[::CMS::]

Originally Posted by saurabh2711

If we see again there is another bad driver, a silver coloured indica cab which was ahead of the yellow pick-up. That indica went from third lane to first lane without any signals (as far as I can see). He also braked in front of the pick-up while changing lanes which caused a sudden braking.

Well, a lesson learnt a hard way.

That indica was the main reason for the whole incident. As usual in most accidents they just go without anyone noticing and any harm. Anyways the bike rider was lucky due to the slow traffic and hope he wont repeat to endup in a similar situation at speeds.

[paragsachania]

I call this Butter Smooth:

https://youtu.be/ADZY41_KGF8

.....and carefree too. I didn't honk purposefully because that would have disturbed the parabolic path of the rider

[Yieldway17]

Originally Posted by swissknife

This is not a one off scenario. It takes just a moron or two to have more morons do this almost every day!

This happens very frequently even on highways. I don't understand what goes on their minds when they decide to do this other than - 1) They are not alone 2) They know they will get away without repercussions. Just self centered people who don't care about others.

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I call this Butter Smooth:

.....and carefree too. I didn't honk purposefully because that would have disturbed the parabolic path of the rider

If you had hit him, the news item would have read "Speeding car knocks down motorcyclist"

[naveen.raju]

Busy weekend with quite a bit of action. Just uploading few "selected" videos .

1) Think the car horn saved him and me there. Not as dramatic as the video uploaded by BHPian Parag (LOL).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2NQZUokSbA

2) We see this everyday. The famous overtake maneuver by none other than KSRTC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcCBlCk2tZc

3) What was he even thinking? This stretch is famous for such slow traffic and yet he decides to cut through traffic. The police jeep that you see in the beginning of the video did drive right in front of him and I could see him reversing. Good move by the cop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbdbvlY2VsM

4) Traffic here was standstill for around 10 mins. Yet, the dudes from the side road decides to merge on to the highway. I hope that side road didn't have it's own long line of vehicles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS4JA6XTmkw

5) Keep an eye on the brown WRV on the left. She tries her best to squeeze through. She almost hits the car behind me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ULuezNNscw

6) KSRTC blocks the ambulance. You can see him swerving to the right when he had ample space on the left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uGOW9_ap-w

7) I did wave my hand asking him to be careful. Yet, he did try his luck and got lucky, twice.

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

8) Dude keeps driving on the wrong lane but then turns left.

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

9) The traffic itself was bad with a bottleneck up ahead. Dude decides to make it worse by taking the wrong lane and creating a chaos at the junction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvzadTAI3hg

10) KSRTC always got the right of way. Tries to squeeze in as always.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ijvac_fZZA

11) Auto dude tries to steer all of a sudden.
He didn't like when I waved my hand. He catches up and starts verbally abusing us. He didn't spare my wife either. Swore at her too with some indecent comments. On seeing a cop, I decided to confront him. Called the cop (you can see him coming towards us towards the end of the video). I narrated the entire episode to the cop mainly the verbal abuse towards my wife. The auto driver's explanation was he didn't want to hit the truck that took a left turn instead decided to jump to the right lane. Showed the video to the cop and advised me to submit the clip to the traffic station (which I did).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLCUm3mni-g

12) KSRTC hits a car. Same old junction were I always record some action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow8JFHW8aQ4

[Kuldeep31]

Chota Hathis (Mini trucks) have grown by leaps and bounds in the the last two years here in Kolkata.
These drivers (along with autos) have a high tendency to swerve and/ or cut right/ left sharply.
On highways, often carrying more than permissible load, these Hathis are fast becoming lethal, mis-guided missiles.

[paragsachania]

Give me a chance and I can sleep with my bike on the road!

At a Y fork, left for green and still blinking when I passed (you can notice). The Traffic facing me too had a green light and it is common sense that there can't be a U-signal for this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KsMYUvyUY4

I roll down and give him an earful to which he returns the favor telling I was at fault till I show the camera and asked him to contest at the Traffic Police station ahead if he was ready. The moment he saw me pointing to the camera, the pillon admitted the fault and asked me to proceed .

And by the way, in this Video, that Brezza which enters the fuel station was not a bad driver. He was a not so good driver in comparison !

[abhi7013]

Now I accept that we were driving a bit fast than usual given the emptiness of the road and should have slowed down a bit while approaching the opening in the divider but this was not what we expected! I have no idea whether the safety features in the Hexa played a role to save the day but glad nothing happened. Obviously the bloke on the bike just took a U-turn and drove off on the wrong side while we were getting out of the car. He was about to crash into the Innova as well which we overtook. Audio muted as all our exclamations were out of this world!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLxk...ature=youtu.be

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Now I accept that we were driving a bit fast than usual given the emptiness of the road and should have slowed down a bit while approaching the opening in the divider but this was not what we expected!

The biker just swerved without looking at all?

How on earth do these people get through days still alive. I'm beginning to wonder if their incantation of the nothing-will-happen mantra actually works!

[india008]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Now I accept that we were driving a bit fast than usual given the emptiness of the road

People and even govt surveys say, the main reason for highway accidents is over speeding. But i would like to disagree here. The main reason i see is the lack of following lane discipline or its know how and the way people cross highway as if its their their street road.

Drinking and driving is a different category. So please don't include that here.

[abhi7013]

Originally Posted by india008

Drinking and driving is a different category. So please don't include that here.

You would have thought that would be the most obvious reason for him to have been riding that way. But given that its 6am in the morning, i don't think he was drunk. Its just that he and many others like him ride that way and find no fault in it. Even if you do hit them in such situations, you're the one to be blamed: bigger vehicle.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by india008

People and even govt surveys say, the main reason for highway accidents is over speeding. But i would like to disagree here. The main reason i see is the lack of following lane discipline or its know how and the way people cross highway as if its their their street road.

Drinking and driving is a different category. So please don't include that here.

Everything must be included in the reasons for accidents. Speed is a factor which may not be the immediate reason for an accident but makes it worse.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Everything must be included in the reasons for accidents. Speed is a factor which may not be the immediate reason for an accident but makes it worse.

Which is why I believe in self-imposed speed limits. In a full open road with visibility all round and nothing else in sight, I only do 90 Kmph tops.

I'm thinking of getting a bumper sticker - "Fear the unknown"

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by locusjag

Which is why I believe in self-imposed speed limits.

You might. I might too! Sadly, I'm afraid that it won't work, as people (even including me) overestimate their skills and abilities.

Fear the unknown? They don't know what is unknown. They think, Nothing will happen!

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Fear the unknown? They don't know what is unknown. They think, Nothing will happen!

From my experience, I reckon that there will be (not "may be") 1 bolt from the blue (or, 1 black swan event, to borrow from Nassim Nicholas Taleb) on our National Highways per 300 or 400 Km on an average. As averages go, your mileage may vary; in just 40 Km last weekend, I dodged 3 darting cows on the highway for instance.

One may not encounter anything untoward for 299 Kilometres and will then get lulled into ripping it at triple digit speeds. It is right then that India's realities will bite:
* I've had a 2 wheeler moron drive right at me on the wrong side, zig-zagging in the middle lane of a 6 lane highway
* As mentioned above, darting cattle, on multiple drives
* A Lorry suddenly merging onto the highway from the side
* A college bus taking a wide U turn cutting across 6 lanes suddenly
* Stray dog doing its thing, playing out its role as Yamaraj's emissary
* A drunk who was hurling boulders onto all 3 lanes in my path
* Etc etc...

One must fear the unknown and respect it and fully expect anything (like a steel bureau on the road, or however outrageous you want it to be)