[deehunk]

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

First off,

I'm sure Ashwin was a great guy and a wonderful person, but I refuse to believe he's more experienced and skilled.

I'm sorry but being a politically correct person I refuse to believe this person was a better driver than me. IT WONT happen to me just because it happened to him. I don't drive at 120 KMPH after 1 AM on street roads.

Please don't generalize circumstances he put himself in and degrade sane responsible drivers to his level.

I agree with your comments, he may have had great driving skills but crashing his car on an empty road at midnight shows his inexperience. By looking at the photo where his car is stuck between a wall and a tree, think he probably panicked. The first question which comes to my mind is how safe was the car to drive after modifications, a fire of this magnitude raises a suspicion about a severe compromise of fuel line related components and sensors. Only a thorough investigation can give more information about this incident.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by girimajiananth

Skid marks ? Was the ABS somehow disabled? ABS must prevent the wheels from locking up right ?

It's a myth that ABS won't leave skid marks.

Typical locked wheel marks are essentially straight, prominent from end to end, and end rather abruptly. Road surface conditions influence the length and darkness of these marks. With ABS, the typical brake mark resembles the straight line skid of conventional vehicles except in one respect. ABS leaves marks that are lighter and therefore harder to detect. Since these marks are lighter, traffic conditions, weather and rain can wash away these marks easier than non ABS skids. Therefore, extra care is necessary when examining the scene where ABS applies.

Another important difference between ABS and conventional tire marks is in their pattern. Conventional marks are solid continuous streaks if not interrupted by pedal pumping or irregularities in the road surface. They often begin and end abruptly in addition to their prominence. ABS on the other hand may follow an intermittent light and dark pattern. The reason for this is that sensors relay wheel speed information back to the microprocessor in the vehicle's computer. There is a slight delay in the feedback system which allows the wheel to cycle from higher to lower brake force, resembling a consistent cyclical pattern. Flat spots are less likely on ABS since the tires are less likely to lock. Therefore, flat spots will not be evident unless the vehicle has spun sideways.

ABS provides steering control under extreme braking conditions by reducing the braking force sufficiently to allow the wheels to continue rolling. The tire's ability to sustain cornering forces is maintained. If the vehicle is in a broadside slide, skidmarks may be the same regardless of the braking system.

Source & Full Article

[sgmuser]

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

First off,

I don't drive after 1 AM. That too on any day close to the weekend because that's when all the drunk loonies are out on the road.

Second, I don't drive at 120 KMPH that too AFTER 1 AM .

I'm sure Ashwin was a great guy and a wonderful person, but I refuse to believe he's more experienced and skilled.

All those years of mastering apex on a track, yet a lapse in common sense couldn't separate him from any other mortal that WONT die from driving after 1 AM at 120 KMPH in a sports car (Police said the car was going at 120 KMPH o the HINDU).

I'm sorry but being a politically correct person I refuse to believe this person was a better driver than me. IT WONT happen to me just because it happened to him. I don't drive at 120 KMPH after 1 AM on street roads.

Please don't generalize circumstances he put himself in and degrade sane responsible drivers to his level.

I wouldn't agree with you on the experience part. There are many other factors to consider before jumping to conclusion. Above all there's something called destiny. Also we had deaths (with ultra safety equipments) even in race tracks. Accident DOES NOT MEAN all the time it's due to inexperience. Especially we yet to know about the status of the car and other external factors.

[gkveda]

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

I'm sorry but being a politically correct person I refuse to believe this person was a better driver than me. IT WONT happen to me just because it happened to him. I don't drive at 120 KMPH after 1 AM on street roads.

Please don't generalize circumstances he put himself in and degrade sane responsible drivers to his level.

I completely agree with you. Just because, he was a national Racing Champion, I cannot agree that he is better driver than me by looking at the way he has crashed the car to death. In my view, driving at 120KMPH in city limits road is pure immaturity OR over confidence which is not usual characteristics of good drivers.

I may not drive as fast as him. I may not win the race (Forget winning, I may not even compete in the race track). I may not be an expert driver to go offroading and climb mountains by cars.

I may end up doing small accidents by touching other vehicles here and there. But, I can easily say, I am safe driver who would not do rash driving like 120 KMPH on city roads and crash.

I really feel sad for the young girl who lost life for none of her mistakes and parents who cannot bear the pain of son's /daughter's death. I sincerely pray they get strength to bear this pain

[mh09ad5578]

Originally Posted by Vinodh_Gowda

I . What's BMW's fault here.

that it caught fire so soon, and the occupants couldn't be saved. Anyone would expect a premium luxury car to offer more safety than a mass market car. I too felt the shock that the BMW burst into flames as soon as it hit the tree.

[nishsingh]

Just out of curiosity, how did the police determine the car's speed to be 120 kmph? Were there any speed guns, cameras etc in the vicinity?

All I can see here is that the police is speculating: Ashwin might just as well have been doing 80kmph on the empty road. It's just that it's easier for authorities to have the speed down as 120 kmph: blame the driver for overspeeding, and this would cause less public outrage and inconvenience.


And going by the reports, I think the speed breaker's faulty design is equally to be blamed (besides being not properly marked and visible). The 'speed breaker' as the name suggests should have been designed to reduce speeds, rather than act as a ramp to make a speeding car fly.

[anurag.somani]

Words of Wisdom, from Lion King -

Mufasa: Simba, I'm very disappointed in you.
Young Simba: I know.
Mufasa: You could have been killed! You deliberately disobeyed me! And what's worse, you put Nala in danger!
Young Simba: I was just trying to be brave like you.
Mufasa: Simba, I'm only brave when I have to be. Being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by nishsingh

Just out of curiosity, how did the police determine the car's speed to be 120 kmph? Were there any speed guns, cameras etc in the vicinity?

Did the car's ECU survive the crash and fire? That might tell a very interesting story. Modifications, speed, whether any safety measures deployed or were overridden etc.

[lillios]

Spoke to Ashwin 6 hours before incident regarding his mini country man. Few month backs he wanted to get the Z4 alloys and tyres changed but due to time constraint I was not able to get it for him from a known person. Also he wanted new tyres for his A class. He was also looking forward to sell his country man which he told me and I heard from others that Z4 had already found buyer.

Being a racer he used to drive his Z4 pretty fast. and the Car was too low. The speed bump which they are talking about is pretty big not a normal speed bump. since its infront of Chettinad School main gate. Yesterday just went to the location first time in evening without knowing the exact place and even I misjudged the speed bump as its newly put and massive. later only to be pointed when I asked a police to show me the exact location that the speed breaker was the one I misjudged.


The lead upto the unmarked speedbreaker already had 2 other speed breakers before it, each 100meter away marked and not steep but smooth ones.

He was always cheerful when he spoke.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by lillios

The speed bump which they are talking about is pretty big not a normal speed bump. since its infront of Chettinad School main gate. Yesterday just went to the location first time in evening without knowing the exact place and even I misjudged the speed bump as its newly put and massive. later only to be pointed when I asked a police to show me the exact location that the speed breaker was the one I misjudged.

Did the corporation install it or was this done unofficially by the school?

If it was by the school they need to be prosecuted for creating a road hazard.

There are too many cases all over chennai and other Indian cities of such unofficial speedbreakers being installed, the height, width, slope etc all varying wildly as per the notions of whoever installs them.

[earthian]

Originally Posted by mh09ad5578

that it caught fire so soon, and the occupants couldn't be saved. Anyone would expect a premium luxury car to offer more safety than a mass market car. I too felt the shock that the BMW burst into flames as soon as it hit the tree.

Are these coincidences?
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/centr...gujarat-399073

https://www.telegraphindia.com/11511...p#.WM-H5RLfpFQ

In the Mercedes, one safety feature, even in my old C class 7 years old, is that the doors become unlocked when the car goes over a bump at speed, or has an accident.

Is this feature not there in the BMW? Seems not going by this:https://usnews.newsvine.com/_news/20...-in-locked-car

[lillios]

Originally Posted by hserus

Did the corporation install it or was this done unofficially by the school?

If it was by the school they need to be prosecuted for creating a road hazard.

There are too many cases all over chennai and other Indian cities of such unofficial speedbreakers being installed, the height, width, slope etc all varying wildly as per the notions of whoever installs them.

No Idea who installed it. but the opposite side of the road doesn't have the same. Where as the older 2 speed breakers which are marked are there at same location at both sides.

another important point to note is. The place with new speed breaker is mostly wet at night since water lorries carry water to school and spill at the place and it happens at around 12 to 1 at night. I have noticed many times,

[vipinendran]

Wondering why such fatal accidents never happen to drivers with the "L" board? I feel it is at that moment when we become an expert and take things for granted we stop learning and sometimes the lesson can be very cruel. I always feel that driving on the Indian streets is a lesson every moment and we can never stop learning. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar would get out in a silly way at the end of his career after 21years of professional cricket experience at the highest level. It just shows we are all human, and even a professional can slip.

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by nishsingh

Just out of curiosity, how did the police determine the car's speed to be 120 kmph? Were there any speed guns, cameras etc in the vicinity?

The car has lifted off from the speed breaker and has climbed up the footpath before getting stuck between the compound wall and a tree, so it is a safe assumption that when the driver applied brakes, the vehicle was at unsafe speed. This may be a case of panic braking too close to the road hump and thereby the speed breaker became a reason for the accident, on a normal flat road the vehicle would have stopped without much damage. Some idiots who install these road humps have a liking for concrete and designing cylindrical shapes, both these factors are a killer combination to cause bizarre accidents. The other key factor is the amount of fuel required to start such a big fire, was the fuel tank damaged and resulted in a spill of fuel which caused such a big fire in a short span of time.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by earthian

In the Mercedes, one safety feature, even in my old C class 7 years old, is that the doors become unlocked when the car goes over a bump at speed, or has an accident.

From the picture of the burning car it looks like the car was wedged between the wall and the tree.

Was that why the doors couldn't be opened?