[binoybnair]

Originally Posted by m_sobin

Very True. Even though I am a Keralite, I am scared of taking my car out for any trip. I used to think twice before taking my car.

Here everybody is in hurry and don't care about other vehicles in road. And all think they are professional drivers.

Totally agree. As a Keralite who spends a lot of time on the KL-TN-KA route, I can say that the 'highways' in Kerala are a joke. In most places they are just regular district roads with a line painted in the middle. There are traffic signals on the National Highway every kilometer, nobody uses the service roads (not even two wheelers) and the sense of entitlement among road users is staggering. The only reasonable stretch of road I can call a 'highway' is from Walayar border to the Trissur toll. Every single drive through Kerala has been quite stressful.

[rajathv8]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

I compensated him for the broken TV

This is a good gesture on your part and shows the maturity with which you have comprehended the not-so-obvious consequences of the incident.

Let me elaborate with an short anecdote.

Several years back when I was new to driving I was involved in an incident. Car-to-Car, at a signal, my call rolling back and hitting the car behind - clearly the fault was mine. We stopped by the side for a discussion. The damages were non existent on my car and the car behind had a cracked bumper but below the bonnet (not visible from front). The son (driver) and father spoke to me. The son while initially aggressive was brought back to calm by the father with some wise words. We settled by me paying a small amount (more like a token considering the damage was on a Toyota with pricy spares) and parted ways. Fifteen minutes later I noticed the car tailgating me. I pulled over and the son ran to my car and handed back the money and said it was ok. I thanked him and we exchanged numbers.

Having only encountered abusive ruffians in the past 2-wheeler incidents where the fault was not mine, I was taken aback by this experience. I promised myself that when I am faced with a similar incident I would behave in a similar manner - a small way to return the favour to society.

Your gesture may set forth a chain reaction for the betterment of society. Sure there is only a 50% chance but one worth taking if possible.

[adisan]

Originally Posted by apocalypse

She was approaching a traffic signal which was yellow, and a Maruti SX4 behind her was in a hurry to go past.

Many people seem to think that only a red signal means stop. When it is still yellow if they see someone ahead preparing to stop, they try honking and flashing to make them cross the intersection. Unfortunately your car got rear-ended as well.

In my understanding, yellow light at a traffic signal means:

• If you have already crossed the stop line, proceed.
• If you have not yet crossed the stop line, come to a stop behind it and wait for the next green signal.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by adisan

Many people seem to think that only a red signal means stop. When it is still yellow if they see someone ahead preparing to stop, they try honking and flashing to make them cross the intersection. Unfortunately your car got rear-ended as well.

In my understanding, yellow light at a traffic signal means:

• If you have already crossed the stop line, proceed.
• If you have not yet crossed the stop line, come to a stop behind it and wait for the next green signal.

Globally, yellow means, Stop if it is safe to do so.
But Unfortunately, most of look it as an indication to mash the right foot to the floor.

[SupratikDebnath]

Originally Posted by adisan

Many people seem to think that only a red signal means stop. When it is still yellow if they see someone ahead preparing to stop, they try honking and flashing to make them cross the intersection. Unfortunately your car got rear-ended as well.

In my understanding, yellow light at a traffic signal means:

• If you have already crossed the stop line, proceed.
• If you have not yet crossed the stop line, come to a stop behind it and wait for the next green signal.

That is my understanding as well. Now, what if you are few meters behind the stop line and the yellow light comes up but you realize you can not stop before the stop line. So...
1. You cross the stop line and stop before the zebra crossing OR
2. You cross the stop line at yellow and also cross the junction.

Which (or both) scenario is a traffic violation? If yes, how to avoid it (without reducing to a snail's pace at every traffic signal)?

Please assume that the intersection:
1. Is well marked with a stop line.
2. That there is a practical gap between the stop line and the zebra crossing.
3. That the intervals between green, yellow and red are as per standards.

[fawad0222]

Originally Posted by Simhi

Good that all four of you along with the biker and pillion are safe. Happy to know that cops were helpful. I hope your damages are fully covered via insurance. Appreciate you going out of the way to compensate the biker. To be frank, I would have thought twice.

I have come to firmly believe that nothing affects a human being more than what he experiences himself,both positively and negatively depending on the experience. So if one really expects others to behave positively in a society, he should start doing it himself.

That being a broad statement, in this case, not asking for any compensation from the bikers is inarguably, a good and kind decision but compensating them with the cost of the TV reaches a domain which could have aftereffects in both ways. Hoping on the brighter side, lets assume that this kind act saved them hardships. So Good Job!!

[vj_torqueaddict]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

Even though it wasn't my fault, I compensated him for the broken TV and his injuries. I felt bad for them as they weren't exactly well-to-do folks.

That was really a humane gesture. Although I don't think I would have done the same. Who knows they might think that they can get away with something like this in the future again and be compensated for it by the car folks. But I totally understand.

Glad that no one was seriously hurt. Get a dashcam if you havent already. A bunch of school kids (riding triples) came under the wheel of my Bolero(They escaped unhurt). Dashcam saved me from the ordeal. I calmly changed the tyre(helped by the locals, thinking I am a govt officer), and went my away within minutes. Nobody dared to question me on seeing the dashcam.

[som9729]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

Coming to my car (Toyota Corolla Altis), the left-rear door, quarter panel, rocker panel, outer tail lamp and front left door - all need to be repaired / replaced. Handed my car over to the authorized service center to begin the insurance claim formalities. Guessing my car will be off the road for at least 15-20 days. The damage looked a lot worse in person, than the pictures show.

Best to get an accident damage report from the local PS. This is NOT the same as registering a FIR. This is just a report stating that so & so damage has happened.
My damage report document is attached for reference.

Makes a big difference in insurance claims.

If that isn't practical, at the very least, do ensure you have a copy of the CCTV footage, incase the insurance surveyor starts acting up.

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

Even though it wasn't my fault, I compensated him for the broken TV and his injuries.

You are too nice.. Its not about the money that one can afford or their capacity to do so for taking such decisions. Its about the thought of doing so after such incidents despite knowing that you have already taken a hit because of someone else.

While the best decision is to take legal route, the most lenient approach could be to say : Get lost, I will take care of my car, you manage the cops and your expenses.

But hats off to your genorosity. I can't be the same even if I can afford especially in cases where my car bleeds.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

Coming to my car (Toyota Corolla Altis), the left-rear door, quarter panel, rocker panel, outer tail lamp and front left door - all need to be repaired / replaced. Handed my car over to the authorized service center to begin the insurance claim formalities. Guessing my car will be off the road for at least 15-20 days. The damage looked a lot worse in person, than the pictures show.

After reading your sad encounter with the traffic rule breaker, biker, the fact is that such an incident can take place with any law abiding traffic user. Its only by providence that we duck such morons who may come from anywhere and rattle our and our car's well being. Its however good that these guys and the police team at the spot could give you a clean chit for the mishap. But at the end of the day, your car looks pretty damaged and you have ended up with a financial loss !

But the best part is that the loss was only financial, with no serious injuries to the bikers.

[SaiSW]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

Even though it wasn't my fault, I compensated him for the broken TV and his injuries. I felt bad for them as they weren't exactly well-to-do folks and I guessed that their employer would take the costs for the destroyed TV out of their pay.

You are too nice, fordfreak. If our society was filled with people like you, this would've become an utopia. To be absolutely honest with you, I wouldn't have let them go free let alone compensate them for the TV, I would make them regret the moment they ever thought of trying to jump a light, for the rest of their entire lives. I love my car way too much, so anybody harming it, is harming me, can't help it ( don't get me wrong, I'm not implying you don't love your car ).

I'm of the same opinion as a fellow member who replied under your post, that this would encourage them to do the same and assume they will go scot free when they would've eventually upgraded to driving a truck.

And next time, the victim might not be someone in a safe car like a Corolla, that he hits and injures/kills with his new truck, it could be someone in a scooter or bike with their family.

[BlueFreedom]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

The biker and pillion returned about an hour later, looking much better. They seemed to be reasonable people and said they wanted to settle the matter on the spot without lodging any case or involving the police. Even though it wasn't my fault, I compensated him for the broken TV and his injuries. I felt bad for them as they weren't exactly well-to-do folks and I guessed that their employer would take the costs for the destroyed TV out of their pay. We spoke for a bit (sorting out the matter) and then went our separate ways.

Even though you had an unpleasant experience and your car suffered some damage, your behavior towards the not so well-to-do-folks is something not everyone does . The empathy towards fellow human beings is what is lacking now a days. Although there is no guarantee that others will reciprocate our behavior it should not stop us from being who we are.

[Chetan_Rao]

A sign of the times, that doing someone an unsolicited good immediately causes us to be skeptical they'll abuse it at the next available opportunity.

Why not let the benefit of doubt swing positive for a change? These are tough times, and the kindness shown to them in a terrible moment might make them more careful in the future. No guarantee 'teaching them a lesson' would necessarily make them better riders/drivers either, so maybe give optimism a chance instead of the usual (well-warranted) cynicism?

[adisan]

Originally Posted by SupratikDebnath

So...
1. You cross the stop line and stop before the zebra crossing OR
2. You cross the stop line at yellow and also cross the junction.
Which (or both) scenario is a traffic violation?

Stopping after crossing the stop line is a traffic violation.

If one crosses the stop line, then s/he is expected to completely cross the intersection without causing any gridlock for vehicles from other directions ie effectively before the traffic light turns red. Failing to do so will be considered as a traffic offence.

These and more details are available at https://www.bangaloretrafficpolice.gov.in/faqs.html

[StopUnderrides]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

How can you be sure that he was doing high speeds?

In IIHS tests where they make a car crash against the rear of a semi trailer and where the underride guard fails, mostly the damage does not go beyond the A pillar. Those tests are at 56kph.

In this case damage is much beyond the B pillars so speed must be quite high. Definitely more than 65kph or so at impact.