[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by NiInJa

I really dont understand the rationale behind parents 'gifting' such things to their kids without really knowing if they are ready for it. Off topic: A college going kid from our society lost his life when his dad let him use the car for his birthday party few years back. Rammed his Dad's Esteem onto a tree.

Generally it's a mix of a few reasons
1. Ignorance of the problem (it always happens with them, not us)
2. Lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation (Rules are being enforced/followed, airbags, ABS & other safety features will do the job, no)
3. Over-confidence / Missplaced trust (My son/daughter is an excellent driver)

I have a similar situation nearly 18 years back. This was just a few months after I got my license and I had been driving the car for nearly a year; my parents were finally comfortable to allow me to take the car on my own, for short tasks around the city.

I had to pick-up something from a family friend (doctor) at a hospital; took a close friend with me for the 15 mins (/~5 km) ride. He had been egging me to allow him to drive for quite some time; and finally I decided to let him. He'd been bragging how he's driven his relatives' vehicles in his hometown for so long (typical teenager braggery). Once we reached the hospital; I parked the car in the parking lot and gave him the keys. Kinda figured we'd do a few rounds in the relatively empty lot; shouldn't be an issue. Safe & easy, no?

Turned out the opposite. Learnt the hard way that he had ZERO knowledge of driving a car. Started the engine; slotted the gear and just FLOOORED the accelerator hard! I'm literally shouting brake! brake! brake! and that's having no impact on his actions.

The car races towards the hospital entrance filled with people; with him doing absolutely nothing other than panicking! Thankfully the steering wheel wheered left (he had almost no control on it) and went and crashed a tree next to the entrance; narrowly missing a few folks.

Completely shaken up but without more than a few bruises (thankfully we were belted up), we came out of the car with folks forming a circle around the car. Looked around; saw no one was injured; and I had the sense to quickly run towards the family friend/doctor with my friend following behind me (we were 18+ teenagers). I quickly explained the situation to him just before the guards and other folks came running after us.

Luckily the doctor was able to calm everyone down; and we went out to inspect the car and figure out if there was any other damage. The radiator was bust, and much more (we incurred a cost of nearly ~80K+ on a few years old M800); but no-one else was hurt.

Of course I was banned from using any car for as long as I remember; and that was the last time I had contact with that friend of mine.

[revvharder]

Originally Posted by SCORPION

My God! He came like a bolt of lightning. Wet roads, high speed, curve, top heavy SUV and a car which belongs to someone else. Sure shot recipe for disaster.

Well he did not come like a bolt of lightning the video has been edited and skipped forward 30 seconds. The part which should have shown how the accident took place has been deleted. From 0:26 to 0:28 seconds you can see the timings mentioned on the top right hand side of the video.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by SCORPION

I have formed a general opinion. Now I drive mostly in areas where these private buses are an absolute nuisance...

I concur with your observation regarding private buses and if your location displayed is really where you are, then I can safely say that I'm aware of the menace and have had my fair share of close calls. I would add the tipper lorries also to the same category as these private buses.

Regarding the accident involving the Kallada travels bus, I would reserve my comments until more details are available We can agree to disagree on this, like you said.

Originally Posted by samaspire

Here's a video of the accident, as received on WA.

The Scorpio appeared in the frame out of nowhere!!!

All it takes is a parchment called the Driving License (and the money) to rent a powerful vehicle. Combined with the lack of proper maintenance and the vehicles themselves being the lowest variants (means no ABS, no airbags, no speed-sensing auto lock, no fog lights etc), the nut behind the wheel is a deadly addition to the mix. Many people rent an SUV/MUV to go on trips with friends and family, with the experience of driving only a small hatchback or perhaps none at all. The driving dynamics, especially the braking and body roll will be enough to upset an inexperienced driver.

My policy is to maintain a safe distance from rental vehicles, especially the Scorpios and XUVs. I make way if I see one closing in, in the RVM. If I see one pottering around in front, I quickly pass it without any movement that could startle the driver and get as much ahead as I can.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Here's a video of the accident, as received on WA.

The Scorpio must have been driving at some speed, judging by the way the camera jerks due to the impact of the Scorpio.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Here's a video of the accident, as received on WA.

From timestamp 25:02 the video skips to 25:30, this makes the scorpio appear as though it landed there like a lightning. Not sure why it was edited like that.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by revvharder

Well he did not come like a bolt of lightning the video has been edited and skipped forward 30 seconds. The part which should have shown how the accident took place has been deleted. From 0:26 to 0:28 seconds you can see the timings mentioned on the top right hand side of the video.

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

From timestamp 25:02 the video skips to 25:30, this makes the scorpio appear as though it landed there like a lightning. Not sure why it was edited like that.

Probably because some cameras drop frames when there is no motion detected. And by the time the camera started recording the initial impact had already occurred. The impact should have been pretty severe looking at the way the car is battered all around. I wont comment on the speed since even if the speed was less, the car would have had pretty good momentum due to its weight to lose control and topple all over due to a sudden swerve or sharp turn.

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by audioholic

I wont comment on the speed since even if the speed was less, the car would have had pretty good momentum due to its weight to lose control and topple all over due to a sudden swerve or sharp turn.

If you see the photos, most of the damage is on the right side of the vehicle, but damage to property is on the left side. I guess it has spun before and during impact. Don't think it has toppled though.



That stretch is concrete and the divider ends there, as seen in the video and the sketch. Quite possible that he was surprised by someone crossing the road. And he carried too much speed out of the curve and over corrected. No chance of aquaplaning as water does not stagnate there.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by samaspire

If you see the photos, most of the damage is on the right side of the vehicle, but damage to property is on the left side. I guess it has spun before and during impact. Don't think it has toppled though.

That stretch is concrete and the divider ends there, as seen in the video and the sketch. Quite possible that he was surprised by someone crossing the road. And he carried too much speed out of the curve and over corrected. No chance of aquaplaning as water does not stagnate there.

Yes, it could be the case. Honestly, the first time I drove the scorpio I almost ended up with a similar situation. We had rented a Zoomcar scorpio three years back to go to Madikeri. I had not driven a scorpio earlier and when I took charge of the car, the size and weight gave me a false confidence of it being rock solid on the road. It was even soaking up the road undulations without breaking sweat. After I entered the Bangalore Mysore highway, I was doing a tad less than 80kmph and an autorickshaw coming from the opposite direction took a right turn in front of me suddenly. However, he had judged it right and would pass my car before I reached that point. However, I had to do a small swerve to the right to keep away from his tail. This was not even across a lane, but just from one edge of the lane till the other. This small maneuver itself sent the whole body rolling so much that I thought I would topple. However, without any further steering input I let the car settle down. After this, I never took curves at a high speed in this car.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by locusjag

Tyre-burst as a cause of fatal crashes:

If I had a 100 Rupee note for every such crash that I've either read about or heard someone i've known getting involved in, there'd be a neat sum of Rs.1 Lakh accumulated in the past 8 years.

That's why I worry about the worthiness of tyres the way Woody Allen's hypochondriac characters worried about their health in so many of his movies.

...and I was picking pebbles from the tyre treads this morning. I do this once in a month or so. Found two nails, one each, in my two rear tyres. I'm glad I have this habit of checking my tyres now and then.

[shubhodeepdas@g]

Originally Posted by locusjag

...and I was picking pebbles from the tyre treads this morning. I do this once in a month or so. Found two nails, one each, in my two rear tyres. I'm glad I have this habit of checking my tyres now and then.

Originally Posted by locusjag

Tyre-burst as a cause of fatal crashes:

This tyre will probably leak as the temperature rises and eventually deflate but it will never blow out.

Now coming to the point of "tyre blowouts". Yesterday while driving back from work I overtook a slow moving Tata Ace on Mysore road. The vehicle was overloaded to the brim and barely managing to keep pace with the rest of the traffic. Around the time I was halfway done with my overtaking I hear one loud noise and in my rear view mirror see the Ace limping slowly towards the median into my lane. I do not know what kind of tyres these vehicles use but suspect they are of the Tube and Tyre type and not Radials.

Now coming to tyre repairs. Most people would rather put a tube inside and continue on with a leaky radial. This is when every bit of logic goes out the window and a tyre failure becomes highly probable if not an eventuality. Till date for most situations where I suffered catastrophic tyre failures, the mechanic has always suggested this method. I can bet most cabbies and rentals are happy just doing this and saving that extra buck.

I even know a few CEOs who had opted for such solutions. One actually suffered a tyre failure in a swift and landed up totalling the car. He and his family did come out safe with minor to major injuries. Many a times what we think is logical on this forum is not even considered as a thought process by most laymen who might be awesome in their own fields but when it comes to a vehicle, they rely on the mechanic or the dealer.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by shubhodeepdas@g

This tyre will probably leak as the temperature rises and eventually deflate but it will never blow out.

One of the screws that had plugged itself onto the tread (versus the other one which was lodged in between the treads) had caused a slow leak. The puncture-shop guy (or I should say, the "puncher" shop, as their shop's name reads on their board ) showed me just how small of a leak that was after pouring water on the spot, with the screw still embedded. The guy told me that the tyre would have flattened out slowly in a week's time with its barely discernible, slow leak.

It is my understanding that underinflation is the chief culprit of blowouts, since underinflated tyres have that much more room to expand. (More at -http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/drive-safe/128829-article-how-handle-prevent-tyre-burst-blowout.html)

Would there have been a blowout for certain? No.

Would I be courting danger, if left unchecked? Yes.

That's all I meant to convey. Cheers!

[sparky@home]

In a tragic incident, a group of youths who were on their way to*Cochin International Airport*Limited (CIAL) to drop off a friend who got a job in*Oman*met with an accident, killing five of them on the spot.
The incident happened in the early hours of Thursday on the MC road near Perumbavoor when their car rammed a tourists' bus heading to*Sabarimala
Two others sustained grievous injuries in the accident. Cleaner of the bus said that they didn't see the car coming and that it came from the backside of the truck suddenly to ram their vehicle.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by sparky@home

In a tragic incident,.

Look at the massive damage to the bus as well:

https://youtu.be/BJ5W3hOqVBs

Very less chances of survival looking at the mangled remains of the car and that of the bus too!

Another website has an embedded video with CCTV footage that clearly shows how fast the car approached an intersection/fork and collided with the bus. A suspected DUI?

Here's the link to the news portal where you can watch the CCTV footage.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Another website has an embedded video with CCTV footage that clearly shows how fast the car approached an intersection/fork and collided with the bus. A suspected DUI?

Here's the link to the news portal where you can watch the CCTV footage.

That Beat with seven people would be a juggernaut on roads. Just see how much the bus moves during the crash due to the momentum of the car. Added to this, the road was wet and the car was too fast to take the curve. Looks like this will just become a common occurrence, with more people buying cars without knowing how much to use and abuse them without risking theirs as well as the lives of others. It is sad that the media carelessly reports that the bus rammed into the car when its clearly the other way round. Not sure when both the media and the people get blessed with some sense.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by audioholic

It is sad that the media carelessly reports that the bus rammed into the car when its clearly the other way round. Not sure when both the media and the people get blessed with some sense.

Reports and interviews clearly says that it is car's mistake. But there was one line in the second report which says car was rammed by bus. I think it was a mistake by them.

Small hatchback+7 people+young people+wet road+wee hours = Recipe for disaster