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-   -   Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/215936-massive-polo-gti-accident-hyderabad-falls-off-flyover-9.html)

Signages and warnings can only intimate. They cannot instruct. Neither they can ensure compliance. Humans driving on road are expected to have that basic sense of safe driving. And we should understand that a lot of driving and riding techniques, esp on cornering we read on the internet are track oriented. On regular streets, it can get you killed. A lot of people I see taking curves cannot enter and exit in the same lane! That is purely incompetent driving.

Not too long ago we were discussing in a thread if illiterate drivers should be issued driving licence or not. So, this means that they shouldn't be, since they cannot read speed markings and warnings? But taking a flyover right in the middle of the city at triple digit speeds is only going to take you this far; literate or not.

The 40kmph speed limit was there from day 1 along with lane restrictions. Two wheelers are supposed to use just the left most lane and four wheelers should be using just the mid & right most lane. I've seen very few people who actually follow that.

40kmph speed limit might sound unrealistic but given the height of the flyover and the undulated surface, i think it is apt just for that 900 odd meters flyover.


Coming to the background of the driver, he actually shares the same surname as Telangana's chief minister. Even if he is remotely related to the CM, we all know in which direction this case is headed.

“With great power comes great responsibility.” No doubt it’s irresponsible driving. I also noticed the straight section is inclined upwards, where the turn starts, making the matter worse.

Article in Times of India:

https://m.timesofindia.com/city/hyde...w/72214503.cms

We love our cars and consider them as family.
But ultimately cars are machine and machine needs ideal operating condition and expert operating hands.

In this case: both failed.

High time for Goverment to realise that "The cars plying on the road are superior than roads they build".

Many here say the road design is irrelevant. It was the car drivers fault. Of course it was the car drivers fault. No doubt, and no denying that. But it is not right to disregard the road design flaws. Why? If a Polo GTI designed to be driven fast, designed to stick to the road with low CoG and a spoiler could just take off like this at slightly over 100 KMPH, what would happen say, to a

1. A Tata winger loaded with 10 call center employees and a disgruntled driver who decides to go a bit over the speed limit?
2. What would happen to a top heavy ambulance rushing in an emergency?
3. You may think up many such examples......

It is very typical in our country to blame the obvious culprit, and move on. Without spending time introspecting what else would have contributed to this incident and how can we fix it for future users.

Next, I would implore you to think about the legal aspects. A good lawyer for the defendant would point out all the non compliances w.r.t. Indian road congress rules / guidelines and other standards - say, incorrect placement of signs too close to the curve, improper dimensions of signs, improper spacing between two curves, unscientific down gradient immediately at the apex of the curve, road undulations affecting traction and braking abilities..... the list goes on. A good lawyer will get you out with a light sentence for over speeding, possibly a deferred sentence. Charges of manslaughter will not stick. This is how even murderers caught on video manage to walk scott-free. The law does not work on emotions, or ethics or morality. The law only takes into account verifiable facts, hard evidence and circumstantial evidence. Now how would this affect the family of the victims and the moral fiber of the society as a whole? No wonder we as citizens have so little faith in the abilities of our elected governments to perform their basic duties.

Government's job is NOT to provide infrastructure to test capabilities of performance equipment in a shared environment, but to provide a reasonable standard that meets the general use case (urban traffic in this instance). Granted our urban infrastructure is below par in plenty of ways, but the sort of driving involved in this case is criminally irresponsible on public roads, quality of surface notwithstanding.

There are very few public roads in the world where vehicles can be pushed to their limits safely, that's not the use case of a public motorway.

It's high time people understood the limitations of their vehicle, the infrastructure they're using and the environment around them, and drove within those limits.

There's a truckload of ifs-buts-maybes here, granted, but the one sure factor here is the speed this person was driving at. If he'd stuck to the vicinity of the posted speed limit, even if not exactly to it, this thread wouldn't exist.

It is really sad and shocking.
But has any body noticed this, or is it just me?

Looks like the Red Polo was racing with another Gray Polo.

See the Gray Polo emerging almost at the same speed. Looks like a race which ended badly for the Red Polo.

Hope the occupants get well soon.

1. The speed limit on the Eastern peripheral Expressway circumnavigating (half of) Delhi is 120 kmph. I was on this sector a month back and at 120 kmph, the SUV bounced and lifted at stretches where the road surface is not even. And mine is a heavy SUV. GLE 250d.
Obviously, the road construction is sub standard.

2. On National Highways, especially in parts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh ( and maybe in many more States), it is common to see traffic coming on the wrong side- some times you have two vehicles coming on the wrong side flanking both edges! It is also common to see policemen, if they are present at such points, not even registering (in their minds) that an offence is being done, leave alone trying to take action.

3. Underage drivers and /or not trained drivers get a licence, without even giving a test. They are blissfully unaware that there are rules, that must be followed.

4. In the event, that a policeman does catch someone for breaking the law/rule, it is, in most cases, to make a fast buck. The offender too, sees a value proposition in giving under the table, rather than pay the fine. Recently, when i was passing through the NH 58, i was under the mistaken belief ( as gathered from posts in Team-BHP) that the speed limit on 4 lane, with a divider, National highways is 120 kmph. And that the Union Ministry had issued a circular to this effect. However, this being a concurrent subject, the State has to adopt it-and Rajasthan had not done it. I was caught speeding at 120 kmph on a 80 kmph road. The fine was Rs 1400-the maximum for 'dangerous' driving. Over speeding attracts Rs 400. The policemen went to length explaining the nuances of the issue. I paid Rs 1400 and disappointed them. Sizeable difference between 400 and 1400!

5. In the rare eventuality that one does get caught, booked and hauled to court; there are umpteen examples of culprits who still roam free, having the case thrown out for some reason.

6. The people working in the enforcement agencies are poorly paid and have also probably spent a considerable amount of money to 'land' the job.

7. The enforcement agencies are manned by people who do not have any pressure to show performance to retain their jobs or progress in their careers. In fact, their competence may be questionable. For the few who are indeed competent and or want to work diligently and honestly, the system soon thwarts them and they end up rounding cattle or some other 'lesser' job. ( though in due fairness, rounding cattle and their errant owners is the need of the hour in Ahmedabad)

8. Whether we accept it or not, our general mindset is of kowtowing to authority - irrespective of the merits of the issue. While we ( as i am doing now) may rant and rave in private or in closed groups, very few have the chutzpa or rather the commitment to take the matter further. This is where the system wins..... and we lose.

9. Safety, as a culture, is absent in our society. Not because it has not been taught in schools or inculcated in our upbringing; but for the excellent reason that it takes a much lower priority to survival-which is the hard core reality to millions in India. Millions die due to accidents which could have been avoided if the safety gene had been cultivated and nurtured in us.

10. We all have our own share of issues to grapple with on a daily basis and apart from a fleeting rage, sympathy or outrage that we show momentarily when such accidents happen, we do not have the luxury of make it our priority to follow it up and do something about it.

11. Our politicians.. well the lesser said about them, the better. My spleen is almost bursting.

Yes, the driver was an idiot, probably an entitled brat as some have suggested. Maybe the flyover design was faulty and the signboards sloppily placed or designed. Maybe the administration was lax, maybe the authorities had not envisaged such eventualities, maybe...

However, one thing is clear and there is no 'maybe' to it:

We are the fools.

That is not a Polo but infact a Hyundai Creta if you look closely. But you’re right, the Creta seems to be moving at a similar speed and only slowed down after seeing the Polo’s loss of control.

The Creta should be traced and fined as it is certainly going over the prescribed speed limit.

Might those peoples are digging out various possibilities which played crucial role for this fatal accident. Possibilities might be anything but its irresponsible driving by him which resulted in loss of precious life. In our country where driving licence can be availed by sitting at home, how we can expect any better from these moron drivers. India is factory of unskilled drivers who are proving Yamdoot for others. These drivers are not eligible for any kind of mercy.

In this case the polo driver is F1 aspirant. It means he had better control over steering. If such F1 aspirant drivers can't control their emotions for such rash driving, it's better not to think about others.

Polo driver being F1 aspirant is just a satirical story , not true.

This incident reminds me of the flyover at Yeshwantapura (IISC) in Bengaluru, where the flyover doesn't have any camber and does a 90 deg right turn, few canter vans have overturned at this junction, and one fell just like that car did in this Hyderbad incident. Looks like the designers forgot about Centrifugal forces and the effect it has, when designing the flyover in Bengaluru. Before anyone says the vehicles were overspeed, that flyover is built such that no one dares to cross 60kph (uneven surface, leading to that turn) :D

Fixation towards the alleged flawed design on the flyover, I think, stems from the thought of a similar incident happening again. The authorities need to investigate why the car took off like that, whether it was a freak accident(outlier) or can this happen again and take the logical corrective measures. Not just on this flyover but also in the design of similar future ones.

The flyover does not need any modifications. All the flyover users need modifications to their driving style. Obey the rules and speed limits laid out by the designer of the flyover. If it is designed for 40kmph, how can it address idiots who drive at 100+? Speedbumps, higher wall? Will that be able to stop a bigger idiots at 150kmph? How far do we go with these modifications?

World over, there are defensive driving courses. They are offered in big parking lots with cones and road hazards. One gets to see the limits of their cars and the road conditions. They spray water on the roads, lay sand, and force spin outs. I think it is high time such courses are offered. If they are already offered corporates, and colleges need to start pushing the demographic that is likely to indulge in such behavior to take these courses. I used to drive a Mustang, and think very highly of its capability. It spun out so easily on a slick surface in a closed course - defensive driving skills class. I have been a much different driver ever since.

Police checks, and enforcement will only go so far. If the drivers are aware of their limitations, and the limitations of their car they will much more safer drivers. Watching videos and word of mouth is not really that effective, compared to experiencing a spin out in your own car.