[AZT]

Regarding the 2.8 lakh total loss you were getting, any reason you decided not to take it and look for a similar non accident used vehicle.

Was the IDV being lower than actual value the reason you chose to repair it. One more probable learning is max out your IDV, it's a small premium increase but can help in those rare cases.

[WheelNut]

Originally Posted by BhaskarG

Okay, to sum it up, here is what happened: I braked and swerved. Car lost control and hit a concrete post in the road median.

This is exactly where having ABS could have helped. Most likely you locked up the rear wheels and lost control while panic braking. Having ABS would have made all the difference here.

[BhaskarG]

Originally Posted by Keeleri_Achu

Personally, I would've let it go. The damage is so extensive. I wouldn't trust any garage to do a factory job.

Originally Posted by Sanjivvohra

After seeing the photos of the damage, I personally would have let the car go.

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

I believe the topic of this thread is somewhat not very accurate as the OP had luck and the almighty on his side clearly that day. It's good that the car saved him, but some posts above just make the efforts of NCAPs irrelevant and it's that casual attitude of which some manufacturers take full advantage of.

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

I somehow don’t quite agree with the thread title. First of all, glad that you survived the accident and you got your car repaired as well. But the situation could have been very different had there been a head on collision with something.

Originally Posted by sohu9

The thread title implies that you are alive because of your car. That is certainly one way to look at it.

The other way to look at it is that you are alive in spite of the 0-rated car.

Am I the only one thinking that the thread title is misleading?

Originally Posted by JithinR

The thread title seems a bit off. It's confusing a lot of our fellow members

However, on reading the OP experience it seems that it should read 'How I survived a crash in my beloved 2 star NCAP car'.

Originally Posted by DieselAnna

Good to see you have repaired the Car but have my reservations with the same. That's for another day.

Drive safe.

Originally Posted by MSC

It would be better if you can trade off you car with a better one as how muchever brilliant mechanic may work ok your car, the car will never be the same after a major shunt. Don't take me wrong, but that day Gods were with you, don't know what happens if something similar happens again. ( God forbids).

Originally Posted by VeluM

I feel that the thread title can be misinterpreted, but the thread itself will clarify. Someone willing to believe something based off just the title likely already believes what they assume about the thread.

The OPs car should have been written off IMHO. It is going to be less safe than before, buy the exact same model new or pre-owned please.

Originally Posted by iamgyan

The title of the thread caught my attention as it almost seems to justify that a 2star NCAP is good enough.

@OP looking at the damage and the missing and later repaired A-pillar, I wouldn't drive that car an inch no matter the emotional value it holds. You got lucky once sir, next time it may not be the same. Take a hint. Get a better car.

Originally Posted by ba run

The title that 2 star NCAR car saved a life is misleading.

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

But I have to strongly disagree with the thread title.

I would say you are still risking your life driving this around. Life is too short to be emotional about cars. Take care!

Originally Posted by KANNURAN

But, like a few others have remarked, the TITLE of the thread is grossly misleading, in probably condoning a 2 Star NCAP and implying that it is perfectly alright to buy a low NCAP score vehicle.

Consider it providential and shift to a safer car at the soonest. (you are a brave man to continue using the car after patching up such severe A pillar damage)

Originally Posted by Emvi

Now coming to the discussion, as already mentioned by a few, the title of the thread seems little inappropriate, but may not be entirely wrong per se.

Please allow me to thank you all for your concern and goodwill.

The comment section is primarily dominated by 2 lines of thoughts: Let me clarify my views on those:

1. The title is misleading: I was so concentrated on the story-telling, that I did not put much thought on the title. My bad. If possible, I request dear mods to please change the title to a more relevant one. I am writing this post more as a story telling experience (even a little satirical at some places) rather than an actual insight on car safety and dynamics. If you read the actual write-up, you might see what I mean.

2. I should have let the car go: I did wise up some months later, and did let her go. I bought my second car in 2019, six months after the incident. I am thinking of upgrading to a safer car soon, after pandemic restrictions get over.

Note to Mods: Can we please change the title to a more relevant/neutral one, like "Story of survival in a Grand i10" or something like that?

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by BhaskarG

The Nemesis
Smooth roads, traffic was minimal, and hence I was cruising along at about 80-90 kmph on the 4 lane highway. There are wide, solid medians with gaps after every 5-6 kms. I met with a spine chilling mishap in one such gap in the median.

Smooth roads- tempting, traffic minimal- tempting, plus the car responding well to the gas pedal input- again tempting. The recipe for what can trigger an impending disaster is nearly complete.

And the gaps in the road dividers every five to six kms on the highway being used should be a turn off to facilitate speed control for umpteen reasons. Because, this is not the Interstate US Highway Route 66 (Chicago to Los Angeles) or the German Autobahn or any other similar highway as in the developed countries. The better highways or expressways in our country starting with one of the oldest Bombay- Pune Expressway, with almost no gaps in the road dividers, have reported disastrous accidents due to unprovoked, unpredictable and sudden intrusions by others like lane changing without notice, sudden application of brakes, mechanical failures at high speeds and so on, creating a worrisome and sometimes fatal accident in which many, including disciplined drivers have become victims for almost no fault of theirs.

Hence, seeing our traffic users psyche unchanged and prevalent since decades and the very avoidable but chaotic, messy, unpleasant, nasty and disorderly traffic conditions they self-create or invent, a driver has to always be on the defensive while he or she is behind the wheels. A driver needs to have a perception that something of one or the other kind either in the form of an identified or unidentified object or one or more living being/s (includes cattle, poultry and wildlife) is going to intrude into his driving domain, howsoever disciplined he or she is !

Speed within mandatory speed limits is the respective driver's choice. But given our traffic conditions one should not preferably exceed 80 kmph. For a new driver his or her maximum speed limit could be only 50-60 kmph as at that speed he or she is able to fully control any unprecented happening. For seasoned drivers 80 kmph could be OK. 90 kmph should ring alarm bells and 100 kmph plus should be fully avoided, at least in our traffic conditions for any driver. One should also not discount unprovoked mechanical failures of his own vehicle at those three figure, thrilling speeds.

The callous traffic users, morons or the TRAFFICIDIOTS do not ever read, or even if they ever read, they tend to ignore or simply pretend not to understand or follow traffic safety guidelines. So in our interest we as a minority community of disciplined and well-informed drivers need to be always on the alert and watchout to overcome, tame and conquer the pranks, theatrics and machinations of the unpredictable TRAFFICIDIOTS.

[Ibanez_70]

Originally Posted by BhaskarG

The Nemesis[*]Wear a seatbelt. I owe my instructor for creating the habit. It saved me.[*]Drive safe. [/list]
What happened afterwards, deserves a story of its own. I did not let my car to be counted as totalled. Repaired it, and drove it again. All I say is that it was an experience of 2 lifetimes.

I remember driving my dad’s ecosport at very high speeds on the Nagaon Guwahati highway but over time I have realized the road is not very safe. Driving at night you’ll be blinded by the lights of oncoming traffic and it doesn’t matter if its night or day there will always be someone coming from wrong direction. The road is best suited for 80 kmph and being extreme aware at that speed.

Recently I watched a Skoda Fabia hitting the divider to save a bicycle and the car rolled twice. Nothing happened to anyone thankfully. Your story was so similar. Thankfully you’re okay. Drive Safe…!!

[HEMIOrange]

IMO a crash at high speeds makes safety ratings irrelevant, I am not saying that we should totally ignore the crash ratings as the car with 5 star would take that impact better than the ones rated lower than it. But if our speed is excessively high, the momentum the car carries can shatter almost anything.
Check out this video from fifth gear depicting the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7dG9UlzeFM

I was about to experience a similar incidence in FEB 2020, I was plying on a national highway in my Wagonr (no airbags or abs) doing between 70-80kmph, I was approaching a median on which a car was waiting to to take a turn, I honked and assumed the driver won't be doing anything stupid, I continued with my speed and suddenly the car decided to pull out and that too very slowly, I must have been less than 100 meters away from the median when the driver decided to do the stunt, I slammed on braked, swiveled the steering to a bit right and the other car had crossed enough road for me to successfully avert the accident. That day I realised that our roads are full of morons, we have to be careful as well as anticipate the actions of other road users. After this incident and some other day to day experiences there are a few things which I ensure while driving (apart from wearing seatbelts) -

• Driving below the speed limit, if it is 100, I don't exceed 90 and so on.
• Driving in a manner which minimizes my horn usage,I honk when I need,but drive like I don't need one.
• Avoiding honking when an animal is approaching, I slow down anticipate and even come to a halt, honking takes animals by surprise, so they might be crossing the road but a honk can make them run towards you.
• Low volume on stereo especially on highway, loud music disconnects me from driving.

• Taking the worst case scenario, for example, the lights are green, but in mind there might someone jumping them, so I slow down and watch out on the sides and then move on.

What I have learnt is that driving slow and with a little extra precaution doesn't increase the journey times by much, but on the brighter side you get better FE, (both my cars stay above 15kpl) and its relaxing to drive slow, less road and wind noise, the tunes sound better. So leaving out the crash ratings and stupid people plying on road, we can make ourselves safe just by being a bit more careful.

[kaps454]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

5. Slowing down, moving to the left, letting the other guy pass, taking evasive action yourself is usually more effective than hoping the other guy will do your bidding.

I can vouch for that. Been in about 3 or 4 accidents in the last 20 years and about 400,000 kms of driving. It always pays to let the vehicle tail-gating you to pass even if you have to slow down and are in a hurry. Saves time in the long run.

Originally Posted by BhaskarG

Hurdle 2: My IDV was 2.8 lacs. The repair estimate was bordering on total loss case. I was no expert in cars, but it seemed to me that the car had significant structural damage. Finally the Service Adviser at Saraighat Hyundai got the estimate down to 2.1 lacs, just below the threshold.

Understand the emotional attachment but would have preferred total loss. You have been lucky on various counts, surviving a roll over and getting the car back as good as new. May be you survived inspite being in a poorly rated car, not because of it.
We have a saying in our profession,, "patient survived despite treatment".

[k_kumar]

Originally Posted by rpm

I'm afraid that the body shell integrity unstable remark implies a compromised passenger compartment. 1 point penalty/deduction is applied to the score of the chest region in such a case.

You are right but what I was trying to say is that passenger compartment did not crumple like what we used to see in the past (Scorpio, Kwid, Alto etc.). In my opinion, compromised structural integrity does not necessarily imply that the car is not offering any protection to its occupants (dummies) under the test load (L) - we've seen 1, 2, 3 and even 4 star rated cars with unstable bodyshell integrity. These cars won't be able to withstand further loading while those with a stable rating are expected to provide similar level of protection until L+x loading before showing telltale signs of structural failure. All these cars should hold up pretty well in frontal offset impacts generating load below L. That said, I hope to see all cars with a stable bodyshell rating in the near future.

[Hayek]

I am glad @BhaskarG survived the crash - and the nutty scooterist who came the wrong way on a highway and then crossed the road escaped as well.

But I do take a strong objection to the title of this thread - which makes it sound as if a 2 star car saved Bhaskar’s life. What saved Bhaskar’s life was the seat belt - and there is no doubt that compared to all the other safety measures invented since then, the seat belt has given maximum bang for the buck in terms of saving people’s lives. But if one looks at the circumstances of the crash - where Bhaskar had started braking from 80 kmph and then hit a concrete pole which broke off, I don’t think the build of the car had anything to do with saving his life.

I do hope the Hyundai service centre has done a good job ensuring structural integrity while repairing the car - as some people have said, it probably would have made sense to take a total loss claim here.

Finally, on honking - I don’t think you are supposed to honk when people are crossing the road. This was a scooterist who had come the wrong way - but a pedestrian does have right of way to cross even a highway where there is a gap in the median - and we are supposed to slow down when we see these gaps that are spaced several km apart. On the Pune Bangalore highway, you have acoustic bands painted on the road to remind you to slow down when you approach these gaps - and highway traffic is expected to give priority to those crossing there.

So DO NOT use the horn while approaching such gaps in the medians - use your brakes and slow down instead. Our national highways ARE NOT access controlled Expressways - we share them with pedestrians, cyclists, tractors et al - who have no other alternative route. While driving the wrong way is unacceptable, they have priority while crossing the road where there are gaps in the median if there is no signal regulating traffic.

PS - Went through this thread and am surprised that so many people think someone taking a U Turn at a median on the Highway does not have right of way and you can honk and continue at your speed. Where there is continuous traffic on a highway, people crossing the highway have right of way at gaps - which would usually have a warning or pedestrian crossing as well. It’s your obligation to slow down for those crossing.

[rpm]

Originally Posted by k_kumar

You are right but what I was trying to say is that passenger compartment did not crumple like what we used to see in the past (Scorpio, Kwid, Alto etc.).............

Perhaps your intent in the previous post is better understood as: Even when the passenger compartment is compromised, the modern cars rarely appear to fold or bend beyond the A pillar like their predecessors.

I apologize for not catching the drift of what you were trying to convey.

[DH82 Tiger Moth]

So sorry to hear about your accident, Bhaskar. End of day, what matters is you were safe and lived to see another day. There are so many idiot drivers out there that just don't realize how their lives are spared due to some of the decisions other better and safer drivers make.

Idiots on our roads are such as nightmare and the lessons are indeed pearls of wisdom to all of us. Quoting your lessons below. Well said!

"What happened could not be undone, but I learnt a few lessons from it:
1. There are idiots on the road. Give them the respect they deserve.
2. Honk! Let sensible people think you are an idiot, but honk for the idiots’ sake.
3. Wear a seatbelt. I owe my instructor for creating the habit. It saved me.
4. Drive safe."

Wish you many many more happy and safe miles man! Stay well and safe.

[Heart_Revs]

Dear Bhaskar.

1. I am extremely glad that no one was hurt in the accident. Even the idiot scooterist lived on to amend his driving.
2. People die in 5 star rated cars also and survive in zero star rated cars also. Therefore you should be praising you angel gods in the title of the thread rather than praising a poorly rated car. The situation could have been altogether different in a different scenario.
3. The biggest safety feature is ZEN like calm mind which treats every other motorist as a potential suicide bomber. It's difficult of achieve and usually comes after years of driving ( even I was a rash driver in my initial years ). The earlier one attains this state the better.
4. Since no one can predict or model the mechanics of an actual accident, it's better to go after a better rated car. That's the best failsafe one can plan ahead. Unfortunately, we Indians as customers are more interested in footwell/ambient lighting, useless start stop buttons, vinyl wraps etc.
5. Please pardon me if it sounds harsh, there are high chances that your car has a compromised structural strength even though everything looks spic and span on the outside. Try to avoid using it on a highway. Or better, if you can change it altogether.
6. Spread the awareness among your friends and relatives that being belted up does save lives. First hand knowledge does make more impact that all the slogans/campaigns. You will do a yeoman service to the humanity it you are able to convert even a few of your friends.

My 2 cents.

[saion666]

I have walked out unscathed of an accident in a chevrolet spark that toppled and fell in a roadside ditch. The car had no safety features other than seat belts.

There were 3 of us, while the ones seated in the front seats walked away unscathed,the one at the rear had a terrible head injury. All because there was no seat belt at the rear. Seat belts do save lives whatever be the NCAP Rating.

[AirbusCapt]

Trying to turn to avoid an accident in a non abs car is flirting with fate. A car without abs has problems when braking and turning, the two force vectors will invariably make the wheels lockup or lose grip, thereby turning the car into a directionless missile.
Had you panicked braked with the steering at dead center, you may have well avoided the biker or may be hit him at a very low speed.
If we go back a little, the whole accident could have been avoided had you blown the horn to warn and prevent the biker from crossing. It's almost impossible for a biker to judge the speed of a moving car and our villagers are not trained in defensive driving, for all he cared you may have been stationary and he felt he could cross. A long honk would make him stop and wait.
The western concept of no honking is impractical in India, here you need to honk as if you are parting a herd of buffaloes.

[RMN]

Just a quick summary on the NCAP ratings:

You cant ever compare one crash to another simply beacuse of the thousands of variables. Good rating or not, in any sort of a crash..one might or might not survive.
A good NCAP rating gives you a better chance to survive.