[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

On a different OT note, I could count atleast 8 M800 (mix of older and later versions) as well as several Altos (and maybe 2 Zens) in that short clip. That's quite a rarity to see so many M800s in one area! Last time I saw so many M800s and Altos was in Kathmandu (they have a huge # of M800 and Altos running as taxis and private cars in that city).

Apart from Mahindra Jeeps, what is even more common here are M800, Omnis. I have mostly seen yellow board Altos in the Himalayas.

Then from the latest lot, you have Dusters and even Tribers that you often get to spot here.

More than any of these, its the Omnis that you will spot more, especially on the day of the week which is a market day as they are used by vendors to ferry their products to the weekly market.

[drive2eternity]

I learnt driving from my dad and one of his golden pieces of advice which I always remember was – drive as if everyone else on the road is an idiot. Now, after haven driven for over a decade and a few lacs of kilometers under my belt, I truly understand the depth of this ‘gyan’. However, I have also gained enough experience to put a pecking order for these idiots. What I now pen down, is true for city commutes only, highway experiences will be shared later.
In the city, for me, a few vehicle categories stand out and are by default dangerous and to be avoided unless proven otherwise. These include – Tempo Travelers. These reckless bunch are the thugs on the roads. They will tailgate you, push you around, and with complete lack of empathy, drive as if they own the road. If you honk at them, or even have eye contact after a close duel, be sure to get some explicits and hand gestures coming your way. They are third on my list.
Then there are the Small Commercial Goods vehicles like the Tata Ace, Ashok Leyland Dost, etc. This class of vehicles has a narrow, yet quite tall body, tiny wheels, and a whole lot of attitude. They are driven in either of the two ways – one when they are overloaded, are spewing more smoke than the NTPC’s Singrauli plant does in a day and are barely managing to do 25kmph on an empty stretch OR two – when they are empty and are blazing up and down the streets are breakneck speeds, challenging the very Gods of Center of Gravity. These are a special threat early morning, when the roads are empty, and they have umpteen number of deliveries to complete – so these morons feature second on my list.
Before I move to the top of the list, I do have an honorable mention, and these are the two-wheelers. Not all, but most of them are in a hurry that cannot be defined. They are the ‘weavers’ of the city.
And now, the top spot goes to – if you haven’t guessed it yet – the autorickshaws. Oh, what a lovely creation these Autos are. I have observed them my entire life and am really intrigued by them. In fact, I believe there are many avatars of the beloved Auto. Here is my collection:

The Raider – Have you ever noticed that when an Auto is behind you, it seems to be having a thrust engine installed? In this avatar, they suddenly appear in your IRVM. They weren’t there a second a go and now they are almost kissing your rear bumper, tailgating you. The next moment, they are no longer in your IRVM but in your ORVM, driving half a lane outside looking for an opportunity to overtake you in a small, narrow street. They are driven extremely fast and recklessly. At times, you can see a series of strangely blinking LED lights on the raider and some even have an excuse for a horn, which if you listen to for too long, you can end up in an asylum. The only way to save yourself from the raid is to gently lift off the throttle, the raider takes this opportunity to complete an impossible overtake, his ego wins, your car has no scratches and before you know it, the raid is over. Soon they disappear to find the next victim, to ‘raid’.

The Snail – Now the name is a giveaway but still, let me explain. The Snail is the opposite of the Raider. When they are behind your vehicle, they seem to have all the speed, all the power to conquer the road. But the snail in front of your car, seems to have nothing at all. Maybe no will to live either. Empty road, driving right in the middle of the lane, leaving no room to overtake, the snail moves ahead at 25kmph. A long queue of vehicles forms behind the snail and due to the narrow road and a consistent flow of traffic from the opposite direction. However, the snail has a skin as thick as plank. You may honk, try overtaking or anything else under the sun but the snail does, what the snail wants. When the ordeal ends, you feel you have just come out of the worm hole, into a parallel universe seeing the empty road ahead.

The Snail Stopper – This avatar is even more dangerous and one possible way of ending your above faced ordeal, albeit a scary end. As the snail meanders along the road, it may, for some reason, with or without a justification or show of intent, stop in the middle of the road. You have been following the snail for some distance and have gotten used to its 25kmph top speed and maybe caught off guard. Be aware, be very aware that the snail can stop without provocation and you may end up rear ending it. Therefore, it is wise to maintain a safe distance from the snail while trying to overtake it and avoid rear ending it. Greater problem to solve than Schrodinger’s Cat? Maybe, but then this avatar has been created to trouble, not to please you.

The Dime Turner – This avatar begins its journey when an Auto is stationary on the side of the road and you have entered its personal space to drive along the usual path. Sensing that you are now close enough, the Dime Turner will make a U-turn, to suddenly start going in the opposite direction. You will have a few options – brake, honk or pray to the Gods but the Dime Turner has no option. Once he has decided to make the U-turn, he cannot stop himself. Reminds me of a famous Bollywood dialogue along the lines of – ek baar jo maine commitment kardi (once I have committed…). The Dime Turner defies physics and logic, but seldom do they know it. They are destined to become a Raider, or a Snail and it is you, yes you, who is in their path. So, thread carefully.

The Kite – The Kite flies against the wind, not with it. Remember this? The avatar of an Auto as a Kite does the same thing. They go against the ordained traffic flow. Be it a one way or driving in the wrong lane. The Kite owns the road. You may not agree with that and protest with a few honks but hey mere mortal, dare you challenge the Kite. You will eventually end up being shoved into your small space of self-pity, so why do you want to object and tell the Kite its wrong, for it isn’t. This avatar is just following Churchill’s golden words of motivation. In fact, the Kite is usually an addendum to the Raider avatar and together they can wreak havoc. My advice – steer clear.

The Contortionist – You are stuck in choc-a-bloc traffic. The usual 2 lane a side road is already seeing 3 queues of vehicles – talk about us being efficient. However, the two-wheelers still see ‘a lot’ of space there and weave through these confines, because they can. The Contortionist believes that though they are wider than the two-wheeler, they can still fit the gap. And hence, they move ahead. Your heart races as you see them in your ORVM, inching closer in the deadlock. To add to the terror already running through your veins, the Contortionist has add-on feature. A wrought iron bar colored in nauseating yellow color running over each of their wheel arches. If this bar comes in contact with your beloved car, it won’t leave a scar, it will leave a tear. You panic, try to give wiggle room to the Contortionist and they can sense the fear, every inch you move away, they demand two more inches of space. Soon, they have crossed your car and moved ahead. Your pulse is racing but your car is still stationary.

The Twins – If your car ever breaks down, you have a few options. Try jump starting it, get a mechanic to check or have it towed. But not the Auto. They have an unimaginable solution. Two distinct, unrelated Autos have the capability to simultaneously become twins. The Auto which has broken down gets help from his ‘brother’ who is extremely considerate and extends a leg to help (we mortals only know about extending a hand to help). Together, they form the avatar of the Twins. Literally pushing the stricken Auto to unimaginable distances, the brother is the savior. However, if you get stuck driving behind the Twins, you are in for a treat. They occupy more lane width than usual, drive slower than usual and have twice the manpower so never should you think about engaging with them. Just let go, accept your fate and be stuck else, you will need towing and remember, you don’t have a brother on the road willing to extend a leg to help.

Additionally, they have a few superpowers:
-have 3 wheels
-drive into space where 2-wheelers go
-drive at speeds of 4-wheelers
-carry as many people as 7-seaters

To summarize, I believe every Auto on the road is a Bad Driver and I have to ensure I can keep my car safe from them.

[stallmaster]

Originally Posted by drive2eternity

To summarize, I believe every Auto on the road is a Bad Driver and I have to ensure I can keep my car safe from them.

My driving instructor once shared a pearl of wisdom with me:

If you see autowallahs on road driving like discount Jason Statham in Transporter, rest assured they are driving rented vehicles. If they had skin in the game, i.e. driving their own vehicles, they would've driven like you and me, with traffic rules in mind and having concern for their own vehicles, fellow drivers and pedestrians.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by drive2eternity

And now, the top spot goes to – if you haven’t guessed it yet – the autorickshaws. Oh, what a lovely creation these Autos are.

I have to say a word in defence of those three-wheelers. Unlike many of the 2-wheelers, auto drivers at least show some understanding of traffic, traffic flow and even danger. They may sometimes drive as if they don't, but they do. This is why they make such good honorary traffic controllers when others have tied themselves into a complete knot and bikers have flowed into the spaces between the fibres to complete a glued-tight knot.

[Keeleri_Achu]

A common menace on Kerala roads where people believe the roads are their private tracks with no oncoming traffic. The general state of Kerala roads and mindsets of RTC drivers can be seen in the second part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG0w1Zfxw7Q

There is a special place in hell for those who fiddle with their phones while giving zero _____ to other motorists. In the second part, you can find a 'Road safety enforcement vehicle' that was just backing up traffic for quite a while and just another wannabe Ayrton Senna on two wheels going for the gap that exists.

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

[venbas]

Did not expect to be adding to this thread but had a close shave the last weekend and learnt some valuable lessons.

Background
1. I was travelling from Chennai to Musiri via Trichy a distance of ~350km. I was cruising happily on the Chennai Trichy NH45 road and had crossed Ulundurpet when this incident occured. It was a Friday evening and trafffic was still sparse. I hate driving in the night hours thanks to the high beam menance on our roads and hence we started from Chennai at 2.30pm to make the most of the light.
2. My car "Kathhi" (Honda City 4th Gen) had 5 people including myself, my mom, wife and Teenaged kids all of them 5.5ft plus. Hence Pretty much fully loaded with a filled up luggage bay to boot. I usually cruise in 80-90K limits in these conditions. I was also doing a long drive after nearly 18months thanks to the pandemic and lockdowns. (Should have seen it coming). Except for son the others in my family hate me doing good speeds and I was keeping good on my promise to give them a butter smooth drive. The Car was doing excellent with zero surprises inspite of the ocassional inevitable morons we meet on our roads.
3. At around 6pm when the Light was going down I saw an opportunity to "speed up" and make the best of the "available light". A big mistake in hindsight.
4. So here I was driving fast when an SUV merged from a service lane onto the National highway. I noticed it in the 24-25s of the Clip. Now the SUV proceeds to enter the fast lane almost instantaneously to overtake a slow moving truck
5. Thanskfully to my credit I did slow down at the underpass junction but still the speeds were in excess of 110+ when I had to make a sudden maneuvre to avoid the Truck on the slow lane and the SUV that just waltzed into the fast lane and closed the gap for me to overtake the Truck!!!
6. I slammed the brakes, watched the ABS kick in, realized to my horror that it was still not enough to escape the Truck and hence did a sharp and sudden left turn onto the gravel/sand where the Car screeched to a halt but not without passing half the truck. This happens at 35s. The entire sequence was over in 10 seconds flat!
7. There was a group of laborers/family possibly going back home after a hard days work, that were just ahead of me like 20ft. Could see these people literally jumping in the air (at 36s) in fright. There was another group of people just after them and hence nearly 10 people in total apart from the 5 in car. Should thank my stars that none of them got even a scratch and escaped in mere seconds difference.

Lessons learnt
1. The fully loaded car was holding well till I maintained sane speeds within 80-90kmph.
2. At 3 digit speeds, the car held well being a low slung sedan but the emergency braking to handle such scenarios became a hugely iffy thing. Thankfully the ABS and updated Michelin tyres did their job but still there was a huge luck involved in this not being a damn nasty accident.
3. In trying to maximize the daylight time and drive a few extra kms, I violated my own discipline to keep to 80-90max and that too when the road is clear.
4. Even though the road looks "empty" you never know what surprises are in store. Here in my case an SUV walzed into the fast lane from a near invisible service road on a bend. The Moron did not even bother to check on the near accident after doing his waltz.
5. After not driving the Car on the highways for close to 18 months, I should have known better than to take such risks with or without any other any other reasons.

Finally kept the Audio ON to capture the unedited fear from the family when they saw me nearly backend the Truck. This should serve as a warning to me and possibly others to not take anything for granted when at the wheels.

Attn Mods : If you feel this has to into the Accidents in India thread please feel free to move it.

[sanchari]

Originally Posted by venbas

Did not expect to be adding to this thread but had a close shave the last weekend and learnt some valuable lessons.


Lessons learnt
1. The fully loaded car was holding well till I maintained sane speeds within 80-90kmph.
2. At 3 digit speeds, the car held well being a low slung sedan but the emergency braking to handle such scenarios became a hugely iffy thing. Thankfully the ABS and updated Michelin tyres did their job but still there was a huge luck involved in this not being a damn nasty accident.

Very happy to hear that you and your family are safe.

Remember that higher the load, the longer it takes to come to a full halt. Momentum = mass X velocity. That's the reason its very difficult for heavier vehicles like bus/trucks/SUVs etc to come to a halt. That's why I support speed governors on buses and trucks.

So request everyone to please maintain sane speeds (<=100) on highways, especially if your vehicle is fully loaded or driving heavier vehicles. ABS etc helps, but subject to momentum, no escaping physics laws unfortunately.

[logicalidiot]

Originally Posted by venbas

Did not expect to be adding to this thread but had a close shave the last weekend and learnt some valuable lessons.

Glad to know you're okay. A big accident seems to have been averted.

Watching the video, I find that the Innova Crysta merged into the highway from the service road and changed lanes well before you were near. I think your speeds were relatively high as you mentioned that it impacted your decision making. It seemed as if you were trying to overtake the SUV before the truck but as the SUV picked up pace, you realized the gap is too tight to squeeze in. Even though you were at high speeds, I feel like you had the time to slow down a bit on seeing the SUV. Even talking while driving at high speeds hampers your attention a little bit - might have been the case here. Please drive safe. As we always say, "Streets are filled with idiots" and we gotta be careful always.

[Candy$Cars]

Originally Posted by venbas

Did not expect to be adding to this thread but had a close shave the last weekend and learnt some valuable lessons.

Whewww! A close call that could have been avoided IMHO.
I won't blame the Innova on merging with the high speed lane. When it merged you were too far back (you were overtaking the previous truck at that time). Because you were too fast, the Innova looks slow while in reality it could be around 65-70kmph. The only blame can be that the Innova should have picked some more speed before merging with the fast lane but since you were too far back he may have thought there is enough time to merge and speed up.

From the video, it looks like you did not anticipate that the Innova will pick up speed so soon and so, instead of slowing down you tried to overtake the truck before the Innova does and at the last moment realised that there is no space, you are too fast and too close to the truck. Like I said, a scenario that you could have avoided if you weren't at 150+kmph and had not intended to get into the gap between the truck and the Innova.

Another thing to mention is that when we are driving at high speed continuously, we tend to forget how fast we are going and after slowing down a little we still don't realise that we are too fast. I have experienced this in my City as well. For ex- I am driving on any NH say at 120-130kmh continuously for 25-30kmh. Suddenly, the NH passes through a town or a populated area. I would slow down to 75-80kmh which will 'slow to me' but it is still too fast to stop suddenly if someone comes in front. This might have also happened to you. Because you were driving at 150+ for quite sometime when you slowed down to 110 you didn't realise that you are still too fast in comparison to the truck and the Innova.
The City controlled itself brilliantly I have had some near misses as well and the City has always performed brilliantly, maintaining stability and control.

[GeneralJazz]

Originally Posted by venbas

Did not expect to be adding to this thread but had a close shave the last weekend and learnt some valuable lessons.


4. Even though the road looks "empty" you never know what surprises are in store. Here in my case an SUV walzed into the fast lane from a near invisible service road on a bend. The Moron did not even bother to check on the near accident after doing his waltz.

What I saw in the attached video:

1. You were over speeding way beyond the limits! 150+ is a big NO under any circumstance!
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'm sorry if I'm being harsh, but this is entirely your fault. I've seen too many people pulling these kind of stunts. You can call the Crysta driver a moron all you like, but the lorry driver, the Crysta driver, and a bunch of pedestrians would be calling you the same! It was a close call, for a lot of people, because of you.

[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by venbas

Did not expect to be adding to this thread but had a close shave the last weekend and learnt some valuable lessons.

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.

Even though the road looks "empty" you never know what surprises are in store. Here in my case an SUV walzed into the fast lane from a near invisible service road on a bend. The Moron did not even bother to check on the near accident after doing his waltz.

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.

[OverKill]

Some brain dead creatures shouldn't be behind the wheel at all.
One example below.

<video link removed temporarily for review>

When I didn't let him cut in he had the guts to roll down his window and tell me that he was indicating his intention. Got me so furious that time, but took a breather and moved on.

While that creature continued to drive in the same way as far as I could see him.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by venbas

Did not expect to be adding to this thread but had a close shave the last weekend and learnt some valuable lessons.
3. At around 6pm when the Light was going down I saw an opportunity to "speed up" and make the best of the "available light". A big mistake in hindsight.

Thankfully everyone involved is safe in this case. It's nice to see that you have already identified the mistake that set you up for this precarious situation. People tend to over speed and pull off risky maneuvers when they set themselves a deadline to reach a safe heaven.

You sometimes see this in our offices too amongst bikers. There will be a few that always try to reach their homes close by before a drizzle turns into a downpour. The smarter/experienced riders generally tend to know that the first few minutes is when the roads will be most slippery and that there is no point over speeding to make it to your family if you can stay back in the office cafe itself till it's safe to ride.

Originally Posted by venbas

5. Thanskfully to my credit I did slow down at the underpass junction but still the speeds were in excess of 110+ when I had to make a sudden maneuvre to avoid the Truck on the slow lane and the SUV that just waltzed into the fast lane and closed the gap for me to overtake the Truck!!!

This is the part that I don't agree with. There is no credit due here. I wouldn't have the guts to go over 60 at that point with my family in tow (I am inexperienced driver but two lanes and multiple trucks I don't think even experienced drivers should have gone over 60 in that stretch).

While I can see that from your point of view, a slow moving vehicle did indeed make the transition to the fast lane quickly, you should also consider that your view point comes from doing over double the speed of most vehicles in your immediate vicinity.

Besides, if you practice defensive driving then you should anticipate that another vehicle (an Innova no less) wouldn't tend to stay behind a slow moving truck for too long. After all, isn't that why you wanted to overtake the truck too.

[drive2eternity]

Originally Posted by venbas

Did not expect to be adding to this thread but had a close shave the last weekend and learnt some valuable lessons.

Hello venbas, you have already understood your mistake and some BHPians have further analyzed the situation. All said and done, few things from my side:
1- Thank God you and your family are safe
2- Luck did play a part there, but you did well to get out of a sticky situation
3- You have admitted to your mistake. Not a very common trait - kudos
4- You are incredibly brave and honest to put the video here, as educational for everyone to see what might happen if we do silly speeds, even after knowing you may get flak

Its the third and fourth points that you have earned my respect for.

[VT-RNS]

Originally Posted by OverKill

When I didn't let him cut in he had the guts to roll down his window and tell me that he was indicating his intention. Got me so furious that time, but took a breather and moved on.

While that creature continued to drive in the same way as far as I could see him.

That is the part which is so annoying these days. Esp with the Uber/Ola drivers; my guess is those who drive this rashly, probably don't own the vehicle. And like in your case, they think giving an indicator absolves them of responsibilities. Utter nonsense.

What baffles me are the many Pvt vehicle owners/drivers in the city. Mumbai wasn't this bad, or so I remember. But nowadays, everyone is in a hurry. Esp during tight traffic jams, or near dug up roads, people want to slip in when there is no space.
They think they are being super smart drivers, not realizing that its because folks like us take the necessary step to avoid an accident.

Honestly, I am glad you have the camera. I have been delaying on it and want to install one ASAP to build evidence when needed.