[Acharya]

Wet surface, winding road and high speeds- perfect recipe for losing traction.

Excellent recovery by bus driver after almost losing it (go to 12 sec) -

https://twitter.com/_____Kavya_____/...ay8xg7Y80VAzEg

[msarunms1987]

Originally Posted by Acharya

Wet surface, winding road and high speeds- perfect recipe for losing traction.

Excellent recovery by bus driver after almost losing it (go to 12 sec) -

Wow! That was an amazing reaction by the driver. I am guessing it is also the Traction Control system coming into play in that Volvo.
Either ways, good that there was not another mishap.

[GKR9900]

I can't really believe I ended up witnessing a second incident of a two-wheeler accident within a span of weeks. I had shared my earlier dashcam footage here.

https://youtu.be/fTXP34yE8YI

While in this video the threat to the bikers came from below in the form of a deep pothole filled with water, the biker in this next video had to deal with a threat from above! Take a look.

https://youtu.be/wuv-vPejILA

Me and my friends were en route to have lunch the other day when this unfolded. I was chatting with them and driving to a nearby hotel. The biker in front was riding peacefully. We were keeping a safe distance from him and suddenly I see the biker swerving to the right and falling on the road. For a moment we didn't realise what just happened. The road was well laid out, there were no other vehicles nearby. Why did the biker lose control? As we approached closer we could see why. Apparently a truck had passed by some time back which clipped one of the stay wires on the electric post nearby. The severed wire was freely hanging when the biker got caught up in it. Poor chap! He was riding defensively and still managed to get caught up in this mishap. Talk about the unpredictability of our roads. As in the previous video, here also the helmet became the rescuer. You can see how violently the biker hit his head on the tarmac in what was apparently a low speed crash. The helmet did its job of protecting the biker's head before rolling off after the impact. We stopped the car and examined the biker. He was shaken with a small laceration on the foot and some bruises over his body. He was wearing a rain coat which prevented road rash to some extent. I think this guy was extremely lucky to have come out of this with minor injuries. I hope this video also serves as a deterrent to those who excuse themselves from wearing a helmet next time they hop aboard a two wheeler for a short ride. Wear it, so that our life's journey isn't cut short!

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by Acharya

Wet surface, winding road and high speeds- perfect recipe for losing traction.

Excellent recovery by bus driver after almost losing it (go to 12 sec) -

In an ideal world, he would not have needed to "recover". You can see a capsized vehicle in front and that at least should have been reason enough to slow down. Then you have people on road taking videos and people on the median, raining, wet roads etc etc.

Sigh.

Glad that nothing untoward happened other than a few skipped heartbeats for the people on board.

[Rahul Rao]

Originally Posted by msarunms1987

Wow! That was an amazing reaction by the driver. I am guessing it is also the Traction Control system coming into play in that Volvo.
Either ways, good that there was not another mishap.

The main thing that aided quick recovery was the 3rd axle. A third dead axle in trucks and buses helps keep the vehicle in line.
Using lot of torque in a sharp climb a single rear driven axle will make vehicle over steer, but tandem axles with only one driven will keep it in line.

Rahul

[sravankrishnan]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

We were keeping a safe distance from him

Safe distance and then some! You need to be appreciated for that. That's way more distance that I would ever have kept in that situation and that really did pay off for you. You can't predict anything on these roads.

[ashutoshb]

This is the Noida - Greater Noida Expressway, which I use daily for office commute.

Ever since the road was repaved earlier this year, they have not painted the lane markings.

So, in essence, its one single lane.

The legal speed limit on this expressway is 100 kph.

What I face daily:
- Since there are no lanes, people drive anywhere.
- Cars, buses driving at 70-80 kph drive on the right side (what used to be the overtaking lane).
- Tractors, heavy trucks, micro trucks and two wheelers drive on the left (what used to be the lane for heavy vehicles)

Now, if someone has to overtake, most of the times, s/he has to overtake in a zig zag manner, between all the three lanes.

The overtaking drivers, though take a risk, have no other option. Because no amount of honking or flashing the high beam makes the slow drivers change lanes.

So even if one is driving within the speed limit of 100, when an accident occurs, its considered the fault of the ever-overspeeding driver. No science required. Plain and simple, it must be the speed.

No markings. No lanes. No enforcement on lane speeds. Nothing.

Putting the entire blame on the driver isn't right. The Government and the police have to do their part as well.

[karanddd]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

This is the Noida - Greater Noida Expressway, which I use daily for office commute.

Ever since the road was repaved earlier this year, they have not painted the lane markings.

So, in essence, its one single lane.

The legal speed limit on this expressway is 100 kph.

What I face daily:
- Since there are no lanes, people drive anywhere.
- Cars, buses driving at 70-80 kph drive on the right side (what used to be the overtaking lane).
- Tractors, heavy trucks, micro trucks and two wheelers drive on the left (what used to be the lane for heavy vehicles)

Now, if someone has to overtake, most of the times, s/he has to overtake in a zig zag manner, between all the three lanes.

The overtaking drivers, though take a risk, have no other option. Because no amount of honking or flashing the high beam makes the slow drivers change lanes.

So even if one is driving within the speed limit of 100, when an accident occurs, its considered the fault of the ever-overspeeding driver. No science required. Plain and simple, it must be the speed.

No markings. No lanes. No enforcement on lane speeds. Nothing.

Putting the entire blame on the driver isn't right. The Government and the police have to do their part as well.

In the few foreign countries that I have visited, I have never ever seen a road like this with no lane markings. And I mean never. I think people in those countries would simply refuse to drive on such a road, citing the fact that they can't tell which lane to drive in & how vulnerable that makes them against cars weaving in and out. Whenever I see people say our infrastructure or roads are now world class and support 120kmph speeds etc. I can only laugh. And this is in the vicinity of the national capital. There's just no excuse for this.

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Apparently a truck had passed by some time back which clipped one of the stay wires on the electric post nearby. The severed wire was freely hanging when the biker got caught up in it. Poor chap! He was riding defensively and still managed to get caught up in this mishap. Talk about the unpredictability of our roads.

Thank God he is safe. These stay wires really is a cause of concern and we can see lot of cables suspended particularly in the city.

Originally Posted by GKR9900

As in the previous video, here also the helmet became the rescuer. You can see how violently the biker hit his head on the tarmac in what was apparently a low speed crash. The helmet did its job of protecting the biker's head before rolling off after the impact.

He did not strap on the helmet properly, this particular attitude can be seen in many riders. He should be thanking all stars to come out with little injury.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Two accidents reported above, two high end big cars from the Top German Brands BMW and Mercedes which are known for sturdy and safe builds were involved in them, people traveling in them died.

Then hey people, stop feeling proud of those tinny Tatas, VWs, Skodas and please stop taking the driving for granted. Pay respect to the traffic rules, care for yourself and other road users.

And off-course, please get rid of your obsession with your mobile phones and those big screens fitted in your cars while driving, please drive with fully conscious mind and do not leave the driving on the mercy of the sub-conscious mind.

Hear, hear! Our total faith & dependence on "fail safe" technology and our somnolent laziness/reluctance to use our own judgement at times when it is most needed leads to these disasters - notwithstanding all the wake-up calls from Princess Diana-like tragedies.

[subuiyer]

Originally Posted by Capri89

One more encounter with a Go Matha, where I could avoid a potential hit purely because of my sedate driving.

https://Youtu.be/z-cIZxYsXHE

After some reading on cattle vision, gathered that in general they have:

1. excellent panoramic vision and can see almost all around them - so more sensory information for their brain to process and consequently slower responses
2. a bit less color and contrast vision compared to humans (see below video)
3. DO NOT have depth (distance) perception, except when looking forward they have binocular vision

Many of you may already know this.

This last point seem to co-relate with what we see in Capri89's video - the cow just continues to walk across without acknowledging the much larger vehicle approaching it at speed. All animals learn about their place in the size hierarchy pretty early in their life. This is most likely because it does not understand that the vehicle is getting closer or how close it is.

Also they are very sensitive to sound, so blowing horn especially at close quarters may not have desired effect.

This simple video explains well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5oS8TNI8fI

[StopUnderrides]

Originally Posted by AnAvgJoe

1) As regards people or cattle crossing the highway at any and all points, that is a safety hazard that is independent of the style of driving, unless of course, one wishes to travel at about 30kph only. Legal highway speeds are at 80-120Kph, depending on the type of road. People who cross highways willy-nilly must be fined, and if cattle, must be confiscated (they're usually domestic cattle let to wander the roads for food, a cheaper alternative than paying for feed).
That said, the govt. must provide barricades to prevent this crossing, while also providing overpasses or underpasses for the pedestrians/animals and service roads for local vehicles.
.

As you must already know the govt will do no such thing. Be practical and drive the car at 60kph. That way even if you hit a cow you won’t die.

[CarML]

Source: Got this from a friend of mine today on WhatsApp.
Location: Bidadi to Ramanagar stretch along the Mysore - Bangalore expressway.
This truck tumbled probably due to slippery road near the bridge (yes, that dreaded bridge that is present on all our highways).
Nobody bothered to have hazard signs or any indications behind the truck to warn other vehicles. People seem to be waiting to see more drama without realizing that it could risk their lives along with other vehicles.
The KSRTC bus had a narrow escape. I think it was overspeeding slightly considering it had to take a sharp curve.

[MT_Hyderabad]

Saudi drifting comes home!

https://youtu.be/pywOMzWFV2A

[Hbh]

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

Saudi drifting comes home!

Great timing. This looks like the same highway that doesn't have lane markings as mentioned a few posts above. I hope parents of these young kids don't give them a car at least till they earn one themselves.

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

This is the Noida - Greater Noida Expressway, which I use daily for office commute.