[ravib]

Originally Posted by black_rider

I too feel someone hit you from behind when you changed lanes to avoid that deserted tire. Most probably a bus or a truck. Nothing else can explain that damage on rear right. That hit must've been the reason for loud sound and eventually pushing you off to the other side. I doubt that your right front tire would blow out when you're turning right. Loads would be higher on the left when turning right, isn't it?

Thanks @black_rider. No one hit me from behind. The car flipped and all the weight was on rear right. If you notice carefully, there is not much damage to rear right bottom side/bumper. If someone had hit me, it would have got damaged badly than how the pictures showed.

Originally Posted by DriverR

Very glad to hear that you and your family escaped this nasty accident with relatively minor injuries.

If you don't mind me asking, what was the approximate speed at the time of the accident?

Thanks @DriverR. I was driving between 100 to 110 kmph.

Originally Posted by arvind71181

Practice is the only thing which will help. Make sure that you belt her irrespective of any tantrums that she might throw and she will get the message soon. Also, decorate it and stress upon the fact that the seat belongs to HER and no one else can sit on it and stuff like that. Each child is unique, I know, but if she gets possessive towards it, that is one step solved. But, car seat, is a must.

Totally agree with @arvind71181. Initially they will refuse, but over time, they will get used to it and we have to make them understand this is the right way of travelling in car. Please don't budge to their tantrums or even if they are adamant. It is possible to get them used to it after couple of times.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

In the hindsight, do you think it would have been better to brake hard and hit the tyre at reduced speed than trying to avoid it? Not sure if there was enough time to bring the speed down hence asking.

Stay safe.

Thanks @the_skyliner. I didn't think so, because the first thought came to my mind was if i hit a lorry tyre, i thought the car may fly over the air which i wanted to avoid. There wasn't enough time to think through multiple options.

Originally Posted by manij

Thanking God that you and your family are safe.

I completely understand how you felt and being able to see everything as the accident was happening and recall it. I was also caught in an accident few years back down....

And again, I completely second / third /nth your faith in seat belts.

Thanks @manij. I am sorry to hear that you had similar experience. I hope you got a safer car now with ABS & Airbags and wearing seat belts.

Originally Posted by cunnuvila

@ravib A miracle that you guys walked out of that! Truly blessed. Welcome to the second life. Stay safe, drive safe.

Thanks @cunnuvila. Yes, indeed it is a miracle for us and we are living a second life. Agree with you, everything happens for a reason. Probably the danger we had ahead was gone only with the car instead of our lives.

Originally Posted by rajathv8

Thanks a ton for sharing. I plan to take a print out and keep it in my car. It should serve as good reading for anyone who argues to not wear a seat belt while sitting in the rear seat on a highway trip.

While the damage to the front right can be isolated to the tyre burst/climbing the divider, how did so much damage occur to the boot and rear roof?

Thanks @rajathv8. Since the car flipped and the villagers said, it was in vertical position for few moments and entire car weight was on rear right. That would have caused the severe damage to rear right roof than rear right bumper.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by carwatcher

Glad to see that you and your family are safe.

Your act of taking time and effort to make others learn from your experience and trust in seat-belts is what make me feel very proud of you. Take a bow.

Thanks @carwatcher. I am humbled.

Originally Posted by hamster

I am going to forward this thread personally to my near & dear to understand the importance of life saving seat-belts.

Mods, can this thread be made available in FB as well, so that the word spreads more.

Thanks #hamster. As long as the forum rules permit, i am okay to spread the good message to anyone.

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

God Bless your family Ravi!

It's your good practices of belting up all occupants and using child seat that are really commendable. Leave this bad memory behind you and wish you and your family a happy and long life. Bless your daughter, it must have been traumatising on the young mind. Reassure the brave little one and tell her all will be well.

Thanks @vigneshkumar31. Yes, she is fine now and much better.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by narayans80

I agree in general. But in this case, with the speed he was carrying, there was still high risk of the car launching into air. I've personally experienced this at 60 kmph due to an uneven bridge on Kolar-Vijayapura road. Its difficult to control a vehicle once it launches off the ground ! I eventually skidded trying to stop, did a 180 and eventually stopped after the front fender hit the side of a stationary cart. We were (me, my wife and our then 2 year old daughter) all belted up, and survived that incident without a drop of blood spilled.

Thanks @narayans80. This is exactly what was running in my mind and not to lose control if the car launches into air. Rather i thought to turn right and move to fast lane. Sad to hear your horror story too.

Originally Posted by supertinu

I read through your description but its still not very clear to me how the roof got damaged from the rear? Doesn't seem like your car rolled over.

Thanks @supertinu. The car did not roll over, but it took all its weight in rear right top as it was in vertical position for few minutes before it flipped to right. We could also see the trunk glasses broken completely and plants inside them due to this.

[anjan_c2007]

It is mere providence that you with your near and dear ones could emerge unscathed from such a devastating accident.

One simple rule for road users - "always decelerate to the bare minimum speed while encountering blind corners or blind spots."

As you say you were going uphill and that means the road ahead was not fully visible. That's how you could suddenly sight the massive truck tyre abandoned on the centre of the highway, without any forewarning even during daytime. While negotiating such a part of a road where there are blind spots, we need to decelerate to the bare minimum.

And truly the front and rear seat belts were saviours. A wise decision indeed to fasten them.

The Supreme Court has already directed that on national highways seat belts for rear passengers need to be made compulsory as will be evident in the judgement quoted below. Implementation by State Governments is totally lacking. What the Supreme Court pronounces is the law of the land. The High Courts give directives. The seat belt law needs to be strictly enforced.

"The Supreme Court has observed in SC WP (Civil) 295 / 2012 in Rajaseekaran Versus UOI that all existing laws and norms including the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, as in force, are required to be implemented in the right earnest and with all vigour by the authorities of the Union and the State Governments who are responsible for such implementation."

" A Committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Hon’ble Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan, was formed on April 22, 2014 by the Apex Court on the basis of the PIL (Rajaseekaran Versus UOI, 2014) to measure and monitor the implementation of road safety laws in the country and has submitted three reports to the Supreme Court from October 2014 to March 2015. It has pointed out serious lapses in implementation of safety laws by States, which has led to increasing number of road fatalities."

"The Committee recommended the States to strengthen enforcement on drunken driving, over speeding, red light jumping and helmet and seat belt laws.
Use of Road Safety devices – there should be no exemption for wearing helmets (such as the exemptions in favour of women in some States). Seatbelts should be compulsory for driver and front-seat passenger. On national highways, seatbelts should be compulsory for back-seat passengers, too."

( The above point among the many points, is a recommendation by the Working Group on Enforcement of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways)

(Incidentally Dr Rajseekaran, the plaintiff is from Coimbatore and is/was the President of the Indian Orthopaedic Association)

[ravib]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

In retrospect, would you or could you have reacted differently?

Thanks @Neil Roy. I am not sure, if could have reacted differently. It all happens in seconds. The judgement and decision you make at that fraction of second decides the fate. For example, if i had applied hard brake or hit the tyre, as @narayans80 mentioned, may be the car would have flown!!!

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

What is the official posted speed limit in the zone where the crash happened?

Thanks @SS-Traveller. I think most of our highways, it is 80 kmph, but in reality 100 to 120 is normal for most cars (i don't intend here to justify that normal practice is acceptable/legal, but still it is against the legal limits on paper) and some people do crazy speeds depending on the power train under the hood.

Originally Posted by speed_edge

Hope you all recover from the mental trauma soon and get back to normal routine. Also, hope you get a new safe car soon. Do keep us posted on your buying experience and initial ownership .

Regards
SE

Thanks @speed_edge. Yes, i hope we will get a new car once we settle down the current insurance process. Of course, it is a major financial set back, but investing in safe car is not that something i will compromise. I will better wait and buy a safe car.

Originally Posted by Electric

Ravi, good to know that all are fine and no one is hurt.

3+ years ago, I had to undergo the same trauma of losing our stead - the good old Figo in an accident in ORR..

Thanks @Electric. I am really sorry to hear the horror experience you had, but glad that we both are examples to survive due to seat belts and safe car.

[condor]

@Ravi, glad that you are all safe !

Originally Posted by DriverR

If you don't mind me asking, what was the approximate speed at the time of the accident?

Ravi has mentioned it - about 100-110 kmph

[gabrielthomas]

I would suggest never drive triple digit speeds on Indian roads, however smooth and wide the road maybe. There are always surprises lurking behind the bushes in the median or after that steep climb..just my two cents...

[sudeepg]

I read your post yesterday but was a bit frozen after reading through. Your family position is pretty much my position as well (wife + five+ year old in back seat and frequent long distance trip) and we use that highway often!

The part where you mentioned the road climbs a bit before you can see ahead is something I always anticipate - I slow down when I can't see the road ahead. I guess it's primarily because of experience driving in Kerala - In Kerala the terrain is always ups and down and there are many many areas where the incline is steep and buses over there overtake at that. There have been many accidents just because a bus was overtaking on the wrong side of the road at inclines. I've witnessed many accidents.

As a consequence, many of those areas have dividers now. Due to this, I have a golden rule - When you can't see the road or traffic ahead, slow down to a safe limit. I guess you had slowed down too?

Either ways, reading this incident sent a chill down my spine, but I am glad you and your family are safe. No matter how much we love our cars, it's still a mechanical object that is there to protect us and it did its job well. Keep its memories and move on. It's far easy to get over it than loss or injury to a family member.

Drive safe and god bless!

[nd4$pd]

Originally Posted by ravib

...

Glad to hear you and your family are okay.
Do you think some kind of Electronic Stability Program (ESP/VSA/VSC etc.) would have helped avoid the accident?

[Nalin1]

That is a horrible accident. Glad to know that you and your family members are safe. Sad to see the car in such a state.

I have driven quite a lot on most of our highways and have noticed plenty of inclines and curves where the road ahead is not visible. Things I keep in mind in such scenarios-

1. SLOW DOWN. Never assume that it is a national highway/golden quadrilateral and it is will be butter smooth until you reach your destination. This is India. Expect absolutely anything on the road from tyres to dinosaurs. A hardwired mind to expect anything will react a fraction quicker during eventualities.
2. When the road slightly climbs up and you can only see the road ahead after you climb, I raise my head up as much as possible and try and look up to increase the visibility ahead exactly to spot any such eventualities. Just my two cents...

[TheHkrish]

Hey ravib,

Thanks a Ton for posting the experience, this would help educate each of us a little more about the pitfalls on riding on highway. It takes some effort to go through the same experience over and over.
Very happy and relieved to hear that you guys are alright.. The car had taken the brunt very well. There had been similar incidents in the Salem highway even before as well.
Cars crashing behind trucks , which were stopped bang middle of the road in night time etc ..

I had to go through a similar ordeal 4 years back where My Punto got crashed on a tree, where we had continued with the same car for 4 years more.The crash report is there in teambhp. And sincerely hope this crash won't stop you from adding more safer miles on the highways. And to add please make sure to use a car seat for your Daughter even short travels. Kids get used to this real fast ( Its from my own experience, we have a 2 year old).

[Lalvaz]

One lucky family, but more important than luck are the safety measures that you followed so religiously. Your precautions paid off big time mate. I think this is an eye opener to all of us, who drive on Indian roads.

Its another reminder that we need to be prepared for anything on Indian roads, a truck tyre, a dog, cow, elephant, human beings, stones, branches, broken down vehicles, double parked vehicles and god knows what else.

I'm also amazed at how composed and organized your thoughts were in the aftermath of this horrific accident. You seem to be very meticulous in your life. Keep it up.

[sansvk]

Wow. Just read this post now. Thank god all of you are fine.
My immediate reaction is where do I buy a child seat from, because on long drives my daughter is seated at rear. I do have a long trip coming up and a child seat is a must have.

[blackwasp]

While it is good to see OP utilising all the safety provisions provided in the car, it's really sad to see many (99.99% or more) people simply ignore it.

While this accident could have been avoided ( by the person who left the tyre in the middle of the road), wearing seatbelts and use of child seat saved the day.


Except a bunch of enthusiasts (some of us) no one else wears seat belts. How many of us here have insisted for the middle person sitting behind to belt up?

I must have sold 75+ cars since the past one year since working in a car dealership, but only one person insisted on getting a child seat (or rather enquiring about it - he later got one from USA ). After delivery ceremony, only 2 people ensured rear passengers were belted up and one of them strictly said no to his 7-8 yr old kid for siting in the front ( less than 12 yrs old not recommended to sit up front in an airbag equipped car).

We need more awareness here. Tbhp as a forum can definitely spread awareness.