[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by for_cars1

It may not be appropriate to jump to conclusions on the structural safety based on just the pictures as there are a number of variables involved which we might have missed.
However by just looking at the two vehicles which collided headon, the Swift's passenger cell appears to be intact whereas the Etios' passenger cabin (left side) has been ripped apart.

Hey for_cars1, you have contradicted yourself thoroughly in those 2 sentences buddy

To begin with, its a real fact that some Indian 'Mass Market' cars are structurally not the safest ones around. This is especially true with the likes of Etios, Liva, Swift, etc. Added to this shortcoming, taxi owners seldom invest in purchasing versions which offer most (if not maximum) safety features.

I am not sure if you actually have read the article, but here is what the first hand report highlighted:

- The Etios driver was well above the legal speed limit on the flyover, when he swerved wildly to avoid colliding with a car changing lanes.

- Considering the fact that this was a taxi cab, it will surely be a mid variant at best = Less or no safety equipments such as ABS, EBD, etc.
What this means is that when the driver swerved, the car lost its balance/composure and hit the road divider, before landing in the opposite lane.

- The Swift traveling in the opposite lane probably hit the Etios on the rear passenger side and the impact crushed the cabin at the point of impact.

- The picture showing the Etios ripped open is not due to the impact in any which way buddy
That was done by Fire & Rescue team to extract the passenger from the car.

Personally, I am not even arguing on the build quality or structural integrity of cars involved in the mishap. I am only cursing the reckless driver and his driving which has cost the life of an innocent traveller, and could have cost many more in the process.

[harry10]

These taxi drivers should be put behind bars. Everyday I see so many rashly driven yellow number plate cabs here in NCR. They have no regard for human life. Primary reason been they haven't spend their hard earned money on the car so they take it as their birth right to abuse them.

Also, reading the report I think most of the occupants weren't wearing seat belts.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by ajmat

The other night, I took a Grand i10 instead of the Jetta to the airport around midnight. It was quite scary, the way taxi's flew and the little car shuddered in the slipstream. My Jetta is normally rocksolid

ajmat, I wholly concur with the toe-curling sensation for 'back-seat drivers' in most BLR airport taxis.

I am lucky enough to be able to take my own Cruze to KIAL and park it in the (rubbish) LTCP every time for the last 4 years. I am simply not willing to trust the airport cabbies who drive with ZERO margin for error or chance.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Hey for_cars1, you have contradicted yourself thoroughly in those 2 sentences buddy

To begin with, its a real fact that some Indian 'Mass Market' cars are structurally not the safest ones around. This is especially true with the likes of Etios, Liva, Swift, etc. Added to this shortcoming, taxi owners seldom invest in purchasing versions which offer most (if not maximum) safety features.
............
............

I am only cursing the reckless driver and his driving which has cost the life of an innocent traveller, and could have cost many more in the process.

I didn't want to jump to any conclusion by looking at the pic, hence the contradictive statement / disclaimer
As you suggested, it could as well be a case of a direct hit on the passenger side which is too strong for the cabin to sustain.

In addition to the Active safety systems like ABS, EBD, good handling etc which could help avoid / minimize the chances of the accident in the first place, cars should have good passive safety features like a strong and rigid passenger cell that resists/minimizes deformation during an impact.
Its good that passive safety: equipping seatbelts are now mandatory, they have to make airbags mandatory as well.

Originally Posted by harry10

T...., reading the report I think most of the occupants weren't wearing seat belts.

Absolutely

[Parth46]

Originally Posted by ajmat

The other night, I took a Grand i10 instead of the Jetta to the airport around midnight. It was quite scary, the way taxi's flew and the little car shuddered in the slipstream. My Jetta is normally rocksolid

While I completely agree that a Grand i10 will CERTAINLY not have the rock-solid stability of the Jetta, I take my Grand i10 to KIAL pretty often and it seems to do rather well on this route, for a Hyundai.

As long as I keep a steady hand on the steering and drive around/within ~100/110 KMPH, doesn't seem to be too weak to me in this department. The main problem is due to the haphazard nature of the cabs whizzing by, which leads to a more nervous outlook when in a small car.

Having said that I can surely see how someone used to a Jetta can feel on that road in a Grand i10.

EDIT : I recall heading to the airport a few months back when it was absolutely pouring and what shocked me was that the heavy rain did not make even the slightest bit of difference to the average speeds or tailgating distances of these airport cabs and taxis. Whizzing by leaving a huge spray of mist!

[suresh_gs]

Folks

Saw a gruesome accident this morning near SAP labs, Bangalore. 2 people on the 2 wheeler were crushed to death. Not sure how it happened.
RIP.

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

Folks

Saw a gruesome accident this morning near SAP labs, Bangalore. 2 people on the 2 wheeler were crushed to death. Not sure how it happened.
RIP.

When did you cross the spot?

I passed by at ~7AM and there were a coupe of police and quite a few by-standers. However no trace of any vehicles that met with the accident. There were some gruesome tell-tale marks on the road though. Have a feeling that the other(s) involved fled the scene...

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by vinjosep

When did you cross the spot?

I passed by at ~7AM and there were a coupe of police and quite a few by-standers. However no trace of any vehicles that met with the accident. There were some gruesome tell-tale marks on the road though. Have a feeling that the other(s) involved fled the scene...

My office cab would have crossed (around 6 25 AM) barely 5-10 min after the accident took place. I saw the 2 wheeler lying on the road and the mangled bodies of the victims covered with cloth. Blood was still oozing out.
Man, my driver trembled a bit after seeing the condition of the bodies. The head portion was chunks of flesh. Apart from the police jeep, there were other curious onlookers in the form of cab drivers.
Not sure how the accident took place. My guess is may be a HTV would have rammed the bike from behind, throwing the occupants out. They would have landed on the road only to be crushed by the wheels of the HTV
It is my guess. Not sure how it happened.

[Rabbit80]

A minor mishap happened today morning while coming to office. I was to take a right to get to the company parking. There was the company bus coming from opposite direction and I had my right indicators on. The company bus stopped to give way to me take the right, and I humbly did so. And then there was this guy, trying to overtake the bus from Left at high speed which was edge of the road which was muddy probably due to overnight rain, and even after hard braking, he banged into my vehicle.
What surprised me that after all this he got into argument with me trying to put the blame on me.
In my opinion he was wrong because of two reasons -
first, he tried to overtake a vehicle from left side. there was just one lane to drive and the space between the edge of the road and the bus was just enough for a bike.
Second, he was driving at high speed on the slush, without having any idea of the brake distance. And while overtaking a "stand still" vehicle, he should have been careful with that.
What hurts more, is the fact that educated people (he addressed me as 'dude') behave in such irresponsible manner. And then try to somehow blame others for their mistakes.

[ShaileshHinge]

Originally Posted by Rabbit80

What surprised me that after all this he got into argument with me trying to put the blame on me.
In my opinion he was wrong because of two reasons -

By reading at the way you described the incident, my feel is that this is absolutely his fault. My reasoning for the same.
1) He was overtaking a bus from LEFT at that speed where he couldnt stop the bike.
2) He was over taking a bus from left at a TURNING JUNCTION
3) He should have realized that the bus must have stopped for a reason. And if the bus stopped at a junction means someone else is passing by.

Hope no damage to your car.

[Rabbit80]

Originally Posted by ShaileshHinge

3) He should have realized that the bus must have stopped for a reason. And if the bus stopped at a junction means someone else is passing by.

Hope no damage to your car.

Nothing at all. I was able to pullback a little. And yes I agree that when there is any vehicle specially large vehicles like truck/buses/Tempo which blocks the visibility of the on coming traffic, and is at stand still we should be really careful while driving through.

[FORTified]

Originally Posted by Rabbit80

What hurts more, is the fact that educated people (he addressed me as 'dude') behave in such irresponsible manner. And then try to somehow blame others for their mistakes.

Similar experience here.
I was following an Auto. The bike in front of him stopped abruptly and in order to avoid him, the Auto swerved right and banged my Innova on the left side. The auto driver acknowledged his mistake, accepted that there is a dent on my car and pleaded that it will be beyond his means to get it fixed. I didn't even get a chance to argue with him. Nice fellow He got off easy.

The same week, I was pulling out of my office car park, one more car was reversing ahead and hence I was waiting in the drive way, to follow him on my way out. In the meanwhile, the car near my left rear reversed without any care in the world and banged into me. He is a techie and started bringing all sorts of logic into his argument. He even accused me of not honking, driving too fast etc., The more he talked, the more stupid he looked. He agreed to pay for the damages finally. When the bill came to 13000/- [he dented 4 parts on my car], he said he thought the bill may be 100-150, hence agreed to pay. I took the case to HR, retrieved the CCTV tapes and threatened to take legal action. AND MADE HIM TO PAY

[binand]

Originally Posted by Parth46

I take my Grand i10 to KIAL pretty often [...] and drive around/within ~100/110 KMPH

You do know that NH7 from Hebbal to KIAL roundabout/toll point has a speed limit of 80 kmph for cars, right?

(I agree with the original point. It is a heart-in-mouth experience if I take my i10 to the airport, but not so scary in my Civic. I in fact prefer my own car to taking a cab to the airport when travelling out of city).

[Parth46]

Originally Posted by binand

You do know that NH7 from Hebbal to KIAL roundabout/toll point has a speed limit of 80 kmph for cars, right?

Well aware of that, and the speed I mentioned is the max I touch for a few moments on very open pockets and is not my average cruising speed. Am hardly advocating over-speeding in my original post.

Taking it upto "that" speed in "that" car is what I'm comfortable with, was my point.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by ajmat

The other night, I took a Grand i10 instead of the Jetta to the airport around midnight. It was quite scary, the way taxi's flew and the little car shuddered in the slipstream. My Jetta is normally rocksolid

Haha I understand what you mean but that's what I love about small cars. We have a WagonR in just about running condition which I absolutely love to the core not just because it has been around for so many years and has such a colorful history but also because it is tall and nervous and allows me to reach its limits at more or less legal speeds It is far more fun piloting the Wagon R at speeds of 80-120 than in something like the Kiz where 120 feels really calm and composed and I dont even have to raise my voice when talking to others. I find the Wagon R to be a very rewarding driving experience. Ofcourse the reason I can drive it the way I do, is because I have spent so many of my growing years in that car that we share a connection, I mean I have danced on the chassis limits of traction nearly every time I take it out and absolutely enjoyed every drive in it Am I the only one who feels that sometimes the bigger more capable cars get a bit boring on the streets?