[download2live]

I am feeling very sad that a biker lost his life because of an idiot.
Hope god punishes the guilty.
Our courts are useless anyways.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by evilshantanu

Guys, I was involved in this traffic pile up. It was pretty horrific.
No the dog wasnt the reason for the accident.

So this is what happened. On the flyover there was a maroon Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia, who was driving like a maniac, he overtook me from left (must have been at a speed of 80 km/hr) and then cut across a grey swift ZXi in front of me and came in the extreme right lane. Right infront of the Eco Space techpark, as the morons removed the stones from the divider there, and the people want to save few drops of petrol and take a U-Turn to get into the tech park, this was always a recipe for disaster I always though about it. So today the law of averages caught on me and it happened. The moron in the maroon Mitsubishi lancer Cedia immediately stopped there for taking a U-TURN, the swift infront of me braked hard, I literally stood on the brakes, ABS Kicked in and I stopped, and just then BANG, 1 second more BANG again, another fraction of a second BANG again (this one being the worst). The Chevy BEAT was behind me, nothing happened to the swift infront of me, the chevy Beat banged me from behind, he wasnt wearing a seat belt and when I came out of the car he had blood on his forehead. But what happened behind him was no less than horrific. The bike fellow banged the beat and a BUS (some private company bus) banged the bike fellow. He was crushed between the bust and the Beat. I am still shaking as I report this. Possibly the bike guy lost his life all because of the moronic activity of that Maroon swift. I got that guy, I asked him what did he do, his answer was "I gave the indicator". I was in a state of shock, didn't argue with him. Went to the cop, asked him if he needs me to be there at the police station, he asked me to leave since I wasnt directly involved with the bike guy.

Here is the pic of what is left out of the boot of my car

The incident is quite shocking and can happen to anyone of us for no fault on our part. I sympathize for the trauma and the state of mind you have been through, seeing it all happen in front of your eyes.
These morons abound everywhere and its only providence that makes one become a victim of such mad men's road acrobatics which traumatizes the entire traffic and even turns the roads to killing fields. I feel sorry for the poor biker who had to pay a heavy price.
But the saddest part is the fact that only right thinking people like you and many more of us care or bother about road safety and also read such threads on teambhp or maybe other forums and in the media.
These morons scarcely do and even if they, they have the "devil may care attitude" with which they take vicarious pleasure in putting others into distress. Their "break the rules" demeanor and arrogant ways need outright condemnation.
These people need to be compulsorily jailed for at least six months (Magisterial Custody Remand or MCR ),with cognisable and non-bailable offences registered against them.The sentence needs to be upped to longer periods if the person is found guilty.
The saddest part is that our laws are strict (but need to be made more stringent), meaningful and take care of all kinds of criminal offences, but the prosecution charge sheet is shoddily drafted and any lawyer with some skill gets the accused bailed out for the worst of crimes committed. Bribes and money play a major role in managing the law.
Acquittals are only too common.
If a fear of punitive action is missing from our mindsets, we tend to break the law and even make our own.That's the sad flip side, which gives birth to such idiots and morons.

[evilshantanu]

Originally Posted by carzone

Can't really blame the bus driver before actually knowing the scene. Its always difficult to say that the bus had enough time to stop, as they tend to take a lot more of a distance. I am pretty sure that the brakes of the bus might not be in the best condition and hence he is at fault. If the biker could stop in time, I guess the bus was tailgating! I guess Shantanu can give us a better idea about the bus.

I think the speed of the bus was a little on the higher side, but I wouldnt blame the bus driver, he was driving an ancient TATA bus, with pathetic brakes, and you can imagine the momentum of the bus (momentum = mass x velocity) so even at 30-40 km/hr the bus must be at a huge momentum, cant say how far the Bus was from the bikers

Originally Posted by carzone

Thats a great thing you are planning to do. All the Team-Bhpian's are with you. In-fact, we should identify such spots in our area and act over it before we witness such a things. We can always learn by others experiences.

Thanks mate. I will keep everybody updated on this, will start another thread for the same.

Originally Posted by download2live

I am feeling very sad that a biker lost his life because of an idiot.
Hope god punishes the guilty.
Our courts are useless anyways.

Though whatever argument the Cedia guy gives me, I think deep down in his heart he knows that he was atleast one of the culprits here apart from the authorities. Live his rest of life with this guilt in his heart, and keep defending himself against everybody, I think thats a good enough punishment for him.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Shantanu, glad to know that you were wearing seatbelts, and had enough distance and fast enough reactions to stop without hitting anyone. If everyone else had done the same there would have been no accident.

The Cedia driver, from what you say, is a lousy driver and a worse human being. Morally, I cannot argue that he doesn't have blood on his hands: a life lost because of his selfish, thugish driving.

I think deep down in his heart he knows that he was atleast one of the culprits here apart from the authorities. Live his rest of life with this guilt in his heart, and keep defending himself against everybody, I think thats a good enough punishment for him.

I think you are right to say that, and I feel the same. I have to say something else, though: it wasn't the Cedia driver that killed the biker, it was the bus driver. Everyone who ran into the back of someone else was responsible for that because they were too close.

Unless and until people stop driving at parked-car distance from the car in front, these accidents will happen again and again and again. Because it only takes one idiot.

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by evilshantanu

I have decided that I am not going to just sit on it. I am going to BTP ( Bangalore traffic police) on Monday and filing an RTI as to why no permanent divider is built in this stretch after all, BTP knows the danger everyday. Also am going to file another RTI with BBMP on what is the plan for a sky walk in front of such an important techpark on one of the most busiest road. Pedestrians are exposed to the mercy of fate and chance everyday here.

evilshantanu, sorry to hear about the incident and it is quite unfortunate that somebody lost his life. Wish you a speedy recovery from the shock.
I pass through that stretch every day and I know the pain of driving there. While going towards ITPL, as you come down the overbridge, the buses especially Volvos block the left lane and people drive slow to see if the blocks kept there are removed so that they can take a U-turn over there. Trucks move through the middle lane, show their hands and just turn right. If you are lucky, you escape.
While coming back, many a times I had to negotiate around the concrete blocks which these fellows had moved on to the road to open up the median. And as it is not an easy U-turn due to the presence of a median's left-over on the lane going towards Silkboard, cabbies and other morons block the entire way by poking their noses (or hoods) into the oncoming traffic. All this, just to avoid a km (max)of extra driving and taking the U-turn under the next overbridge

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by evilshantanu

Guys, I was involved in this traffic pile up. It was pretty horrific.
No the dog wasnt the reason for the accident.

That is one big shunt your car has taken. But thankfully you are ok. And the fact that you did not ram into anyone is a testimony to your good driving.

After reading the description of the pile up, a dog was indeed the reason for the accident. The dog just happened to be driving a car, instead of crossing the road.

Originally Posted by evilshantanu

Though whatever argument the Cedia guy gives me, I think deep down in his heart he knows that he was atleast one of the culprits here apart from the authorities. Live his rest of life with this guilt in his heart, and keep defending himself against everybody, I think thats a good enough punishment for him.

I doubt he will realise his mistake. He should have been apprehended right there at the accident spot for causing a loss of life by driving dangerously and negligilently.

Originally Posted by evilshantanu

I have decided that I am not going to just sit on it. I am going to BTP ( Bangalore traffic police) on Monday and filing an RTI as to why no permanent divider is built in this stretch after all, BTP knows the danger everyday. Also am going to file another RTI with BBMP on what is the plan for a sky walk in front of such an important techpark on one of the most busiest road. Pedestrians are exposed to the mercy of fate and chance everyday here.

Good that you are going to take action. I appreciate and respect that.

[souravc]

I am horrified to see the damage and loss of life in the accident that Shantanu faced . I drive extensively in Mumbai traffic and the fear of being rear ended is ever present in my mind especially with all those rickety padmini cabs , auto and BEST buses having the habit of following without leaving any meaningful gap . I have developed a habit of stealing a glance on my rear view mirror whenever I brake, I guess my sub-conscious mind believes that I can control the braking according to the probability of getting rammed. I get so uncomfortable when I am tailed by cabs and autos which travel with their headlights switched off in the pathetically illuminated roads of Mumbai .. the yellow (smeared with dirt) and black combo does not work , cabs and auto should be forced to be white in colour to improve visibility.
Most of the times we cannot help it that taxis/auto/buses stay too near - my defense mechanism is to slow down even more than the traffic in front and only accelerate away when there is a reasonable gap with the traffic in front. I assume that the car behind me has bad brakes so they cannot manage sudden braking which may not be far from the reality with these rickety cabbies.
I wish people had more patience and allowed reasonable gaps - the most frustrating part is that if one leaves a gap of 6-7 feet then some biker gets in between , what does the car driver do then ? Or like in this case what can the bus driver do ? This is a real world problem .
I myself have missed running over a couple of bikers because like absolute morons they were overtaking from the left which is a huge blindspot for right hand drive cars . I also don't get it why do they swerve right from the left and then slant the bike when they do this stupidity , sometimes I regret hot hitting them - at least the world will be cleaned up of a few idiots ! These morons think that even if they are driving alongside the car, just by turning on the indicator lights the driver of the car by some magic should take note of that .
Its frustrating that dangerous driving goes unpunished till it causes injury or death just as frustrating are the agents of death in the form of corrupt contractors who make these broken roads or the police who turn a blind eye to violations !

[rohanjf]

For some reason, I was thinking it is Silkboard flyover. I just read all over again and realised that, that was the stretch where my wife almost got hit by a water tanker while crossing that road. Since then, I always try my best to adjust my working hours to drop and pick my wife directly in front of her office.

Also, I never take that road to go to my office after dropping her, even though it is only 12 km. I take the road less travelled, which amounts to 21 km!

There are so many flyovers and yet, absolutely no way for pedestrians. No footpaths, and no overbridges.

RTI application might just be responded with, that's a construction zone and the road construction is still going on and overbridges and medians will be built after the road is complete.

[sunishsamuel]

I don't know who is the unfortunate person who lost his/her life in the yesterday's accident. Only the ones involved in the accident get affected each time. I still see people trying to squeeze in through the gaps on the make-shift median to get on to the other side of the road, barely few meters away from the accident spot. Saw it yesterday night and today morning. The make shift median, made out of some old pipes and stones, keeps disappearing and the gaps are being utilized by the public (I work in the office campus near the accident spot) Its their right !

Add to it, without even understanding that they are doing something illegal and can causing grave injuries to others, they justify their actions too. If these morons think that by using these illegal turns they can save on fuel and time, then no one can ever help them.

I hate to say this, but unless someone becomes a victim, he/she never learns to be safe on the road. Sorry if i sounded really rude.

[vibbs]

That was a really bad incident friend. Glad that you are safe and sorry for the poor guy who lost his life for no reason of his. Pity that the guy who caused all this is roaming around safe.

Originally Posted by evilshantanu

Though whatever argument the Cedia guy gives me, I think deep down in his heart he knows that he was atleast one of the culprits here apart from the authorities. Live his rest of life with this guilt in his heart, and keep defending himself against everybody, I think thats a good enough punishment for him.

I dont think the guy would have an iota of guilt in his mind. Such people always find ways to fool themselves into believing they are not at fault. If the person had even a semblance of conscience he wouldn't be driving like a moron endangering lives of people around him. I always wonder, why on earth do others have to pay for the follies of such fools.

[ramzsys]

We have worsened from 'drive safe and you will surely reach home' to 'even if you drive safe, you might not reach home'.

The charms in holding the steering wheel is fading away.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by sunishsamuel

I hate to say this, but unless someone becomes a victim, he/she never learns to be safe on the road. Sorry if i sounded really rude.

it's the truth; nothing to be sorry about.

August 17th, 2004 I almost had my head cut off!

I was on my way to office on my bike (then located in Diamond District) and was using the back alleys (behind Dena Bank, now Trident) to get to the Manipal hospital signal. There was not much vehicular activity on the stretch and cocky as I was back then, was doing around 50-60kmph. Suddenly, I see something thin pulled across the road; it was just 2sec before contact. I hit the rear brake immediately hoping to skid the bike and get below it. I make it, barely. It scrapes my neck and leaves a rope burn.

Remember, I'm still falling. I'm carrying a backpack with two laptops in it and wearing one of those two sided jackets. I crash into the construction material on the roadside, the size of tennis balls. I land head first and then left shoulder; the bike has gone few yards away from beneath me. In those days I used to wear only my baseball cap and sunglasses while riding, but on that day, I was wearing a helmet (thank God for the helmet rule)!!

I got up, brushed myself, picked up my bike and let out a stream of expletives to the construction workers and their foreman there! They had pulled a yellow coloured nylon rope across the road to measure something. Looked like the foreman called the worker who was holding the rope and he might have just tied it to the pillar on the other side if the road.

When I was done, I started the bike (there was no damage except for scrape marks) and headed to office. Got the med-kit and cleaned the wounds (had bruises on my shoulder, hands and knees and of course my neck). Made the presentation to a visiting VP of our division (which was supposed to be the high point of the day) and then headed home. Next few weeks were painful to say the least!

That day forward I haven't taken out my bike without protective gear and first strapping on my helmet.

laton ke bhoot baton se nahi mante.. (boot ghost talk don't agree)

[CARDEEP]

@evilshantanu, must say that it was your good day to come out unscathed from a bad accident. At the most your car is harmed (not your body), wherein the insurance company will share major part of the expenses.

Sorry to learn about the poor biker... but, what happened to the Cedia driver, was he caught & prosecuted for rash & neglected driving. I wish we have strict laws for such cases as few other countries have. See example:

Chinese truck driver fined £15.5 million - Latest car stories - MSN Cars UK


@IronH4WK, that was lucky escape that day.

I believe there was a case of similar accident, wherein kite thread (~ manjha) silt the throat of a bike rider not wearing helmet (not sure) in Chennai some years ago.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I believe there was a case of similar accident, wherein kite thread (~ manjha) silt the throat of a bike rider not wearing helmet (not sure) in Chennai some years ago.

Not some years ago, but regularly. I don't remember the details or the dates, but it has certainly happened this year. Manja is illegal and deadly, but people still think it is a plaything. A helmet would not protect the neck. Do schools teach people anything useful? IronH4WK, that is an amazing story.

The horrible death of the little girl falling through a hole in the school bus floor has become a major issue. Let us hope that it stays that way. Another child was killed (yesterday, I think) walking in front of the bus she had just got off. Even here, each accident is forgotten as we move on to the next: I'm afraid that the same thing will happen with the school bus stuff --- or that vested interests will turn out more valuable than children.

[suhaas307]

Shantanu, that's terrible! Good to know that you're safe and sound. RIP poor biker.

Originally Posted by evilshantanu

I think the speed of the bus was a little on the higher side, but I wouldnt blame the bus driver, he was driving an ancient TATA bus, with pathetic brakes, and you can imagine the momentum of the bus (momentum = mass x velocity) so even at 30-40 km/hr the bus must be at a huge momentum, cant say how far the Bus was from the bikers

I'm not sure if I agree with this.

I would blame the bus driver. Knowing that it's an old TATA bus with pathetic brakes, he should have known that it's going to take some distance and calf-muscles to anchor the thing.

A good driver will always drive his vehicles taking into account its limitations.

If a person hits you from the back, it's ALWAYS that persons fault. Poor brakes is never an excuse. He should know how much distance is required to stop his vehicle without getting close to or hitting the vehicle in front of him. If he doesn't do that, he was either tailing the vehicle or simply not concentrating as much as he should have.