[dpaul]

Hi all.

I would like to suggest on starting a new thread about lane rules / etiquettes and other road rules. I don't know whether such a thread exists in this forum since my search results did not show me any such specific thread.

Most accidents can be avoided if people are knowledgeable about the prevailing rules and street/road etiquettes. I myself belong to a small tier III town. Hence I don't have much knowledge about the rules and etiquettes to be followed but I would surely like to learn. And I know there must be many such people like me who don't have the knowledge of the same but are willing to learn and implement.

So if we can help people understand the rules and proper etiquettes then this will be a helpful step towards serving the society at large since Team-Bhp as a platform, has a large reader base among both the members and non-members.

Regards

Request to mods: Please merge this post to an existing thread if it exists.

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by FORTified

I had this crazy experience where, near Davanagere, one biker, possibly asleep at the handle bar started veering to his right, no matter how much I honked and finally his handle hit my car near left-rear wheel. He promptly fall down. As I was anticipating that he will hit me I was slowing down by then. But, the fun started there. The bike started racing with me
It refused to fall and refused to slow down and refused to go on its own way. I couldn't slow down because the bike kept coming at me. The only way out for me was to win the race against that beast!!!!
In the ORVM, I saw that the biker woke up, picked himself from the road and joined the race trying to catch his runaway bike!!!
Never bothered to stop there - right or wrong.

This needs to go in the 'Unusual / funny / heartwarming experiences on the road' thread too. Damn this was a funny read. With or without the biker, the bike was keen to race you

You should have sped away than slowing down, then the sleepy rider wouldn't have hit you.

[gomnivazca]

Originally Posted by WhiteSierra

Hit and run case in Madhapur, Hyderabad

An over speeding honda city driver hits a cyclist and escapes from the accident spot. From the video, it looks like the cyclist suffered severe spinal injury.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=hsba1jxvG8c

Sorry for the cyclist. Looking at the way he was driving bang on the middle of that small road... These kind of accidents are bound to take place... City guy was driving like an Idiot. But equally the cyclist is a Stupid as well.

By the way these cycles can go speed over 40Kmph.. why dont they have rear view mirrors?

[anjan_c2007]

A Maruti Eeco loaded with twelve passengers collided with a container truck on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Expressway, under the jurisdiction of the Palghar police. Four passengers including a two year old child were killed and eight injured. The Eeco has most likely hit the container truck from behind as another news link reveals. The twelve passengers were travelling from Lonavala to Palghar after a pilgrimage.

https://www.aninews.in/news/national...ource=inshorts

https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/nation...ad-highway-rjh

The dark side and underbelly of these well meaning expressways, which users are perhaps not yet used to till this date stands exposed. The moot point is that this small van gets illegally overloaded with 12 passengers.

[sridhu]

Last night around 10:30 PM there were a couple of accidents on the Bangalore Airport Elevated highway (AH43 NH44(?))

A large trailer carrying granite boulders traveling towards the city jumped divider. Seemed to have hit something on the other end as traffic was backed up and an ambulance was speeding towards that spot. This was roughly around the Yelahanka section.

About 2 kms after, there was an ambulance parked on the to-airport side with traffic backed up but I could not make out what had happened.

Any info on either of these accidents?

I was driving & it was pouring; so no pictures.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by RohaNN_kWh

Both at fault !!

Honda City guy satisfying his Track Day cravings on a 2 lane road that too by overtaking on the left lane.

Cyclist guy wearing a helmet having basic sense is avoiding a dirt patch by choosing to go in the middle of the road and not ensuring that the lane is clear of oncoming traffic.

The cyclist is NOT at fault here, even though he could have been careful. There is no rule of the road that demands cyclists drive to the extreme left, as far as I know. But the City driver was driving rashly, overtaking the 3-wheeler from the left, thereby losing control.

[nibedk]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

The cyclist is NOT at fault here, even though he could have been careful. There is no rule of the road that demands cyclists drive to the extreme left, as far as I know. But the City driver was driving rashly, overtaking the 3-wheeler from the left, thereby losing control.

I am a cyclist/biker who takes utmost care while riding a bike/cycle. Not getting into the legality of whether a cyclist can ride in the middle of the road or not, its common sense not to ride in the middle of a road where 4 wheelers are allowed especially when the speed with which one rides a bicycle warrants one to ride on the left hand shoulder of the road for one's own safety.

Even if the Honda driver was driving carefully the result would still have been the same had he touched the bicycle by mistake.

The way the rider was riding bang in middle of the road without any care in the world he should consider himself lucky to get away alive. I pray for him to make a quick recovery and hope nothing serious. And from the video it doesn't look like he moved to the middle to avoid something on the left side. He can be seen driving in the middle right from the start of the video.

There is a reason why slower vehicles are asked to move on the extreme left/right based on which country one is in. The same applies to cycle/bike/walking person. We can all argue whose fault it is but its always the smaller car/biker/cyclists/jaywalkers who pay with their lives. No point arguing when life is at stake

[spittie]

THis is a dilemma i face- In Hyderabad especially, slower vehicles are mostly on the right lane, even on expressways/highways, not knowing that they need to be in the left lane. So should one honk the S*&t out of them to make them move (thereby creating a nuisance for others) or overtake from left if lane is fully/partially free? You will get sworn at either ways!

Being a cyclist myself, it is obvious that one needs to be on the left most lane, even if theres a patch of sand. Just go over it.whats the big deal? THe cyclist in the video is oblivious of the world around him.

Originally Posted by whitewing

The left most part of the road usually has sand/water pools/stones not to mention garbage and pointy object that the tyres don't like. Plus a large part of the driving populace (all wheel counts starting with 2 ) view cycles as a nuisance, and since overtaking on the left is a birthright in India, the slow moving cycle better scram .

Mod Note: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by WhiteSierra

Hit and run case in Madhapur, Hyderabad
An over speeding honda city driver hits a cyclist and escapes from the accident spot. From the video, it looks like the cyclist suffered severe spinal injury.

Not only overspeeding but reckless, rash and negligent driving by the Honda driver. His car went out of control as he found the two wheelers too tough to safely overtake at that speed and pass his car negotiating through them !

Coming to the cyclist, as I have always said slow moving vehicles of any category need to keep a safe distance (width) away from the road dividers to allow faster moving vehicles to overtake and pass by. But upon checking the width of the road from the divider left free by the cyclist for faster moving vehicles, it is found that is awfully less, making him prone to a rear hit which happened in this case.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by RohaNN_kWh

Both at fault !!

Honda City guy satisfying his Track Day cravings on a 2 lane road that too by overtaking on the left lane.

Cyclist guy wearing a helmet having basic sense is avoiding a dirt patch by choosing to go in the middle of the road

Sorry, but folks who think the cyclist was at fault here should not have a license to drive. This is not a expressway, it is an ordinary 2 lane city street. Cyclists don’t have to ride only on the shoulder, they have every right to occupy a lane. And anyone who hits someone from behind (except if the person who is hit veers into the lane in which the person who was behind was travelling) is solely at fault - 100% of the time. The City guy was fast, and trying to zig zag instead of using his brakes. You have brakes - use them. And then he fled. The guy should be in jail for at least 5 years in my view.

[RohaNN_kWh]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

The cyclist is NOT at fault here, even though he could have been careful. There is no rule of the road that demands cyclists drive to the extreme left, as far as I know. But the City driver was driving rashly, overtaking the 3-wheeler from the left, thereby losing control.

Originally Posted by Hayek

Sorry, but folks who think the cyclist was at fault here should not have a license to drive. This is not a expressway, it is an ordinary 2 lane city street. Cyclists don’t have to ride only on the shoulder, they have every right to occupy a lane.

I strongly disagree.

I agree there are no rules for cyclists to follow the leftmost side of the lane & they have all the liberty in the world to use every square inch of the road.

If this was in a developed nation with proper bike lanes or value for human life, only then the cyclist may ignore his rear surroundings and ride freely. Even the YouTube comment section agrees .

BUT BUT, he is a cyclist riding in INDIA and he totally can't be changing lanes (forget lanes, he should not be swerving while on the leftmost side of the road) without looking over his shoulder, cyclists are taken for granted we all are well aware of that (treated like pests on our roads, personal experience).

Complete blame falls on Honda City Squid, I bet the cyclist probably couldn't even see him a few seconds earlier but it's just that cyclists better be aware and not centre align themselves on Indian roads.

Would anyone dare ride a cycle in the middle of the road on any road in India?

[Electromotive]

I don't get this newfangled trend of cycling in cities. This isn't the Netherlands.

Risk of accidents aside, the air in Indian cities is quite polluted and cycling or any other aerobic exercise makes you breathe in copious amounts of the noxious gases and other pollutants that constitute the desi air.

Trying to fill your exercise quota by cycling during traffic hours and on busy roads isn't doing you as much good as you might imagine. Might as well smoke a pack a day.

While aerobic activity is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle, air pollution and exercise can be an unhealthy combination. This is especially true if you have asthma, diabetes, or heart or lung conditions.

Source

Exercise in high-polluted air resulted in a significant reduction in the performance at submaximal levels of physical exertion. Therefore, the acute exposure to polluted air may cause a significant reduction in the performance of active individuals.

Source

Acute exposure to high concentrations of pollutants during exercise resulted in decline in cardiovascular functions and hematological parameters in healthy athletes.

Source

So yeah, don't exercise outdoors in India, especially not during traffic hours. Never forget the unfortunate truth, here you got to spend money to keep the ample humanity and filth out.

[nibedk]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Sorry, but folks who think the cyclist was at fault here should not have a license to drive. This is not a expressway, it is an ordinary 2 lane city street. Cyclists don’t have to ride only on the shoulder, they have every right to occupy a lane. And anyone who hits someone from behind (except if the person who is hit veers into the lane in which the person who was behind was travelling) is solely at fault - 100% of the time. The City guy was fast, and trying to zig zag instead of using his brakes. You have brakes - use them. And then he fled. The guy should be in jail for at least 5 years in my view.

Absolutely agree to this sir! But how would it matter if one has to deal with some grievous injuries or may be live with it for rest of life or may be not alive to see the person behind bars. Irrespective of whichever country you ride in if anyone is on a two wheeler or walking the end result is going to be more painful than the the other party.

There is a reason why slower moving vehicles should be riding on extreme lanes. The same applies here. I am not saying that one cannot ride in other lanes but one has to be fast enough to safely do that. These city based cyclists (myself included) hardly have the reaction time, strength or speed of a seasoned cyclist. I have rear view mirrors on my cycle. I don't trust anyone else to care for my life and I have to take the responsibility to be as safe as possible while cycling/biking or walking. What would I gain if I am maimed or die irrespective of the other party landing in jail or not? Everyone else will go on with their life as usual expect for a few who I leave behind (my family and friends)

Choice is ours. Rather be safe than sorry.

[nagr22]

To all those who are blaming the cyclist for getting hit from behind, please re-imagine this scenario by replacing the cyclist with a TVS 50 or a Yulu miracle or one of those hero electric scooters which cant go above 30kph. I bet the honda city would have still hit the vehicle from behind. Is the slow moving vehicle at fault now?

Looking at the footage, it is clear that the honda driver would have collided even if there was a big rock instead of the cyclist there!

[nibedk]

Originally Posted by nagr22

To all those who are blaming the cyclist for getting hit from behind, please re-imagine this scenario by replacing the cyclist with a TVS 50 or a Yulu miracle or one of those hero electric scooters which cant go above 30kph. I bet the honda city would have still hit the vehicle from behind. Is the slow moving vehicle at fault now?

Looking at the footage, it is clear that the honda driver would have collided even if there was a big rock instead of the cyclist there!

That's the point mate! One has no business driving/riding something which cant speed up beyond 30 km/hr on a road where cars, tempos and other four wheelers are allowed. Its nothing but stupidity.

Even if the hit was @ 40 km/hr the result would have been pretty similar.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong. It doesn't always have to a be moron riding at high speed. It can be a mechanical failure, brakes not working, someone dozing off due to tiredness - the result would still be the same. The person riding/walking on the mid of the road will end up with broken bones or may even die.

Then what ?? The other party will mostly land up in jail especially if there are video evidences or gets a bail due to his/her connections and continues enjoying. Will all the broken bones and injury vanish or does one come back from the dead?

The end result is always going to be extremely painful for self or the loved ones. This isn't about right or wrong or what's legal or not the result would still be the same. The person cycling//riding/walking will be at the receiving end 99% of the times. The rest 1% have the divine fairy looking out for them.