Look at the positive side: he could have scraped the side of the XUV and could have caused damage to multiple panels.

I look at mirrors as pawns that can be sacrificed for the remaining car. Never used to fold my mirrors when parking my Alto. Unfortunately with the XUV, that's not an option.

[rajeev k]

Saw two accidents today.
First a Tipper and a KSRTC Fast Passenger collided at Vaikom. Driver and eight passengers sustained injuries.


In the second, an Innova rammed into a transformer structure at Udayamperoor near Tripunithura and the transformer collapsed onto the black Innova.

[Parthasarathig]

Saw a terrible accident today on Residency road going towards Brigade road.
A mini lorry, travelling on the right side, hit a bike that was overtaking it from the right itself. The bike just fell sideways and the biker's head travelled so fast and hit the road surface. Thankfully he was wearing a helmet and we could hear the sound of it hitting the ground even in all the commotion that was going on around.

I doubt if it was either the lorry's or the biker's fault. Probably an error of calculation while overtaking.

I couldnt see more of the incident, as it was very busy today and cars were honking incessantly. I doubt though if anything happened to the biker. He stood up thats all i managed to see.

These bikes with slim tires are the worst i guess. Not much grip on the road. It was just horrible to see the bike fall. The whole incident was shocking to say the least. Thankfully the helmet saved his life today or he would've been gone.

Guys just be careful while riding your bikes. Just a touch from anything can make you lose balance and fall. Please wear your helmets always. What i saw today was scary.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by mannubhai

Absolutely agreed. But think of a nano/indica guy trying to mimic a merc at 80 kmph. May be a merc has better control as a vehicle under 3 digit speeds which a nano may not have ( Im only talking of the car's ability. The person behind steering is not my point ) .

Sorry Mannubhai your thought reeks of discrimination. All speed limits posted are for all road users. We dont have mercs can speed at 100kmph, Nano can speed at 60kmph speed limits yet, and I hope we never will.

As per you, just because one can afford a powerful car, he/she can speed at higher speeds. So if I get myself a Lambo, can I buzz past you at 250kmph? And if you try 250kmph in your Merc (electronic top end), then sorry mate! you are unsafe.

Also if you speed 200kmph in your merc and I at 60kmph in my Nano for example, if you buzz past me, maybe I lose control and crash into you? Ever thought of that?

If anyone wants to race their powerful machines, please do so in controlled environments at Buddh, not on public roads.

Speed limits on public roads may 'seem' very slow for fast cars and very 'fast' for slow cars, but the limits are there for a purpose. Respecting speed limits, enforce a uniform flow of traffic, reducing traffic jams, reducing accidents, increasing fuel economy, and helping the road cater to more traffic.

I dont know how long it will take drivers to realise that high speeds isnot merely about your machine's ability. It is a combination of the road conditions, your ride's condition, your ability (a big part), your mental makeup for that day, the weather etc.

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

So if I get myself a Lambo, can I buzz past you at 250kmph? And if you try 250kmph in your Merc (electronic top end), then sorry mate! you are unsafe.

Sorry to Butt in. But I dont think he meant that. IMO opinion what he meant is that while 100 Kmph may not seem that much for higher end cars, but for lower end cars like the Nano it would be pushing the envelope too far. So a Nano going at 100 may not be breaking the speed limits yet would be highly unsafe comparatively.

But that does not mean allowing Merc to do 250 and nor do I think he intended that. IMHO Any car above 100-120 would be unsafe just considering the serious lack of reaction time one has at those speeds. Better safety features may reduce that to an extent but still not safe IMO.

However lower end cars without any safety features and not so good dynamics could be a real danger to others even at legal speed limits.

[mannubhai]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

As per you, just because one can afford a powerful car, he/she can speed at higher speeds. So if I get myself a Lambo, can I buzz past you at 250kmph? And if you try 250kmph in your Merc (electronic top end), then sorry mate! you are unsafe.

.

Oopsie.. My Bad. I think you got my point wrong .

Im in no way advocating higher speed limits for a higher performance car. Im questioning the logic of allowing a nano/indica have the same speed limits as higher perf cars.

[StarrySky]

I think different speed limits for different cars is a recipe for disaster, especially on our roads. It's better to have one speed limit for all vehicles, even though the owners of higher end cars may feel short-charged.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by mannubhai

Oopsie.. My Bad. I think you got my point wrong .

Im in no way advocating higher speed limits for a higher performance car. Im questioning the logic of allowing a nano/indica have the same speed limits as higher perf cars.

If you look at the speed limit on what is arguably India's best road, the Mumbai-Pune expressway, it is a low 80kmph. However if we see the road users, which include heavy trucks, tempos and even the Tata Ace, 80kmph seems optimistic for them. Especially on the ghat sections we see overloaded trucks crawling at 40-50kmph. So yes, the 80kmph limit seems sane, to enable all kinds of traffic to keep moving. The speed limits on roads are to enable all kinds of traffic to move at a constant speed, if it means a Nano at 80kmph, so be it.

IMO 80kmph-100kmph is achievable by all Indian cars, easily and sustainable too. And I am not talking about relics from the past like the Fiat/Ambassador or a poorly mantained Maruti 800.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

IMO 80kmph-100kmph is achievable by all Indian cars, easily and sustainable too. And I am not talking about relics from the past like the Fiat/Ambassador or a poorly mantained Maruti 800.

I wouldn't go that far; my Dad once did a 110kmph in our 1972 Mark II Ambassador some time back in the late 80s. Also, on my return from a recent trip to Kerala, a shabby M800 overtook me in the Dharmapuri-Krishnagiri stretch; I was doing 120kmph (testing me new tires).

So let's not write these beauties off just yet (I wasn't referring to the M800) It's doable, but not safe.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

I think different speed limits for different cars is a recipe for disaster, especially on our roads. It's better to have one speed limit for all vehicles, even though the owners of higher end cars may feel short-charged.

I'd not agree. I thought thats why we have lanes - fast and slow. Nanos and the like should stay on the slow lane and faster stuff should make use of the faster lane. It sounds totally unfair for say a Merc to be throttled to suit the limits of a Nano. Of course, legally, I don't know how feasible it would be to enforce different speed limits for different cars, but a driver with common sense should stick to the above convention.

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

I wouldn't go that far; my Dad once did a 110kmph in our 1972 Mark II Ambassador some time back in the late 80s. Also, on my return from a recent trip to Kerala, a shabby M800 overtook me in the Dharmapuri-Krishnagiri stretch; I was doing 120kmph (testing me new tires).

So let's not write these beauties off just yet (I wasn't referring to the M800) It's doable, but not safe.

FWIW, I recall hurtling at speeds well above the 3 figure mark inside a Fiat/Premier Padmini, on the Bombay-Poona highway when I was a li'l kid. So 100+ was quite achievable for these "relics of the past". How safe it is to do so compared to today's cars is another matter; as also whether its safe to do these speeds on a Premier Padmini today (as it would be quite old).

[amitoj]

Speed limits are not kept keeping only the ability of car in mind. They are imposed based on overall safe driving conditions. For example, compared to a limited access expressway, a divided highway is less safe if it has no run off area or has trees along the road. This is because those trees will bring you to an abrupt (and probably fatal) halt if you veer off the road at expressway speeds.
Similar is the case with highways that go through small towns or villages. Such highways will have a lot more cross traffic, which is easier to accommodate if you are driving at speeds less than expressway speeds.
Having different speed limits for different cars is simply not feasible. Just because your car can do 120 kmph more easily than a smaller car, does not mean your car will cause less damage when it hits a stationery object.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

I'd not agree. I thought thats why we have lanes - fast and slow. Nanos and the like should stay on the slow lane and faster stuff should make use of the faster lane.

We are talking about slightly different things. Slow and fast lanes are OK, a Nano and a Merc on the same lane have the same speed limits. When I move to a slow lane, I know it's a slow lane and can slow down appropriately. What I am not OK with is having different speed limits for different cars/vehicles (like X for bikes, Y for autos, Z for cars etc etc).

[foby.sebastian]

Found of FB. No Idea about the where abouts.

[StarrySky]

Spotted two accidents on the Thrissur-Cochin highway today morning.

The first one was just after Koratty junction - an Innova and a Swift in a head-on collision. The accident seemed to be quite a few hours, maybe a day old and the vehicles were moved away from the road. This being a 4-lane highway, it's quite likely that one of them would've been driving on the wrong side for this to happen.

The second one was near Athani junction (just before CIAL airport junction). A truck was on its side, on the wrong lane, facing the direction opposite the traffic. There is a curve just before the junction. It looks like the truck driver misjudged the curve and took it too fast, causing the truck to climb the divider.