Team-BHP - Concentration lapse while driving

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelwriter (Post 1219056)

I did learn my lesson there. Lucky for me, I did not end up on the wrong resting place. Nowadays, I have become quite cool on the road and just enjoy the drive till it lasts.

Thanks, buddy.

You were lucky to escape the wrath of a blueline in Delhi:D
On a serious note this is one of the common thing which happens to most of us. Forget a turn and just stop in middle to take a U-turn or just cut through traffic at high speed, highly dangerous.

To avoid such situations we have to train our brain to consume the fact that 3-4 extra kilometers and 10 mins more of our time is not a problem for us anytime. Too less a price to pay for a life.

I learnt driving in my first car Palio MJD bought during May 08. I used to drive quite fast and till date managed the car without a scratch or a hit. But during initial days, I lost paint, both side of the bumper, while I was trying to pull out from parking, and yes, with full concentration.

The second time I hit a stationary Bolero and got a dent above the wheel valence (above the front wheel).

I managed to concentrate good at the road and found that Talking over Mobile drivers loose their concentration the most. Yes even handsfree are dangerous. We can find all cab drivers, lot of auto drivers and talking constantly over phone.

Partho

I was at "pole position" at a junction manned by a traffic policeman, and was waiting for what seemed like forever for him to give me the signal.
I was so intent on getting the perfect launch that I popped the clutch the moment I saw his arm move.

I was past him,and the junction, by the time I realised the signal was not meant for me.I looked back in the RVM to see the road perpendicular to the road I was in packed with disordered traffic. I pulled over and parked beyond the junction and apologised profusely to the fuming cop.

He let me go with a warning. had to spend half an hour begging and pleading though.

Why didnt I run if I was already past him? I saw him lifting his walkie talkie:D

Was driving the VTEC from Blore to Hubli. Heard some rattling sound from near the B pillar, just looked back for a sec and when i focussed my eyes on the road, there wasn't any.

I had missed the right leading to the diversion and did a cross country across a field. Luckily, the diversion turned left and came back to where i was heading. At 100kmph, it all happened within a few secs.

One thing i remember is that i pressed the clutch, didn't acc or brake. just waited till the bad patch was over. Somehow, i feel this move was what prevented the car from losing its composure (since there was no braking or accelerating of any sort on the loose surface).

Shan2nu

Quote:

Originally Posted by adc (Post 1219842)

Somewhere in Eastern UP, around 330-400 am, 110 kph, wife dozing and son sleeping, fiddling with the pioneer, unknowingly going sideways, 4 inches height of divider, and the rest over here:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post1195593

Quote:

Originally Posted by adc

Crossed Allahabad around 130 am. Around closer Varanasi, around 330-4 am may be, all so quiet, child sleeping on his mother's lap and mother dozing, and me driving but tiring. Before we and wife were listening to the music playing softly and we just chatting, but then as she dozed off backseat, I started to feel the lack of the stereo and so with one hand on the remote and on hand on the wheel was trying to press the correct switch in the darkness.

Now with all the years and years of driving experience, it just take a second of momentary carelessness to change your life forever. I looking at the display to set the cd settings and for a few seconds, again don’t know why - never did this before even involuntarily, my eyes were off the road but then the VTT was as usual hurtling into the darkness at around 110 kph - at that speed we cover 100 mts in around 3.3 seconds. Suddenly felt a wham and a big bam and bang, the remote goes off hand and I look now straight and what the !!, I was now driving 2 wheels on the divider and 2 wheels on the road.

As I was fiddling with the music remote, taking out my eyes for those few seconds and thinking that I was driving straight but no - I was going sideways and it hit the big divider wall, around 3 inches width. At 110 kmph speed the driver side, right front tyre bangs and goes above the divider, the rear wheel follows and at that speed that too is dragged up on the divider path and a whole chuck of tyre sidewall goes off and but still the SUV up on the divider pathway.

So net picture, I was driving 2 wheels on the divider and 2 wheels on the road. Well reflex comes into play in such situations, immediately turned left back and came on the road and limped to a stop with the front tyre puncture somewhere in badland Eastern UP at 3.30-4 am night.

Right Rear tyre sidewall tear - a whole chunck went off when it abraded against the divider

My wife now fully awake, child still sleeping, asking me what happened? Well I said nothing, just front tyre puncture. I look at them both, think for a second who knows what would happened, it was real close. Got down inspected the damage, always cursing and telling myself, hey bloke you are real lucky, just imagine if it would flipped over or would have gone the whole way and bumped up to oncoming truck on the other lane - Gawd, just don’t want to think about it again.

Never would say out here just because of a Safari, I got out unscathed. Well a big car, a SUV, does have a role to play, but if someone would try that thing again, sure that fellow will be dead. Just plain, plain lucky that we live today to see another day.

Iam sure your experience will save many lives here & worth putting your description.

Guys who have not faced any bad experience due to taking the eyes off the road will going to learn from this

Yes, it was purely my mistake. On saturday me and wife started at around 4.00 PM from MEdavakkam for a movie at Mayajal. I took the Medavakkam - Sholinganallur - ECR road. When I was crossing the Toll both before OMR, I found I did not position my Right ORVM. I was around 30 KMPH and I suddenly realise there was a small bad patch (very small infact, any other day I would not have mind to even slow for it), I started steering to left to avoid, suddenly hear a sound of a 2 wheeler guy with a person on pillion scrapping through my car. He braked hard, skid and fell in front of my car.

I had braked by then and there was no big danger, both of them are up. A minute my mind says, go for it, press on the GAS. But humanatarian in me knocks my brain strong, I pulled over and got down. It was a abandoned section of the raod, only 4/5 passer bys have gathered till now. I saw couple torn places on both the guys pant, palm and knees bleeding and the guy shouting at me, What if I am dead. I asked him to calm down a bit. I did not know what to do. My wife comes down and apologises along with me. The passer bys leaving the place. 4 of us standing there and I did not know what to do. He was typing something in his mobile.

I waited, not knowing other than apologsing. An idea struck me, not to wait for many persons. Being in India, anything can happen. I call my wife and ask her to bring Rs.200/- from her hand bag. The guy say, money is nothing and I am lucky to be alive. I took Rs.100/- and put it inside his pocket. The guy cools down and we leave asking for sorry again.

I was feeling very bad, my lapse of concentration could have killed 2 people. I would have been in bigger trouble, he could have suffered even more seriuos injuries.

I thanked my stars, drove to beach upset and prayed God that his wound heals quickly.

One small thing, he was also speeding, should 60 kmph and overtaking from left. Though i am not very sure whether he tried to overtake because since I steered towards left, he didnt have an option. But even then he could have driven a bit slow and also wear helmet.

Please advise me, what else could have done. Should I have offered to take him to hosiptal. But India is a risky country and I dint want to land up in trouble.

I experienced a concentration lapse last weekend. It was a trip from bangalore to guruvayoor, while returning i was trying to overtake a Chevy's SUV and after some 10 minutes of trailing him I tailed him in one of the overtake of a tanker lorry. It was almost a accident with the M800 which came in opposite direction. Oooooops !! My statistics went wrong and my mind re-calculated very quick and i applied a sudden brake and then shifted down the gear of my 110 horse and a great escape.. Inside the car my parents, wife and my twin kids (just 5 months old).

God saved me by giving precense of mind on the spot.

My intention here is to tell the driving passionates is not to tailgate any courteous less driving vehicles. IMO even a racing is not interesting if all the drivers are not courteous in driving.

My experience goes like this:
Once I was returning from Tuition, around 6 kms from my home, and it was around 9 pm, the roads were totally silent I was tired and fed up by the routine I was following, I am in a habit of cruising at around 40-50 Kmph and so was I doing at that point of time also as it is very less when I get time to listen to music for long while driving so I turned on to my favorite ones. I was so lost in driving and listening to my favorite Ghazal (as it was a winter night) that I forget to turn or stop and see where I was heading (additionally: Roads here in Chandigarh as most of us know are straight and just lovely)and so kept on moving in straight direction. I went on cruising down and in some 15 minutes I was lost on the road too. When I literally woke up by the call from home and realized that I was some good 8-9 Kms away from home (after crossing the road to turn for home). But I never regret this as I got an additional 8-9 kms of that Ghazal in those strenuous times without even knowing what happened around me.

Second time:
[FONT=&quot]Once this happened on a morning when I was asked to drop my brother to his exam center. I was all too sleepy but didn’t refuse and so after washing face in cold water I took on the steering, reached a light point, the signal was Red and so stopped in some seconds it turned Green and the matiz in front of me started moving and so I followed, suddenly he braked but I couldn’t as my reflexes were at that time not working that good and I rear ended him, thankfully on a negligible pace. The Person around in his 50s maybe got scared of the noise made by the Hit and asked me to pull over, I did so and made him see there was not even a visible good scratch and so we left. After that my brother said ‘bhaiyya whenever we two are together we do hit or get hit’ I gave a smile and continued driving but now I was all woken up. After I never tailgate or sit with those who do so. [/FONT]