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Old 11th April 2013, 21:30   #13036
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Originally Posted by binand View Post
There is a report in Deshabhimani (Malayalam) of an accident on NH7 this morning in which three students of Christ College died. I cannot see any report in the English MSM (Google News). Anyone with any information?
Report in English with pics, http://www.mangalorean.com/news.php?...&newsid=389146

Looks like over-speeding was the cause for this accident.
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Old 11th April 2013, 22:20   #13037
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Originally Posted by BlackBerry View Post
BTW, is there a thread on highway safety, especially w.r.t. animals like, dogs, pigs et al?
There are threads on general driving safety and they are quite informative too. Most of the threads say that we should maintain our speed limits. That helps alot in controlling the car in emergencies.

Once I saw a dog just ran over by another vehicle. When I was approching the scene I heard something hitting my car. It was an eagle trying to fly down to have a look at its meal (the dog), hit my car, broke my headlight and killed itself too. Sometimes its just bad luck and we cant help it.

One thing about the dogs - they tend to get disoriented while crossing a road.
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Old 11th April 2013, 23:44   #13038
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Spotted these at the FASS. Being European, have to say, they have taken the hits well.
Attached Thumbnails
Accidents in India | Pics & Videos-20130409_093428.jpg  

Accidents in India | Pics & Videos-20130410_091627.jpg  

Accidents in India | Pics & Videos-20130410_091642.jpg  

Accidents in India | Pics & Videos-20130410_092127.jpg  

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Old 12th April 2013, 10:20   #13039
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Originally Posted by poloman View Post
.......
Quote:
Originally Posted by arun_josie View Post
......[/url]
More details about the accident: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/19504724.cms
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Old 12th April 2013, 13:45   #13040
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Looks like most of you did not plan a long weekend. I was hoping to see at least one report of the horrible traffic hold up that happened on the Hosur Krishnagiri highway for over 2 hrs on Wednesday evening due to an accident.

I was on board my usual 1705 KSTC Bliss to Chennai on that day. Seated next to me was another regular on this route and we were chatting how the traffic was low and the bus was 15 minutes early at its refuel pitstop in Shoolagiri. Just at that moment we saw around 8-10 vehicles had stopped ahead of us and villagers from both sides of the road were running towards an opening in the median just 50 mts ahead. It was around 7 PM and there was still ambient light. 10 minutes passed and there was no sign of the traffic clearing up. Conductor walks up to the spot and comes back with the news that a villager on bike has been knocked dead by a speeding vehicle minutes earlier and the villagers have resorted to a road roko. 15-20 minutes pass and the traffic is held up in both directions with only 2 wheelers being allowed to go through. 2 local police constables arrive at the spot and an ambulance also arrives. The irate villagers break the windshield of the Ambulance and demand that higher officials, the Collector and L&T's GM arrive at the spot for discussions on their demands - an over pass so that they can cross safely, a park for the children that was assured when their land was acquired for the expansion. As time passes, our moronic drivers jump the median and drive up to the spot on the wrong side of the road. By now more than an hour and a half has passed and the mob is dominated by a bunch of drunk villagers.

The collector and SP arrive on the spot and try to pacify the mob with little success. The mob's demand now includes respite from long power cuts and someone screams that Amma (!) should come and assure them. While all this drama is happening the poor dead man's body lies on the road uncovered with his kin weeping nearby. The drama and the hold up continued into its second hour. With the streetlights switched off by the villagers, and the curious traveling public gathering to watch the drama, the few policemen that were there had a tough job ensuring that the mob didn't go berserk. They had already damaged the windshield of a TNSTC bus that the SP tried to get going.

Finally after almost 2 hrs and 15 mins, Riot police arrived and resorted to a mild Lathi charge to disperse the mob. The body was quickly carted away (may his soul RIP) and the rocks used as road block were removed. Since we were at the head of the build up our driver managed to clear the spot within minutes.

All this was because the same spot had seen at least 2 more accidents in the past 3 weeks. This has however left many thinking

- Will the authorities come up with Speed barriers or speed bumps to appease the locals in the immediate term?
- How do motorists get a warning that they are approaching an accident prone junction?
- If an overpass is announced will other villages also follow suit?
- Will authorities take steps to educate the village population as well?
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Old 12th April 2013, 14:25   #13041
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Originally Posted by BlackBerry View Post

What else could have been done than honking to have the dog's attention and so the accident could be avoided? slowing down could be an option but I am looking for other alternatives.
You admit that you saw the dog but did not slow down and crashed. And now you are looking for options other than slowing down. What other alternatives did you have in mind?

Alternatives like:
  1. Flashing headlights?
  2. Turning up the volume on your ICE?
  3. How about starting the wipers so that it washes away the obstacle from your windscreen?
But seriously, if you do not like to slow down to avoid an accident, then you do have another option. Maybe you should stop driving completely.

Cheers!

Last edited by lapsi : 12th April 2013 at 14:30.
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Old 12th April 2013, 15:10   #13042
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@Lapsi

Don't think that was a joke. It's easy to make comments laced with sarcasm and add no value to the discussion.
Any experienced driver would admit that 'slowing down' may not be viable all the time due to multiple reasons in realtime driving.
I carefully examined your suggestions and here's my response,
*Flashing headlight - never tried this on animals but will try next time

*Turning on volume of ICE - Would try this if you share your experience using this technique and the effect it had on the animal and on you

*How about starting the wipers ... - Would try this if you could tell me how many times you have wiped off a road obstacle with this technique

I can look at giving up driving.. but then I will need some good driver, more qualified than you.
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Old 12th April 2013, 15:21   #13043
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^^Agree with you. Slowing down is not an option in all instances and many a time it could lead to a disaster in itself, especially if the braking distance is too short and you have fast vehicles behind and on your sides. IMO, last line of comment by "Lapsi" is a bit over the board.
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Old 12th April 2013, 15:38   #13044
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackBerry View Post
I did not apply brakes although I could
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackBerry View Post
Any experienced driver would admit that 'slowing down' may not be viable all the time due to multiple reasons in realtime driving.
The first quote of yours is really not clear. Taking that sentence at face value indicates that you could have used the brakes to slow down and avoid the dog, but, you didn't. I wonder why?

Also I agree that it might not always be possible to slow down in such situations, but you have not made any mention of why you didn't or couldn't slow down.

I am guessing the first sentence of yours is what has evoked a strong response by other users.

Edit: @lapsi, your last sentence is a little over the board.

Edit 2: @Blackberry, the only option in such cases is to slow down. Nothing else works 100%. Nobody knows how any animal will react to different stimuli like lights or horn. The best option in such cases is to lift off as soon as you see the animal and get ready to brake. Lifting off starts to slow the car down and that gives you a vital couple of seconds to see what the animal is going to do and then decide on your further course of action.

Last edited by vikram_d : 12th April 2013 at 15:44.
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Old 12th April 2013, 15:40   #13045
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lapsi View Post

Alternatives like:[*]Flashing headlights?[*]Turning up the volume on your ICE?[*]How about starting the wipers so that it washes away the obstacle from your windscreen?But seriously, if you do not like to slow down to avoid an accident, then you do have another option. Maybe you should stop driving completely.

Cheers!
I think you are being overly harsh here. BlackBerry appears to be remorseful of the incident, and is asking for options.

Everyone knows that slowing down is the best way to have avoided this, and OP as well as the poor dog are paying for the error in judgement. He is just asking if there are any other alternatives at all.

2 cents:
From my experience driving on the so called highways in kerala, you have to learn to be on constant watch for these surprises at all times.

If there are no oncoming vehicles, most likely the dog would successfully cross the road and honking hard can prove detrimental by making it freeze on its tracks, and therefore right in your path.

If you see oncoming traffic, only way is to slow down as safely as possible to do so, as there is a high chance the dog will give up in the middle of the road.
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Old 12th April 2013, 15:47   #13046
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Gentlemen, slowing down is always an option.

No offence intended, nor any intention to shout, but one of the least understood aspects of driving is that speed should be governed by the conditions and the risks and not by the driver's need to get somewhere at a particular time.

This is not about emergency stops. It is about looking ahead and thinking about what might be there and adjusting speed, gear, etc to cope with it.

We are none of us perfect; we will not succeed in doing this all the time, but if we are not willing to take it on board, then we will probably be contributing to this thread, which is full of collisions with things that "should" not have been there, or didn't get out of the way, and full of attempts to blame the object, rather than the driver who drove into it. Indeed, better not to drive. This is not aimed at anyone: it is a humble attempt to remind (including myself) of why so many of these accidents happen.

And why is defensive driving so important? One of my late dad's driving mantras: 50% of accidents are the other person's fault.
Quote:
I think you are being overly harsh here. BlackBerry appears to be remorseful of the incident, and is asking for options.
It's true. I'm sure he takes no pleasure in killing any creature, nor in damaging his own car, and I repeat that this is not an attack. It is about lessons to learn, and the prime accident avoidance technique is not to be going too fast.


.

Last edited by Thad E Ginathom : 12th April 2013 at 15:53.
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Old 12th April 2013, 16:00   #13047
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^^ Slowing down is definitely THE option but it might not be enough at that particular instant of time. Also, in some cases, as already pointed out, slowing down suddenly by jamming breaks can not only be harmful to those who braked but also who are following them!
Nobody is denying the fact that we need to be prepared for the worst and adopt a defensive style of driving, especially on highways in India due to the surprises that might reveal at any moment. Kindly do not make any harsh comments, in all probability you might also be the unlucky fellow to face such situation or even worse. If you do not have inputs that might help all of us in such situation, it is fine but do not impose your decision. Drive safe!
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Old 12th April 2013, 16:33   #13048
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Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
There have been a few instances when I have seen stray dogs stand alongside humans waiting to cross the road, after looking for a break in traffic..
Cows on the other hand usually do not change their mind once made and keep crossing the road.
I have noticed that about the dogs and the cows too.. thanks for confirming again.

@Vikram_d : I could brake but at a risk. My family was with me and moreover there were two other cars in short distance behind me almost at the same speed. It seemed like a lot of time between the time I noticed the dog and and it getting hit, but actually it was all in an instance. i.e. I saw it crossing... I applied horn, slowed down a little due to the impact ... it's all of a sudden. I should have articulated it better as, "I could have applied the brakes but didn't risk due to other reasons" .

Last edited by BlackBerry : 12th April 2013 at 16:57. Reason: grammar
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Old 12th April 2013, 17:10   #13049
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Originally Posted by cnaganathan View Post
Looks like most of you did not plan a long weekend. I was hoping to see at least one report of the horrible traffic hold up that happened on the Hosur Krishnagiri highway for over 2 hrs on Wednesday evening due to an accident.

... opening in the median just 50 mts ahead ...
... a villager on bike has been knocked dead by a speeding vehicle minutes earlier and the villagers have resorted to a road roko.
...
All this was because the same spot had seen at least 2 more accidents in the past 3 weeks. This has however left many thinking

- Will the authorities come up with Speed barriers or speed bumps to appease the locals in the immediate term?
- How do motorists get a warning that they are approaching an accident prone junction?
- If an overpass is announced will other villages also follow suit?
- Will authorities take steps to educate the village population as well?
Couple of things come to mind upon reading this.

1. In this fair country, on the roads, the driver/rider is apparently not primarily responsible for his/her own life. Everyone else is. Why? Why does nobody actually say "pedestrian played chicken with car moving at 100kmph and hence died" or "biker does not look at oncoming traffic before cutting across and hence dies"?
2. An overpass for fast moving traffic is a very sensible demand. It will separate the slow moving (and slow witted) local traffic from the fast moving traffic.
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Old 12th April 2013, 17:24   #13050
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Originally Posted by BlackBerry View Post
I could brake but at a risk.
Actually, you did good. If you ask any truck driver, they would vouch for it(to kill the dog) rather do a steering manoeuvre or a emergency braking.

If possible, kindly put up the parts that are replaced. In 70k, i assume it is going to be the bumper, radiator, AC evaporator and the plumbing.
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