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Old 24th November 2019, 14:42   #46
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

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Originally Posted by Abhinav V View Post
Incidents like these highlight the fact that most of the bridges or flyover do not have barriers big enough to prevent vehicles from falling off.
I believe these flyovers are built for free flow of traffic by avoiding signal. If you see the picture, height is more because one more flyover is being built below for traffic going straight.

Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!-c3.png

Even if they build a tunnel still such drivers could kill some others inside the tunnel by their reckless driving. There were enough signs warning about the curve. We need to stop blaming everything else, but the driver here. Many times we saw people blaming tree, pond, pillar etc. rather than the driver, without realizing the fact the drivers need to drive, not fly
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Old 24th November 2019, 14:55   #47
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

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Even if they build a tunnel still such drivers could kill some others inside the tunnel by their reckless driving. There were enough signs warning about the curve. We need to stop blaming everything else, but the driver here. Many times we saw people blaming tree, pond, pillar etc. rather than the driver, without realizing the fact the drivers need to drive, not fly
You are right!
Accidents do happen even if the authorities build the safest road in the world.
The best we can do is spread awareness about defensive driving, highlighting the consequences of reckless driving hoping that any reckless driver, watching this harrowing incident, realizes his mistakes and changes himself.
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Old 24th November 2019, 14:55   #48
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

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Originally Posted by airbus View Post
Apart from many other reasons quoted , is it also possible that the flyover didnt have enough banking for such a sharp turn, even for 40kmph?

Banking doesnt completely solve the problem though - if they design it for 40kmph even with factor of safety of 2 ( let us say 80kmph ) - this car was going even faster. So a whole lot of factors contributed to this horrible tragedy.

This reminds me of the sharp left turn on the first flyover at Lonavala when driving from Pune to Mumbai - There are enough signals to warn you to slow down to 60kph., and I always felt that even 60 kph may be just around borderline safe for such a sharp turn, if you account for the general skill levels of a not so small percentage of drivers. This case could be somewhat similar. Driver approaching at higher speeds and getting surprised by the sharpness of the turn, and panic reactions making it worse ( sharp braking etc ).

Last edited by Bigzero : 24th November 2019 at 14:58.
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Old 24th November 2019, 15:29   #49
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

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Originally Posted by tharian View Post
I feel it was doing more than 104kmh. First off, it is interesting know how they came to that figure and the video of the car going up the ramp seems sped up.
You are right. The car should have hit much more than 104 kmph.

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Originally Posted by airbus View Post
From the speed cam captures it appears he covered 295 metres in 10 seconds, that is roughly 106 kmph.
That's the average speed of the car. Actual speed before the impact should be much more as he was not cruising for sure at same speed.

Last edited by Dr.Naren : 24th November 2019 at 15:31.
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Old 24th November 2019, 15:38   #50
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

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Originally Posted by Bigzero View Post
Apart from many other reasons quoted , is it also possible that the flyover didnt have enough banking for such a sharp turn, even for 40kmph?
Quite possible. In fact, the more you look at the video or the flyover image, it becomes sort of evident that the flyover design (or the lack of it) including the inadequate banking coupled with the sharpness of the turn, is what could have made the car lose control. Ofcourse, the ghastly speeding by the driver is the number one reason for the tragic accident.

One more thing catches the eye i.e. the height of the protective wall, or again, the lack of proper height specially on the curvature down the slope, where the wall should have been bolstered with additional increase.

Reminds me of an accident in Pune, when a biker fell off a newly built flyover and died, unfortunately.
The reason, as mentioned in the news here, was also that of sharp turns and low protective wall specially on the flyover turns.
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Old 24th November 2019, 15:50   #51
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

It is 98 percent the drivers fault. The last 2% should be divided between those who designed the flyover without banking, and those who painted mastek strips close to the curve. I have experienced wheels loosing grip, and abs acting up on these paint strips, they should be painted some 10-15 M before the curve not just where the curve begins.


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Old 24th November 2019, 16:07   #52
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Re: Pics: Accidents in India

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Originally Posted by raystriker View Post
It's a classic case of understeer. If the car was RWD (with enough power) and the driver had skill, outcome of the situation could have been entirely different. There definitely needs to be higher barriers on that specific downhill turn.
Yeah, blame it on the car and the government! Though GTI is a brilliant car, road is more than wide enough and parapet walls along the bridge are as tall as they should be. Yet you can build even wider roads, taller walls and brilliant cars, but till people won't develop the 'common sense', respect for lives of other, empathy things will not change. Stupid people are everywhere, they are like time bombs and one day they will go suicidal and harm others in the process.

Irony is that probably a rich father bought his spoilt brat a fast car which he didn't deserve which in turn he used to kill an innocent woman who was the mother of an innocent daughter.

Now all that stupid father has to do is to spent another 25L same as the cost of GTI involved, to clear the charges off his stupid son which if recovers will boast about this incident and how he made it alive out of it, for the rest of his pathetic life. In a better world he would've got the capital punishment for killing innocents with deliberate act of carelessness.

RIP to the one who doesn't deserve to die.

Last edited by wrongturn : 24th November 2019 at 16:09.
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Old 24th November 2019, 16:11   #53
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

Am shocked folks are blaming the flyover design for the accident. This is not an expressway - this is a flyover over a junction on a city road. You have to follow the curve of the road in such cases. The same applies to the JJ flyover or the BKC connector in Bombay - they have sharp turns too. You need to drive based on the nature of the road.

However, I also think the police is at fault for setting a ridiculously low 40 kmph speed limit, which no one in the video was following. A sensible limit of 60 or 70 kmph can be strictly enforced - with a 40 kmph limit, you will fine everyone for a few days, and then give up on the fines - until the next accident.
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Old 24th November 2019, 16:12   #54
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

While the driver is definitely at fault here (for over-speeding), the flyover design (IMO) is also a problem.

I'd been on it few weeks back - while the surface being concrete definitely does not warrant anything higher than 50 kmph (on the straight), the undulations due to the concrete surface only worsens the car's dynamics as the speed builds up. The curve caught me also by surprise even @50 kmph in my Storme (compounded more due to the high CG). I saw both cars and bikes, even if they were in the middle or rightmost lane, getting dragged onto the leftmost or mid-left lane, as they struggled to follow the curvature of that bend! While the absence of banking is one thing, the surface felt even more undulated on the curve, than the approach and departure ramps at both ends.
While the new flyovers are coming up rapidly in Hyderabad, the use of concrete in them (for quicker turnaround time) is not ideal. Even if concrete makes more sense in the longer term than asphalt, at least get the road design (surface, curves etc.) right!

Also, since the time I saw it coming up, have always wondered why did they make it so high?! Yes there's a second one coming underneath it but there'd still be more than enough height on the below one, for the safe passage of heavy vehicles. In fact, the beginning of that curve is actually the highest point, of that flyover; not that it'd have helped in any way, given what happened.

Unfortunate and sad turn of events, may the departed souls RIP!

Last edited by avinash_m : 24th November 2019 at 16:17. Reason: Typos and readability
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Old 24th November 2019, 16:33   #55
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

That's a horrific accident. Feel sorry for the victim and the people who had witnessed the accident.

I feel ashamed of how immature we are as drivers, with scant consideration for the law and safety.

I used to envy other states which have such massive flyovers and expressways. But I am horrified at the possibility of a red KSRTC bus flying down instead of the GTI. For now, I feel content with the inadequate roads Kerala has.

Think we can go on about how the flyover design could have been different and how better tires or even a better car would have prevented the incident, but in the end it's up to the guy at the wheel who will make the real difference.
We as individuals need to follow traffic rules with complete adherence and also encourage others to do so. I vouch to do so from my side.
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Old 24th November 2019, 17:02   #56
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

Horrific indeed! Somewhere, the excuses given by wicked politicians start to make sense : better roads means more accidents, hence we don't do the roads! What a shame! Slight OT : How do the next of kin of the deceased claim insurance, if any? Does the family need to "prove" the death was due to the car falling? Knowing insurance companies, hope some payout happens, and promptly!
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Old 24th November 2019, 17:16   #57
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

MoM/YoY, peaking private wealth and hence able to afford first world machines.

Governments getting more into debt and still catering to the bottom end and hence third world road conditions.

What can go wrong? Everything.

--

Indian roads are no place for the economically well off to 'live' their life. Period.

If you want to enjoy your nice machines, take it to Buddh or Kaari. Or fly out on a weekend and fly low on those nice, access controlled roads.
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Old 24th November 2019, 17:47   #58
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

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Originally Posted by Hayek View Post
Am shocked folks are blaming the flyover design for the accident. This is not an expressway - this is a flyover over a junction on a city road. You have to follow the curve of the road in such cases. The same applies to the JJ flyover or the BKC connector in Bombay - they have sharp turns too. You need to drive based on the nature of the road.

I agree, reckless driving is the primary contributor in this case. Apologies if my post indicated otherwise. My point was that probably flyover design also wasn't too great and perhaps contributed in its own way.

Another problem is that this is a new flyover - its possible that many who were using it were doing so for the first time. The old adage of being extra careful on unfamiliar roads was probably thrown out of the window too.
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Old 24th November 2019, 18:10   #59
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

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Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli View Post
Horrific indeed! Somewhere, the excuses given by wicked politicians start to make sense : better roads means more accidents ... .... ...
Actually, yes. Even humble cars are now able to accelerate and drive faster than the skills of the average driver can handle. The wide-open road that looks, to the untrained, safe, is a most dangerous place.

So, should we keep our roads bad because our drivers are bad?

The obvious answer is to train, test and police the drivers properly. But even if that starts tomorrow there will still be a couple of generations of improperly-trained drivers. And it isn't going to start tomorrow. Or next week.

We can easily see the problems. The answers... not so easy.
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Old 24th November 2019, 18:14   #60
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Re: Massive Polo GTI accident in Hyderabad - Falls off a flyover!

I know that this may have been mentioned before - but what is the legal speed limit on the flyover and has the necessary signage about speed limit been posted appropriately on the flyover.
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