[HycroBiteVFire]

Had it not been for the seatbelt, TeamBHP wouldn't have had HycrobiteVFire as a member

Hey everyone, quite an emotional article for me as I revisit one of my toughest moments ever- my car accident back in April 2024. I wanted to share my experience with all of you and wanted you to know where does build quality actually come into play and how uncertain life is.. so make your decisions wisely.

I'll keep it relatively shorter here as the main purpose at the end of the day here is to create awareness. So let me take you step by step into the darkest chapter of my automotive life as I like to call it.

15th April 2024, 6:50 AM- I was looking at our school farewell pictures which our cohort organised for the graduated ones. That event was truly an unforgettable one hence even 5 days after it had ended, I was just looking at the pictures as a feel good factor before leaving for school at 7. Once I was done, I turned on my TV, put up "Liquid Time" by Aakash Gandhi (which I first heard on a Kia Sorento video as background music and fell in love) and then finally left for school.
We were driving the 2023 Honda City ZX MT and like always, the app notified "ignition turned on" at exactly 7 AM and we were off to school. All 3 of us, including my mom and dad were going together that day and even though I usually sit in the front seat, that day I chose to sit at the rear seat. Even on the way to school, I was discussing the farewell with my parents when we came to a halt at a traffic light.

We then started talking about how the roadside shops have all been brushed off by the authorities and their source of income is just gone. Then, at 7:04 my dad looks at his side of the ORVM to notice a Bolero Pik-up truck coming at an uncontrollably high speed and all my dad could do is react in shock. Before I could ask him what happened, we felt a massive bump and for the next few moments I was completely lost as to what happened. It was as if I lost senses for a few minutes. I then gathered myself again, checked on my parents to see if they're okay but the car was full of smoke and then the first thing I did was grab my school bag and glasses (which fell down) and get out of the car. At first, the door wouldn't open but eventually, after I pushed it hard enough, I got out of the car to see around 30-40 people surrounding our car and smoke all over. I turned around to see a white pik-up truck with its bonnet completely merging in our boot.

I started noticing what had actually happened and to my surprise, the car wasn't just hit by the Bolero but because our parking break was raised, the car didn't move any further but turned and hit the pole to its right causing the front airbags to open. When all 3 of us got out, the 30 odd people around were surprised to see us all safe, given the extent of this accident. My mom had minor scratches on her face and my dad had slight pain in his chest- both due to airbags. I was so numb after the accident that when a lady offered us help to drop me off to my school, I didn't wear the seatbelt in her car thinking about what had just happened. Yes, I was in school that day because I didn't feel like anything back then however, an hour into school and my shoulder was completely dead.

When I got home, we discussed everything once again and got to know that our car would take at least 45 days to be alright again. Insurance company gave an estimate of 8 Lakhs in repair for a goddamn 18 lakh car. I also got to know that the pik-up was driving at a speed of around 70-80 KMPH and had slammed his breaks but due to lack of ABS, he couldn't steer the pik-up away from hitting our car.

Eventually, I think this experience is an answer to those who need an answer as to what extent is build quality important? I can easily say that in a smaller, 0-1 star build car, maybe survival chances would've been slimmer. Now if a container falls on a car, build quality isn't as important however, in a scenario like mine, your life depends on your decision. I suffered a major injury in the form of ruptured shoulder tissues and was advised to stay away from physical exertion for 3 months. And yes, my mom kept on reiterating the fact that she wouldn't have worn the seatbelt at the back seat thinking it's just about 10 minutes and nothing will happen but all it took was 4 minutes.

Lastly, I would urge everyone to opt for a 5 star build quality car because that's the least you can do. This would not only make you relatively safer but urge manufacturers to work on safety as well. And yes, do wear seatbelt at all times, regardless of where you're sitting.

Thank you for giving me your precious time and reading this traumatising experience of mine, hope I could make it worth for you

Also, a bonus question, given the poor condition of our car and the fact that it was a major accident (with changes such as both bumpers, dents on the roof, new airbags and a bunch of joints too but engine remaining intact) should we consider replacing this car with a new one because I feel like trusting an accidental vehicle is a risk, after all it's just not the same car it was.. Do let me know of what you think.

Thank you so much!
HycroBiteVFire

[arnav17]

This is truly an eye-opener. Glad to hear that all your family members are safe.
I have always been emphasising on the aspect of getting a car that is safe over a car with creature comforts and 'Kitna Deti hai'. Sadly, both seem to be inversely proportional in most cases (esp Maruti and Hyundai, barring a few recent launches) but most people ignore this and go for such cars.

Can't emphasize enough on the importance of wearing a helmet as well. My mom was riding our Jupiter a few weeks back when a stationary car's passenger opened the door suddenly resulting in a collision. My mom fell down and she maintains that the helmet definitely saved her from injuries. She did injure herself on her elbow, and the gentleman in the car was nice enough to apologise for his mistake and offer to bear any costs of damage.

The Jupiter's headlamp assembly had developed a crack , which she did not notice back then, but guess it's now for insurance.

Hope such posts raise awareness on buying cars which are better built.
Thanks for sharing .

[HycroBiteVFire]

Originally Posted by arnav17

. My mom was riding our Jupiter a few weeks back when a stationary car's passenger opened the door suddenly resulting in a collision. My mom fell down and she maintains that the helmet definitely saved her from injuries.

Thank you for sharing this and I'm glad to know your mom's safe and good. Yes, wearing helmets are as important as wearing a seatbelt. Now on two-wheelers you can't really argue about the build quality but again- the least you can do is make sure you're taking safety measures. Really makes me happy to know how your mom supports her helmet wearing decision.

The main reason of this post was to create awareness about road safety and genuinely hope more people shift towards safer vehicles..
Again, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!

[07CR]

Originally Posted by HycroBiteVFire

Lastly, I would urge everyone to opt for a 5 star build quality car because that's the least you can do. This would not only make you relatively safer but urge manufacturers to work on safety as well. And yes, do wear seatbelt at all times, regardless of where you're sitting.
Thank you for giving me your precious time and reading this traumatising experience of mine, hope I could make it worth for you

Glad to know that you are safe. I personally do not believe any of our ratings system (Be it GNCAP or BNCAP), as significant flaws have been explained in them on multiple instances on our very own forum. That said, I value a good set of active and passive safety features and being a responsible driver. Of course in few scenarios even this depends on luck (just like yours!, I am sure no one could have done anything different). Even the 5th gen Honda city (India Made) hasn't been tested by GNCAP or BNCAP, but it does have good set of active and passive safety features and is also a reliable, and that qualifies as a safe car for me.

Originally Posted by HycroBiteVFire

Also, a bonus question, given the poor condition of our car and the fact that it was a major accident (with changes such as both bumpers, dents on the roof, new airbags and a bunch of joints too but engine remaining intact) should we consider replacing this car with a new one because I feel like trusting an accidental vehicle is a risk, after all it's just not the same car it was.. Do let me know of what you think.

Check if there is been any significant damage to the chassis. If yes, it could be prudent to replace the car.

[HycroBiteVFire]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Glad to know that you are safe. I personally do not believe any of our ratings system (Be it GNCAP or BNCAP), as significant flaws have been explained in them on multiple instances on our very own forum. That said, I value a good set of active and passive safety features and being a responsible driver.

Completely agree with what you've said here. Nowadays most of the cars end up achieving a 5 star NCAP rating which makes it somewhat unbelievable and the whole point of an NCAP rating seems to be diminishing. However, I'd still say that if we're comparing 2 cars with similar pricing, the one with a better safety rating (if tested) or better build quality (or the passive safety features) must be prioritised over the other

Originally Posted by 07CR

Check if there is been any significant damage to the chassis. If yes, it could be prudent to replace the car.

Yes, thank you for this input. Been hearing about this and will check if there's damage to the chassis as soon as possible. Thank you!

[blogslogger]

Glad you and your family are safe after the crash. One of the key takeaways from this incident is that younger people are now focusing on safety, which can only be a good thing. However, I would like to modify the statement a bit: 'We should all buy the safest car we can afford.' Regulations and general apathy have led to the car costs rising multi-fold.

[SolitaryRabbit]

Originally Posted by HycroBiteVFire

Attachment 2701982

Had it not been for the seatbelt, TeamBHP wouldn't have had HycrobiteVFire as a member

Glad to see you and your family is safe. In 2021 I had a similar incident where a Creta owner hit my City in a very similar manner when I slowed for a speed breaker. The Creta driver had dozed off apparently but owned up and helped recover the vehicle and lodge police complaint. Thankfully all of us including rear passengers were wearing seatbelts and nobody got hurt. Your pictures bring so many memories back. Just glad all of you are doing great. God Bless.

Originally Posted by 07CR

Check if there has been any significant damage to the chassis. If yes, it could be prudent to replace the car.

I agree with 07CR. Please check for chassis damage. I got mine checked and the chassis was not damaged thankfully, but I didn't do denting of the damaged panels but got the whole rear panels and bumper replaced. I was a little confident that the chassis was fine as my accident happened in Kerala and I drove the car back in the same condition back to Bangalore where I tested if there was any difference in straight line manners. Not a scientific test but it was the best I could think of to test for chassis damage.

[FullAhead3221]

That was a nasty Crash. Good to know that you and your Family are safe after the incident.
In shipping we have something called Chronic Unease. I know may sailors who suffer from this condition. It is a feeling that something can go wrong even if everything seems okay. If only all drivers on our roads had this feeling then incidents will plummet.
This incident might have shaken you but now that this has happened you will always be extra vigilant and may it never happen again.
Even i have a 2021 City, relief to know that it has proved its safety ratings.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by HycroBiteVFire

...Yes, I was in school that day because I didn't feel like anything back then however, an hour into school and my shoulder was completely dead.

Not a wise decision on all your 3 part, after such a major bump a hospital checkup for internal injuries, especially whiplash is a possibility. It can show up in a CT - concussions are common.

...I suffered a major injury in the form of ruptured shoulder tissues and was advised to stay away from physical exertion for 3 months

Sorry to hear. How are your parents. Hope you all have recovered from the Physical injuries.

I was in a mild bus accident back in 2001 or 2002, just after the Bomanahalli signal towards Hosur/Ecity direction in Bangalore. I sat sulked next to my mum, and my dad was seated behind me. It was late & dark and raining in Bangalore, and the TN bus driver did not spot the bus ahead of him, braked hard & skid and bumped into the KSRTC bus ahead. I slid down into the gap - lucky, mum cracked open her double chin part/4-5 stitches, dad bit his upper jaw into lower lips, few stitches. Till today I cannot sit in any automobile without holding onto an object ahead of me, or a seat belt is must. Without seatbelt that trauma is still somewhere deep inside my soul.

. And yes, my mom kept on reiterating the fact that she wouldn't have worn the seatbelt at the back seat thinking it's just about 10 minutes and nothing will happen but all it took was 4 minutes.

Angel was on your side

...should we consider replacing this car with a new one because I feel like trusting an accidental vehicle is a risk, after all it's just not the same car it was.. Do let me know of what you think.

If finances provide, please get a new car, any new gen car with a solid build quality. Or a Used similar model/City with zero certified accident record.

[LakeWalker]

Glad to hear you and family are ok. I believe another factor which saved you is the fact that it was a Sedan where there was enough space (the boot) between the rear seat and the bolero and the Sedan's boot took most of the damage. A hatchback, (even if it was a 5 star one) maybe would've made the damage worse.

Originally Posted by HycroBiteVFire

Nowadays most of the cars end up achieving a 5 star NCAP rating which makes it somewhat unbelievable and the whole point of an NCAP rating seems to be diminishing.

I'm sorry, but this is funny. Few brands getting 5 stars recently which was otherwise dominated by some other brands doesn't change anything about NCAP ratings. If it was reliable before, it's reliable now as well. If it is not reliable now, it shouldn't be considered reliable before as well. However you take NCAP ratings, nothing has been changed when it comes to their reliability.

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by HycroBiteVFire

Eventually, I think this experience is an answer to those who need an answer as to what extent is build quality important? I can easily say that in a smaller, 0-1 star build car, maybe survival chances would've been slimmer.

Lastly, I would urge everyone to opt for a 5 star build quality car because that's the least you can do. This would not only make you relatively safer but urge manufacturers to work on safety as well. And yes, do wear seatbelt at all times, regardless of where you're sitting.

I would argue that wearing the seatbelts is often the most easiest and cheapest way of ensuring safety. Same is with the case of wearing a helmet (and strap it on). If people don't do this simple thing, why would they pay real money and buy a 5* rated car?

My point is, buying a 5* rates car may depend on economic factors too. But wearing a seat belt - that's zero cost. ZERO.

Even if they do buy a 5* car, if they don't wear a seat belt, there is not a lot of protection that they get, considering that the 5* rating is when people are strapped in. So effectively they are bypassing the guilt (of not wearing seatbelts etc) by buying a 5* rated car and hoping that the 5 stars will keep them safe.

It's unfortunate - even after examples like Cyrus Mistry.

[na_agrawal]

Originally Posted by HycroBiteVFire

Had it not been for the seatbelt, TeamBHP wouldn't have had HycrobiteVFire as a member

Glad you came out relatively unscathed. I simply cannot stress enough in the importance of seatbelts and their role in saving you. I had a similar experience and I do not want anyone to face that. You can read about my ordeal here -

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...nt-deploy.html (Big accident in a Toyota Etios, but the airbags didn't deploy!)

I am alive today just because of seat belts.

~NA.

[VTEC_Love]

I want to answer the question: should you retain this car or not.

I had a 2007 City XZ VTEC. It met with the exact same fate as yours in 2009. In my case, an Indica rear-ended me on my way to the airport when I was waiting at a traffic signal. The indica slammed into my car at about 80kmph, driver apparently had dozed off momentarily. It had 4 passengers plus the driver and was loaded with luggage. I had a friend with me but we both just felt a loud bang, but no impact.The ZX did not come with AirBags or ABS at that time. On impact, the boot was completely damaged- the boot floor, both left and right side panels, boot lid. The rear glass and roof were intact. At the time, the estimate came to 1.75 lacs.
Honda replaced all the panels. They did not repair anything. The main chassis was intact, the crumple zones had taken all the impact. My car came back in about 10 days (there were not many Honda's back then as compared to now). What surprized me what they did not even perform a wheel alignment- they said it was ok. I was sceptical so I went to a third party. They too verified, it was all ok.
Point is - Honda's build quality was so good that just the body panels took all the impact.

After the accident, the car still drove just asif it was new. The accident had no effect on handling, safety, or anything at all, except the psychological thing that it had an accident. I still have that car. Its registration has expired and it still runs fine.

Look at it this way. This car still protected your family. Your repair costs are high because you have to replace airbags. That itself is about 3-ish lakhs, if I am not wrong? Keep the car until you have recovered the investment in terms of your mobility requirements... On sale, you anyway won't get much out of it.

Mod Note: Team-BHP strongly discourages unsafe driving practices that put yourself and other road users at risk. Please do NOT post about illegally high speeds on public roads.

We advise you to read the Forum Rules before proceeding any further.

[HycroBiteVFire]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Not a wise decision on all your 3 part, after such a major bump a hospital checkup for internal injuries, especially whiplash is a possibility. It can show up in a CT - concussions are common.

Sorry to hear. How are your parents. Hope you all have recovered from the Physical injuries.

Well yes, that was indeed a very stupid decision for me to carry on with my school life. I had a weird passion of going to school back then and yes, the accident was something I just hadn't experienced before so I somewhat didn't even know how to react. After the accident, I got out of my car and asked my mom "Will the car start? Just drop me to school in this and come back" As I mentioned earlier, lost my senses for a while. And like I didn't feel anything either (adrenaline rush maybe) but we got X-rays done once I was back home. Got to learn a lot from this and yes, a decision which should've been avoided yes.

My parents had slight injuries because I suffered the biggest impact because I was at the rear seat. So few scratches and chew pain for them which lasted around 30-40 days but they were fine soon. For me however, I've had this long term impact now where I can't sit for 3 hours straight in one position because then my shoulder (left) starts to hurt again. Just glad we all made it through. Thank you so much for your inputs though

[HycroBiteVFire]

Originally Posted by VTEC_Love

I want to answer the question: should you retain this car or not.

I had a 2007 City XZ VTEC. It met with the exact same fate as yours in 2009. In my case, an Indica rear-ended me on my way to the airport when I was waiting at a traffic signal. The indica slammed into my car at about 80kmph, driver apparently had dozed off momentarily. It had 4 passengers plus the driver and was loaded with luggage. I had a friend with me but we both just felt a loud bang, but no impact.The ZX did not come with AirBags or ABS at that time. On impact, the boot was completely damaged- the boot floor, both left and right side panels, boot lid. The rear glass and roof were intact. At the time, the estimate came to 1.75 lacs.

Honda replaced all the panels. They did not repair anything. The main chassis was intact, the crumple zones had taken all the impact. My car came back in about 10 days (there were not many Honda's back then as compared to now). What surprized me what they did not even perform a wheel alignment- they said it was ok. I was sceptical so I went to a third party. They too verified, it was all ok.
Point is - Honda's build quality was so good that just the body panels took all the impact.

After the accident, the car still drove just asif it was new. The accident had no effect on handling, safety, or anything at all, except the psychological thing that it had an accident. I still have that car. Its registration has expired and it still runs fine.

Look at it this way. This car still protected your family. Your repair costs are high because you have to replace airbags. That itself is about 3-ish lakhs, if I am not wrong? Keep the car until you have recovered the investment in terms of your mobility requirements... On sale, you anyway won't get much out of it.

Thank you so much for your valuable inputs. I'm so sorry you had to go something like that too, roads just aren't safe. Hondas are Hondas at the end of the day you're right. I think where my concern is 60% about the vehicle being accidental, 40% of it also comes from the fact that I'm finding it really hard to adapt to this car again. I know it'll take some time and exposure but it definitely reminds me of one of the worst days of my life on road. But that said, we've driven the car for a while now and I don't think we've noticed much of a difference. Yes the finishing is a little off and the bumpers aren't nicely aligned but it drives nearly the same. (And another thing, this car has been hit like 10 times in 20 months.. mostly like minor bumps where other cars end up scratching it while at halt at a traffic light, so it's like a magnet at the rear for this car haha)