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-   -   Safe Driving on Indian Highways & Ghats (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/131014-safe-driving-indian-highways-ghats-18.html)

Team-Bhp accident thread and the discussion over there(http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...nts-india.html) is a great source of learning on how a mistake can end up fatal. It’s an unfortunate way of learning through others’ misfortunes. But, there is a lot you can learn through these incidents.

So here I am trying to consolidate some of the Don’ts on the highway especially when there is a loaded truck around. Most of these are known pointers to most here. But, seeing the proof of incidents will help reinforce these driving tips while on the road. Also, this can help the newbies on the highway.

Safe driving is not just about following the basic etiquettes, it’s also about respecting the fellow drivers on the roads, especially the TRUCK drivers who have various challenges on their hand. They are the slow movers on the road but that doesn’t mean that we can take them for granted because any encounter with them might end up being fatal.

Most of the video links were already shared and discussed in the accidents thread.

Overtake Moves:

• Don’t try to slow them down while overtaking, like cutting across them at the last moment. For them it’s a big irritant because getting back to the same momentum can take minutes for them. So, sometimes they may not relent to your action which may end in an unnecessary incident.

• It is better not to overtake trucks/heavily loaded vehicles on the curves even in 4L roads. If they are over speeding or drowsy, then they may come in your way with no control over the vehicle. Trucks can topple if they are over speeding on the curves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQVNLs6YdaI

• During a overtake move at good speeds, avoid getting in between trucks. You will be in a tough situation if the truck in front of you brakes hard. If its on an incline/decline, then you need to be even more cautious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyLdR5p1StI

• Don’t blindly over take a truck or bigger vehicle when you are exactly behind them as you will be having NO visibility of the traffic ahead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-0E2Nxtm6o For a neat and safe overtake move, all you need is little patience and over take only when you have full visibility or your path is clear. Don’t depend on others to support you for your overtake move.

• Don't overtake at any inter-section.

• On the ghats, we will have to be even more careful especially on the harpin-bends. Here is a video of a truck toppling on a curve. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTtbXd90vqQ

• Here is a clip from my dash cam on a harpin-bend, I was too close for comfort when the truck was taking a harpin-bend downhill. We thought that the truck might topple over us. It was really a scary moment. A lesson learnt through experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtVYNilctzU

Contd..

Maintain safe distance:

On a ghat section or inclines, don’t closely follow other vehicles. If it’s a inexperienced driver or if the vehicle is over loaded then they may start coming reverse after a stop. So, better to leave enough gap so that you can avoid them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN4SLvZ5Y50

Here is a accident where a truck comes down reverse and crushes the car against a rock.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post2655682

Even otherwise, it’s always good to maintain a safe distance

Braking to take a turn/stop:

If you want to take a left/right when on the highway or a legal “U” turn, then make sure to slow down well in advance with proper indicators and be on the appropriate lane. Don’t perform daring stunts at the last moment. If it’s a very late decision then better to proceed ahead and take the next legal “U” turn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAC6e8P6wL4

Parking on the Highway:

Never ever stop your car on fast moving highway for any reason unless the engine is dead, even then you can push it off the road and turn on the hazard lights. If can’t push it off the road then place the hazard reflectors accordingly.

Here is a recent accident which claimed 17+ innocent lives.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/52597810.cms

Its always better to drive down till the next toll plaza/petrol bunk or a lay-by where you can park the car safely.

And regarding truck drivers, they drive to live and they do have certain targets to meet. Sometimes their targets are very challenging. And we all know how most of the trucks are ill-equipped/badly-maintained. So, they will really get frustrated when cars make it difficult for them to drive on the road. Its safer for us to respect the limitations of a truck and its driver while on the road.

Transport operators like these are willing to absorb downtime, recovery and repair expenses to their vehicles, risk to drivers' lives, but sadly will never let go of overloading.

And no, they really don't care about traffic blockages, risk to others' lives or the damage to public roads which are crushed under overloaded wheels.

http://blog.trucksuvidha.com/overloa...dias-progress/

Dear T-BHP members please:

Need advice on the following issues which i recently noticed.

While being driven by a taxi driver in the hills leading to Gangotri i noticed that he was continuously driving the car in 3rd gear even when on speed as high as 50 at times.

When i asked him, wont his car get overheated or strain the engine since he is driving in 3rd gear for the entire trip of over 200 km and a speed as high as 50 km/hour? He replied negatively and explained to me that -driving in a steady 3rd gear and at such stead pace, the engine is better protected even if the engine is being driven in low gear and the heating will never happen. Also driving in 3rd gear allows better control of the car, lesser gear shift and much lesser brake.

I always had the notion that driving in low gears continuously for such long distance is bad for the car engine.

Can anyone please help understand this issue- can i follow his advise while driving in the hills, ie. driving at steady pace (how much it should be?) in 3rd gear throughout the journey?

Many thanks in advance.

Do you think it is safe and advisable and safe enough to follow such an approach ie drive in 3rd gear?


Cheers
DS

I honestly think that this driving in only 3rd gear is a whole lot of crap. The engine should never be strained. That's the reason you have a gear box. The automobile should always be driven the the right gear required . Driving in 3rd gear when it requires say a 5th gear is as bad as driving in 5th if it requires to be in a lower gear. Always chose the right gear to be in the engines sweet spot.

50kmph is not an abusive/high speed for most diesel engines. For example, the new Scorpio/Storme can easily be driven right from 20kmph till 80kmph in third gear without any strain on the engine.

As long as he wasn't straining the engine, he wasn't doing anything wrong.

If your car has a tachometer, you'd be able to tell what speed the engine is spinning at. It's reasonable to consider that engines - whether diesel or petrol - typically run with minimal wear around the 1500-2500 range. As long as you don't push your engine to unnecessarily high RPMs on a prolonged basis, it's a good idea to remain in a gear that provides you the maximum flexibility in terms of torque delivery and vehicle speed based on terrain conditions. What this "unnecessary" means is entirely dependent on driving conditions, and is not formulaic.

Don't hesitate to stay in any specific gear for a prolonged period if that's what the situation calls for; there's nothing wrong with that as long as you're within 30%-70% of your red line engine speed. As soon as you realize that your speed warrants an upshift so that both engine and passengers feel more relaxed, you should ideally upshift.

Just keep an eye on the temperature gauge if you have one, or on the overheating indicator to make sure there's nothing wrong with your engine's cooling system. A healthy engine and cooling system will easily do the said engine speeds for prolonged periods of time. Your driver was correct in the benefits he stated. As for the engine being better protected in lower gear, what he must have meant was that staying at say 2500 rpm is easier on the engine than forcing fuel down its throat at 800 rpm, with a heavy foot on the accelerator. Correct again.

You didn't mention what car, but 50 km/h in 3rd gear is absolutely fine in most cases.

What you need to look at is what RPM range the engine will be running at for the roads & speeds you're at in that gear. If it's a reasonable range, there's no major problem.

If he's being stubborn and not downshifting/upshifting where it is necessary, then thats just stupidity / laziness.

This is true. Search "engine braking" on Team-BHP.

The often quoted rule for hill driving is to go down an incline in the same gear you would use to come up it.

Staying in a lower gear is usually preferred on the hills. Just don't hold the gear if your engine is revving extremely high for long periods of time. In those cases you should upshift.

Depends on what RPM range he was driving in, if it was between 2-3k its perfectly fine and it's not straining the engine.

In fact lugging the engine can lead to overheating more than revving it. With most SUV's, the radiator fan is belt driven, so it's rpm dependent, keeping the revs higher provides better airflow especially at high altitude.

+1 to what Rehaan said. My Vento AT often slips into 5th or even 6th gear while driving in the hills and it is a real pain to accelerate (while going uphill) and brake (while going downhill. So I find myself employing manual mode on these stretches. Third and fourth are the preferred gears! So your driver may not be that far off the mark :)

Having said that there is a "right" gear for every situation and you should know which that is with experience. Don't rev too hard and don't lug the engine- its'a a balance between the two!

+1

Its less to do with gear and more to do with the engine RPM. Irrespective of the gear, you have to primarily ensure that the engine is running at the correct RPM range (varies for diesel and petrol engines). Keeping the car in the same gear (probably 3rd in your case) is mainly to have lower dependency on brakes and control the car through engines retardation force and supposed to be a good practice especially when you are doing hilly terrains. But for achieving this, if the engine starts reving more (or RPM moves close to the redline) then the results are disastrous. So based on this, take a call

Cheers!

50 kmph is not too high on most cars built after Y2K. As long as he was downshifting for steep inclines and not lugging the engine, I guess it's fine.

If he maintained a good RPM- 1500 to 2500 RPM for a diesel (which has less turbo lag) , I guess it's fine.

If he's at the sweetspot of the powerband, 3rd gear can provide decent acceleration and decent engine braking.

Many drivers do this. This practice is not restricted to the hills.
Coincidentally this is generally done by drivers who don't own the car nor pay for the fuel.

IMO this is sheer laziness on the part of the driver taking advantage of the large RPM range of the 3rd gear. I have seen drivers driving 1litre cars at 100KMPH in 3 rd gear and on being confronted they give all kinds of driving basics crap.

I prefer 2nd & 3rd Gear Uphill or Down hill. I keep revs up to 3000 rpm.
This way I’m ready with surprises(sharp turns, water on road & many more).
Usually 3rd will have a tall gearing. So, no strain on the engine. Yes, fuel consumption will be more.:)
This I’m doing way back from my Fiat days.