[adi.mariner]

Scooter rider who doesn't care about the traffic behind. One of the many in Pune.

https://youtu.be/do1-zrT-jaQ

[Dieseldunk]

Glad that you are safe and all members doing good. Nothing more to say , leave judgement and driving faux paus aside, the kathi would have kuthified if otherwise

[jkrishnakj]

"Kathi' acted well, and glad you all are safe @venbas

In the audio, I can hear a lady who says that the truck can be overtaken, even when you see the Innova to the right. Perhaps, you thought you can go for it then. That is also another reason where you mis-judged the speed of both the truck and the Innova leading to what ever you experienced.

Drive safe!.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by venbas

4. So here I was speeding at 150+ when a SUV merged from a service lane onto the National highway.
5. Thanskfully to my credit I did slow down at the underpass junction but still the speeds were in excess of 110+

I read whole post, but these two points resonated in my mind throughout as, "what was this guy thinking?" For me, rest all was just gibberish.

Thank God no one was hurt, but such breaking of your own rule is unpardonable as well as illegal. I just hope no motivated cops are followers of Team-BHP.

Already BHPians have given their 'feedback', and I don't have anything to add to that except sharing own experiences.

Two years back, my brother was driving on Agra Lucknow Expressway and suddenly a car lept across the divider from opposite lane. He was able to brake, maneuver his vehicle (coincidently, 4th Gen Honda City) and avoided any harm. Now, people may call it luck, true in some sense, but we also attribute this to our habit of not driving more than 95kmph even on expressways that permit upto 120. And dropping speeds according to traffic and expecting sudden movements from anyone and everyone around us.

As far as dynamic behavior of laden vehicle goes, I am able to notice difference in maneuverability and braking of my vehicle, when fuel tank is almost empty vis a vis when it's full, difference of just around 30kg. With added passengers (load) I adopt further defensive driving.

[sparky@home]

This small pickup was overtaking on a curve, throwing all caution to the wind, I swung to the left and avoided a collision. I wonder what that guy would have done if it was a bus coming around the corner instead of my car. Probably a head on.

https://youtu.be/ldt7Sm0p_Mg

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by sparky@home

This small pickup was overtaking on a curve, throwing all caution to the wind, I swung to the left and avoided a collision. I wonder what that guy would have done if it was a bus coming around the corner instead of my car. Probably a head on.

When i was young and stupid and when temptation used to take over to overtake on a curve, my brain would just visualize a KSRTC bus coming from that side and sense would prevail over me

Like i say, we rely too much on other factors on road to be favourable to us and often throw caution to the winds.

[venbas]

Originally Posted by GeneralJazz

What I saw in the attached video:
2. At around 0:27, you overtook a lorry from the left. There was a bike on the shoulder. At your speed, even a slight change of direction from the biker would have sent him flying! The shoulder ends just ahead, and he could have merged into the lane. That was just too rash from your side!
3. The Crysta didn't "waltze" into the fast lane. He entered the slow lane, probably checked his mirrors and saw only a slow moving lorry in the fast lane behind him. He cant be expected to assume that you would overtake the lorry from the wrong side and zig zag back into the fast lane.
4. At around 0:28, once he moved into the fast lane, you had ample time to slow down and wait for him to finish overtaking the lorry.
5. You overtook a bike and continued to speed, obviously hoping to overtake the Crysta from the wrong side, cut him off and overtake the lorry. At around 0:34. you can even see the car moving slightly to the right.
6. You overtook the lorry from the left, driving off the road, and continued to finish overtaking. Thank god there were no bikers on the shoulder. The pedestrians, who were actually walking off the road, too were put in unnecessary danger.

I never justified my mistake anywhere. But some clarifications are due to set the context since the entire sequence happened in a matter of seconds.
#2 - The overtaking of lorry from left shoulder of road was an evasive action. I had to either backend the lorry and suffer terrible accident or take that evasive action and hope for better luck.
#3 - The SUV came from a service road and the lorry was in the slow lane(for a change). The SUV driver had to look into his mirrors and surrondings before entering the fast lane. Rather he entered the fast lane from a Service road in under 2-3 seconds which is bad driving. He would surely have seen a speeding Honda City coming down the road. Again I dont justify any action from my end, but wanted to stress the fact that such type of careless drivers can throw a surprise even roads you perceive as empty and hence safe for speeding!
#4 Same as #2. The higher speeds meant emergency evasive action. No amount of braking/correction would have helped me complete the overtake in a safe manner.
#5 The Bike overtake was NOT an issue. It was a regular small capacity bike trundling at 40-50kmph well inside the the shoulder of the road with zero risk. You can typically find hundreds or more of these bikes in a 2+2 lane like NH45. These bikes usually drive well inside the left shoulder to allow both the main lanes for other faster vehicles.
#6 I did not overtake the lorry from the shoulder. It was an evasive emergency move and the lorry might have stopped fearing the worst for me. As I mentiond there were 2 groups of people who narrowly escaped this accident and fully stopping there would have meant trouble to me and my family. Knowing that not even a single scratch heppened to anyone I decided to rather move on and stop at a nearby petrol bunk 2-3km away to cool it down and go back to the defensive driving mode I was doing for 99.5% of the journey.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

"Kathi' acted well, and glad you all are safe @venbas

In the audio, I can hear a lady who says that the truck can be overtaken, even when you see the Innova to the right. Perhaps, you thought you can go for it then. That is also another reason where you mis-judged the speed of both the truck and the Innova leading to what ever you experienced.

Drive safe!.

That was my 16yr old Daughter who was new to Navigation. Hence this was an additional risk I should have been conscious about.

Originally Posted by AutoNoob

I read whole post, but these two points resonated in my mind throughout as, "what was this guy thinking?" For me, rest all was just gibberish.

Thank God no one was hurt, but such breaking of your own rule is unpardonable as well as illegal. I just hope no motivated cops are followers of Team-BHP.

I never justified myself in any line. As I mentioned I would have broken my defensive driving rule for like 0.5% of the trip and that nearly ruined the trip. That was the main message I was trying to convey....our roads are NOT safe even for that 0.5% chance one might be tempted to take!

[BLACNWYTE]

I too did something yesterday that deserves to be in this thread. Usually while riding my scooter I rarely exceed 50kmph and when in city that further reduces to 30-40kmph. Also considering Blu's tendency to fishtail on hard braking, I usually keep to the leftmost part of the road to avoid/ reduce any chance of hard braking. And I observe this habit 99.9% of the time when I'm on road.

But last night, I left office a bit late and was riding at my usual speed to home and at a moderately busy junction a truck got in front of me and began moving at a slow pace. I wanted to overtake but there was not enough space. So at a very wide right handed curve, the impatient me decided to overtake the truck since no vehicle was coming from the opposite direction. (mistake 1)

Now as soon as I got parallel to the truck and half away across, the driver suddenly decides to speed up (they do that sometimes) and simultaneously I see the headlights of a slow moving car (M800) approaching from the opposite direction. Now, I'm way too committed to the overtaking maneuver to start braking and there were other vehicles behind the truck I started overtaking. The gap for overtaking was closing on me as the truck picked up speed. So what I did was what a squid would do, sped up, weaved to the left in front of the truck and straightened and went straight (mistake 2). While cutting in front of the truck the space between the truck, me and the car would not have been more than a couple of feet either way. Way too close for my comfort. I never do such things and I absolutely loathe people who ride like that.

Due to my reckless behavior, I put me, the M800 driver and some other people on the road in probable harms way but luckily hot away with it. I was so ashamed at my behavior that I had to stop and ask myself what the heck was I thinking. I didn't even gain a single second by making that reckless move but it could have been fatal if the car was moving with a bit more speed and the whole thing would have been entirely my fault. This was the first and last time in the past five years of my riding that I have done something like this which I regret. So my point is, you can be riding /driving 99.9% of the time defensively but that 0.1% of the time you misjudge, something might happen which can cause irreparable damage. I was lucky enough to getaway without any physical injury albeit with reduced self respect.

[venbas]

Originally Posted by BLACNWYTE

I too did something yesterday that deserves to be in this thread.

Now as soon as I got parallel to the truck and half away across, the driver suddenly decides to speed up (they do that sometimes) and simultaneously I see the headlights of a slow moving car (M800) approaching from the opposite direction. Now, I'm way too committed to the overtaking maneuver to start braking and there were other vehicles behind the truck I started overtaking. The gap for overtaking was closing on me as the truck picked up speed. So what I did was what a squid would do, sped up, weaved to the left in front of the truck and straightened and went straight (mistake 2). While cutting in front of the truck the space between the truck, me and the car would not have been more than a couple of feet either way. Way too close for my comfort. I never do such things and I absolutely loathe people who ride like that.

Pretty much can understand as I was in same situation. We might be defensive 99% of the times but that 1% mistake might end up ruining us. The Truck need not have sped up and closed the gap when you are overtaking, the same way the SUV need not have entered the fast lane from a service lane in my case. However since we had our share of mistake in that 1% state of misjudgement, the net result could have negated all that 99% good work. Tough being a safe driver on our roads but still let try for that centum, safe driving.

Originally Posted by Nalin1

Hi venbas,

You have already got your dose of criticism from others and you have already learnt your lessons. But since you have posted here, BHPians have to flex their muscles .

It was a case of total misjudgment from you.



The road is only as empty as your speed versus stopping distance calculation goes. The service road may have been invisible, but the Innova was not!. And he had completed his move way before you reached anywhere near him.

And the nice conversation you were having with your family members at that speed is a BIG NO NO !.

You could have avoided this completely by just dropping speed once you saw both lanes occupied by the truck and the Innova. Then you decide on your next move which obviously is easier in a defensive mode.

That conversation was between the kids(Teenagers). I make it a point NOT to talk when driving. The family makes it a point to keep some small chit-chat going themselves so that I do not get drowsy at any stage.

On the Issue of BHPians flexing muscles, I can definitely relate to better now. Exhorting committed cops, over-analyzing my overtake of trundling commuter bikes that were minding their business beyond the shoulder of the slow lane, mistaking my emergency maneovre as "overtaking" the slow truck via the shoulder of road. On the contrary the SUV that moved from service road to fast lane in 2-3 seconds got 100% absolved in the Analysis(even a normal speed from my end would have resulted in a hard braking scenario) . I have been driving since 2003 and this would in the close shaves that I can count with fingers in single hand. All I wanted to convey was that a 99% defensive score might still not be enough on our roads. Sadly some of the backlash was so severe that I wish I had not uploaded it in the first place

[deathwalkr]

I don't understand why you are getting overly defensive. You said that you were driving at 150kmph in a fully loaded car.

That is the crucial factor in that video. Everything else is a result of that.

Drive safe, be safe.

[venbas]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

I don't understand why you are getting overly defensive. You said that you were driving at 150kmph in a fully loaded car.

That is the crucial factor in that video. Everything else is a result of that.

Drive safe, be safe.

I did not get defensive at any stage in the original thread. I had laid the blame at my end and focused on the learnings only including making it clear that it was an avoidable situation. In the entire trip of 700+ kms to and fro, I would have been at higher speeds for 10-20km and that nearly ruined the trip. But the backlash sounded more like I was doing a Jason "Transporters" Statham, Mel "Mad Max" Gibson and Vin "Fast and Furious" Diesel all rolled into one

Anyway this will be my last reply in this thread and will have to move on from the episode. Just felt sad because this might impact similar "first-person" experience sharing from others.

[krishnakumar]

Sadly some of the backlash was so severe that I wish I had not uploaded it in the first place

First of all, I want to say thank you for uploading the video. Don't feel disheartened with the backlash. I'm sure even before BHPians pointed out the errors on your side, you'd have been well aware of what they were and how not to repeat them.

Everyone, no matter how good they are make mistakes. This video has many good learnings to take from. So thank you again.

Originally Posted by venbas

mistaking my emergency maneovre as "overtaking" the slow truck via the shoulder of road.

I'm afraid you're mistaken here. If you're referring to the below post, it's referring to you overtaking the first truck from the left lane at 0:23-0:27, while coming down the bridge.

I'm assuming everyone on TBHP understands that you moving into the shoulder was an emergency maneuvre and it could not have been done any different/better given the circumstances.

Originally Posted by GeneralJazz

2. At around 0:27, you overtook a lorry from the left. There was a bike on the shoulder. At your speed, even a slight change of direction from the biker would have sent him flying! The shoulder ends just ahead, and he could have merged into the lane. That was just too rash from your side!

[PrasannaDhana]

Just a little calf that doesn't care

It was out of my line of sight. What wonders me is why the ertiga driver didn't slow much earlier, in a more gradual manner when he can clearly see the calf walking into the road, but chose to brake hard at the last.

https://youtu.be/6SZzWC9r5TM

[dust-n-bones]

It is a little harder to own up to our own bad driving habits. One of the most pervasive ones on the Indian roads is, 'weave past me o through traffic, I found the irresistible selfie spot'.

Fill-in your favorite itch there, our already narrow roads are always full of this spectacle, from the toniest of suburbs to our shantytowns.

No-one is immune from this habit. While lorries and trucks and taxis are notorious for being inconsiderate drivers worldwide (and I can make a case which 'sort of justifies' this, but only just), how does the Indian affluent class, which has traveled the world, label themselves as motorheads and supposedly more socially conscious than others, condone this behavior themselves?

Some instances of our amazing habit of putting everyone around us, and of course ourselves, at a severe collision risk, just to save 5 minutes of finding a safe parking spot.

These photos are taking from 'car review vlogs' to our very own travelogues. The intention is not to point fingers, but to learn from each other.
Drive safe.

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

What wonders me is why the ertiga driver didn't slow much earlier, in a more gradual manner when he can clearly see the calf walking into the road, but chose to brake hard at the last.

EDIT below. Leaving the original post as is but the learnings hold I guess.

Not sure if this qualified as "bad driving" per se but definitely couple of good learnings from this video.

The driver appears to slow down at 0:02 and I'm assuming that the calf was probably on the sides then (not clear on the video whether this was visible). The driver may have been applying cautionary brakes, just a light squeeze since they may not have been sure whether the calf was going to move or not. And as the calf proceeds to claim the road, the driver seems to slow down more aggressively. This behaviour is usually seen on highways since most people don't want to lose momentum. I guess most of us have been part of this cohort.

However, important learnings:

(1) Usage of hazard lights in this situation would have probably alerted you on an obstacle upfront

(2) When the driver did realize that the calf is claiming the road (probably at around 0:05-0:07, he should have slowed down and stopped straight in front of it (with the hazard light) instead of dodging it. A good advice I got from a fellow rider ~7 years ago was to avoid "dodging" people/animals crossing the road. This makes it extremely difficult for a vehicle following you to see the obstacle and cause harm.

EDIT: Reviewed the video again. It seems the calf was clearly moving into the road before itself, therefore yes the driver should have slowed down earlier itself. But the learnings from the video hold. A reminder for all of us.