[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by ashkamath

He must be riding quite slow, perhaps 25-30 Kmph or even slower

I like to remind people how much it hurts if they bang their head walking through a low doorway, or hitting an unexpected tree branch, etc. Sure, it is not going to kill them but this is slow speed. And it hurts. Imagine... adding a zero to walking speed.

[Mustang Sammy]

• White Fortuner
• Illegible Number Plate
• What appear to be tinted windows
• A sticker that says “Royal Rubaab”
• Weaving in & out like he’s playing Grand Theft Auto.

Even without the last point, it is best to Stay. Far. Away. from such vehicles.

[CheckeredFlag]

A Curveball on the Highway

So, I was cruising down the Chennai-Trichy highway, enjoying the views and the blissful lack of traffic (post-Christmas 2024). I was comfortably settled in the right lane, cruising along at a relaxed 110 kmph, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a two-wheeler decided to make a surprise appearance directly in my path.

Now, I'm a firm believer in the importance of situational awareness, so naturally, I had my mirrors glued to my eyeballs consistently. He must have been enjoying a scenic detour on the wrong side of the road for quite some time, considering there were no nearby intersections or crossings.

Anyway, I managed to avoid a head-on collision with the grace of a ballet dancer (and a slight panic attack). My friend in the back, who was minding his business and working on his laptop, was less impressed with my "sudden maneuver." Apparently, flying laptops are not conducive to productivity.

Interesting observations:

1. This daredevil on the two-wheeler clearly had a unique definition of lane discipline. There were no nearby intersections or crossings where this incident occurred. This implies the rider had been on the wrong side of the road for a considerable distance. What audacity!

2. And the cherry on top? Three people on this motorbike. Three! Including two elderly ladies who were probably convinced they were on a joyride.

Now, let's play a little "what if":

1. What if I hadn't reacted with the reflexes of a startled cat? Well, let's just say the laws of physics would have had a field day. At 100 kmph, a head-on collision with a car that weighs 1.4T... let's just say it wouldn't have been pretty for the motorbike folks and probably fatal.

2. What if there had been a vehicle in my blind spot? If there had been a vehicle behind me in my blind spot in the left lane, it would have resulted in a nasty collision and probably a few flips, a very undesirable outcome for me.

But hey, in the end, everyone survived. I'm not saying I'm a hero, but I did manage to avoid a major catastrophe. And a shout-out to my trusty Creta's VSM system – it handled the situation with composure.

What doesn't kill me, only makes me stronger, more observant and more defensive on our Indian roads!

https://youtu.be/8YWMqpkaCHw?si=NbttnJdnEzzqx8sM

[nagr22]

Originally Posted by CheckeredFlag

[h3]

1. What if I hadn't reacted with the reflexes of a startled cat? Well, let's just say the laws of physics would have had a field day. At 100 kmph, a head-on collision with a car that weighs 1.4T... let's just say it wouldn't have been pretty for the motorbike folks and probably fatal.

It wouldn't have been pretty for you as well. At those speeds, the guy' head could easily break the windshield and hit you head on before the cars airbag sensors could even detect there was a crash and later when it does detect and deploy the bags, it could end further pushing the guys head against the driver. No idea when these wrong side drivers learn the seriousness of their acts and no idea when the government will wake up. I have seen far too many such idiots on our roads nowadays and have completely lost the joy of driving. My last road trip was in Jan 2024 and I prefer flying or trains nowadays. I only use cars inside city which is a whole different stress altogether and even here, I just had a serious conversation with my wife about renting a place within walkable distance from workplace. I hate driving nowadays!

[ezzzzrider]

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Pet peeve number “n”. People who park their vehicles right at traffic junctions, thereby blocking visibility AND making it hard to turn.
How hard is it to stop a couple of meters away from the junction?

Absolutely, we need to have a movement to get all our junctions free of all stops. No shops/No Bus stands should be on or near a traffic junction atleast 20-30 meters from a Junction.

There is this one junction on NH52 in Jaipur, where of all things, there is a sabji mandi at a major intersection.
Another one on NH48- there is a major bus stand and a daily labourer market right on two corners resulting in atleast a 10 minute red light every time.

[MyLife_MyCar]

Got this in my Instagram feed. Not sure about the date and the location.

Warning: contains expletives. Please use a headphone.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEhSE...R3Y3JnMmR1OA==

A person driving a Toyota (which car??) at insanely high speed, while his friends asking him to slow down. Instead, the driver kept on increasing the speed, zigzagging dangerously through the traffic and displaying arrogance/overconfidence.

It’s only about time when this person features in the Accidents thread.

[CheckeredFlag]

Originally Posted by MyLife_MyCar

A person driving a Toyota (which car??) at insanely high speed, while his friends asking him to slow down. Instead, the driver kept on increasing the speed, zigzagging dangerously through the traffic and displaying arrogance/overconfidence.

I'm not defending what he is doing. People like him should not be in the drivers seat at all. But somehow, to me the relative speed of the vehicles he is passing seem to be on a slower side compared to this toyota's speed. It feels more like 100 or 120 kmph. Probably an edited video for likes?

[KryptonMonkey]

Originally Posted by CheckeredFlag

So, I was cruising down the Chennai-Trichy highway, enjoying the views and the blissful lack of traffic (post-Christmas 2024). I was comfortably settled in the right lane, cruising along at a relaxed 110 kmph...

What doesn't kill me, only makes me stronger, more observant and more defensive on our Indian roads!

I'm glad that you escaped without any damage. I'm not so glad that the biker and his pillion escaped without consequences.

In my opinion, settling in the right lane on Indian highways is not a good practice, especially when the road is curving towards the right because you don't know what's around the corner. What if instead of the bike there had been a broken-down vehicle?

The defensive tactic I would have followed in this situation is to have moved into the lane to the left much before entering that curve. In India, sometimes even four-wheelers use the right lane of a divided highway with hazard lights on to drive in from the opposite direction. The other hazard is an animal, such as a cow or a dog, jumping onto the lane. At that time, your reflexes may not have been enough.

My approach to driving on highways these days is to stay away from the medians unless I have full visibility, both of the road and the median for a considerable distance.

• If the road has three lanes, sticking to the middle lane for the most part is safer.
• If the road has two lanes, sticking to the left lane or splitting the lanes is the preferred option.

I would not advocate splitting lanes, but on Indian roads, such defensive tactics need to be employed for self-preservation from people who enter the left lane without checking for traffic.

Also, if you're splitting lanes, keep a close watch on your rear-view mirrors. When you see faster vehicles approaching, pick one of the lanes (usually the left lane) and deal with it until the traffic clears up.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by KryptonMonkey

I would not advocate splitting lanes, but on Indian roads, such defensive tactics need to be employed for self-preservation from people who enter the left lane without checking for traffic.

Agreed, I do the same in certain situations, despite trying my best to be a more disciplined driver. The sheer amount of stupidity on Indian roads means that you have to also fight stupidity with stupidity.

[old_cayuse]

Originally Posted by CheckeredFlag

A Curveball on the Highway

But hey, in the end, everyone survived. I'm not saying I'm a hero, but I did manage to avoid a major catastrophe. And a shout-out to my trusty Creta's VSM system – it handled the situation with composure.

What doesn't kill me, only makes me stronger, more observant and more defensive on our Indian roads!

You sure are a cool driver. If it were me I would've lost my shxx! I've experienced similar back at the end of the first decade of this century, when I was driving on the same highway (the dual carriageway was new to a lot of people then) past Tirunelveli I think it was as I approached a right curve in the carriage way I see a lorry coming down opposite me in the inner lane. Fortunately I have this habit of approaching curves with all my senses on high and straddle the right and middle lanes. I was able to take evasive action though there was a mobike on my left diagonal, there was enough space to pull left and allow the lorry to carry on wondering if anybody behind me would be that vigilant.

[Doge]

Originally Posted by CheckeredFlag

I'm not defending what he is doing. People like him should not be in the drivers seat at all. But somehow, to me the relative speed of the vehicles he is passing seem to be on a slower side compared to this toyota's speed. It feels more like 100 or 120 kmph. Probably an edited video for likes?

Na, that felt very fast indeed, look at the road markings and you can see how fast this moron is going.
What's edited for sure is the sound in the BG as this isn't India, maybe Pakistan?

[Rennjit]

Originally Posted by CheckeredFlag

A Curveball on the Highway

.....

I'm fearful of driving in the right lane because of such people who are same as other animals which may jump across. Sticking to the practice of using right lane only for overtakes helps to avoid such shock & stress to say the least.

[veyron_head]

Originally Posted by CheckeredFlag

A Curveball on the Highway

So, I was cruising down the Chennai-Trichy highway, enjoying the views and the blissful lack of traffic (post-Christmas 2024). I was comfortably settled in the right lane, cruising along at a relaxed 110 kmph, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a two-wheeler decided to make a surprise appearance directly in my path.

Glad to see you made it out without any mishaps. This is such a regular occurence i have learnt to 'always'expect these low lives. Not just people and animals, but even objects - like a half face helmet on the road , bang on the center of the highway, that i missed by a whisker. It probably was worn by some dude who did not strap it on and it flew with the wind.

In fact, there is one or the other near - miss everytime i drive on the highway these days for no fault of mine. I have come to terms that you do need a bit of luck to make it to your destination, however careful and skilled a driver you are on indian roads.

[TurboTales]

Bad drivers approaching from the opposite direction often swerve out of their lane to overtake vehicles ahead of them, forcing oncoming cars to brake and giving themselves priority to complete their maneuver.

Similarly, bad drivers frequently drive in the oncoming traffic lane and only return to their proper lane at the last moment, ensuring the oncoming vehicle is forced to brake.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by KryptonMonkey

...stay away from the medians unless I have full visibility, both of the road and the median for a considerable distance...

This is the safest thing to do. Whenever a highway has a sweeping blind turn (right or left), it's safest to not hang in the inside lane, to avoid boxing oneself in if there's an unsighted hazard. Best to move over one, and move back after visibility improves.

It shouldn't be necessary in a disciplined world, but on multi-lane highways, when approaching a turn-off/join, I always move over an extra lane as a precaution, because people can't be trusted to join safely and stay within the leftmost lane until it's safe to move to the middle one. I've had more than one instance on the Bangalore-Mysore expressway where an impatient car driver swung from the service road directly into the passing lane!