[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by keyur

And I hardly think that drivers get that kind of training.

Its very nice of you to spend some time and take care of the ones involved in the scene. Not many do it.

btw, you intend in very much right, its just the thread title is misleading. . A more apt title would be, "Educate your drivers on modern safety tech; to avoid the unfortunate".

Yes, most drivers are ignorant towards newer technologies. As a responsible owner, one should educate his driver on these, for the safety of himself, family and the driver.

[keyur]

All said and done, but the poor Captiva is definitely going to the junkyard - that's one badly screwed up front!

The best part is that hardly anyone was hurt, and the owner had just removed his seatbelt!!

[Klub Class]

Originally Posted by keyur

...The vibrations due to the ABS scared him (probably never had experienced the ABS kicking in before) and he released the brake...

This is exactly the reason why all the car manufactures provide us the 'owners manual' at the time of purchase!! Had he gone through the owners manual at least once, he wouldn't have got scared, for the record.

I would like to add that you don't need to drive through snow covered roads to experience the ABS kicking in. Further the ABS kicks in, even at speeds way less than 100kmph.

Just my two cents.

[keyur]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Its very nice of you to spend some time and take care of the ones involved in the scene. Not many do it.

It's just that if I or any of my dear ones ever need any help (any help), I would not want someone to just pass by (slightly selfish motive ). I make it a point to help wherever I can, and also ensure that I tell the person whom I have helped to pass it on - my little bit for helping improve people's attitude!

Originally Posted by dhanushs

As a responsible owner, one should educate his driver on these, for the safety of himself, family and the driver.

Agree totally!

Originally Posted by Klub Class

This is exactly the reason why all the car manufactures provide us the 'owners manual' at the time of purchase!! Had he gone through the owners manual at least once, he wouldn't have got scared, for the record.

I would like to add that you don't need to drive through snow covered roads to experience the ABS kicking in. Further the ABS kicks in, even at speeds way less than 100kmph.

Just my two cents.

Unfortunately, they don't teach the driver to read

True, ABS can kick in at any time when there is sudden deceleration or when there is a marked difference in the relative speeds of the wheels while braking - but all said and done, even after reading all this, if the first time you experience it is in the middle of an emergency, you better have a non-panicking type of personality!

When my friend bought a Cruze recently, the first thing we did is to help him get used to the ABS!

is there some video or pictorial representation of how exactly ABS works?

[avishar]

Was quite surprised to see that the passengers escaped with only minor cuts and bruises,after seeing the pic of the mangled remains of the car,was bracing for the worst.Especially when one of them had just opened his seatbelt!.Kudos to the structural integrity of the Captiva passenger cell.

I think what happened is that the driver was doing too high a speed as he was approaching the Toll gates.He left his slowing down for the toll gates too late and maybe just as he was approaching the toll gates he might have had to twitch the steering wheel to one side,which he described as swerving.Maybe to avoid a car or something?

At that high speed a sudden turn in direction caused the car shift the weight on the opposite direction of the turn violently,and the rear swung out,and i guess hit the guard rails.Once it hit the guard rails almost sideways,this caused to car to start flipping,and it flipped a few times.I am sure all of this happened to fast to really comprehend what has going on,and with ABS kicking in the poor driver panicked.

Anyway good to see that both of them are safe.And to also sir,for helping them out,as someone rightly pointed them out,not many would have.

[asr245]

Originally Posted by keyur

ABS is great when you know what to do when ABS kicks in.
On Indian roads, ABS hardly kicks in - and when it does, the driver gets scared! That's what I am trying to say.

There is no way a driver can get 'used' to ABS here. It gets activated easily on icy roads, slick roads etc.., but not here.

Disagreeing to that. I had ABS kick in my City after I had to brake hard from a speed of 30-35kmph. I felt it kick in (on my feet) just before the vehicle came ot a halt. And it was not raining. It is strange feeling but definitely not something to get scared of and releasing the brakes all together.

And I think in very slick/icy conditions, manufacturers recommend turning off ABS. (feedback from a colleague who's lived in snowy weather in US)

[drsnt]

In my view purely drivers fault not being able to control the vehicle at high speed+sudden change of lane(probably after seeing a empty toll slot), unless the ABS had fault causing the brake to fail on one tyre something like that

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by avishar

Was quite surprised to see that the passengers escaped with only minor cuts and bruises,after seeing the pic of the mangled remains of the car,was bracing for the worst.Especially when one of them had just opened his seatbelt!.Kudos to the structural integrity of the Captiva passenger cell.

Kudos to Airbags for saving them! The thread has been an eye opener. It emphasizes the importance of ABS & Airbags emphatically.

[megazoid]

Did he not drift into the railings because he hit the brakes hard on the curve and the tumbling etc happened as a result of that hit. If you jam the brakes on a curve at high speed, your tail will step out for sure. The swerving also made sure that this happened with greater probability.

[cranky]

To the vituperative replies to my post, at the time I posted the thread title was "Accident caused due to ABS".

The title has since been changed. This is more accurate. It was caused by a driver who panicked. If he had been within limits ABS would not have even kicked in.

[moralfibre]

Hey Keyur, first of all, great gesture of stopping by to help the victims. Just yesterday we had a thread on "The Good Samaritan" here.. You make an entry in there.

Whether ABS/ no-ABS, its quite simple to topple an SUV. You just need to brake hard while swerving. In event of a panic situation, there is little chance that the driver let go of the brakes. The first reaction by any normal driver would be to brake and brake hard. I guess he was pretty dazed after the incident and hence couldn't recollect what he did. Very few can remember the sequence of events in an accident.


P.S. This thread should have been on street experiences.

[vb-san]

Originally Posted by avishar

Was quite surprised to see that the passengers escaped with only minor cuts and bruises, after seeing the pic of the mangled remains of the car, was bracing for the worst. Especially when one of them had just opened his seatbelt! Kudos to the structural integrity of the Captiva passenger cell.

Yes, quite sturdy occupant shell I guess. Very impressive. I am not so sure of the high speed ability though.

Originally Posted by avishar

Anyway good to see that both of them are safe. And to also sir, for helping them out, as someone rightly pointed them out, not many would have.

I second that. A nice gesture Keyur! And it’s good that you started a separate thread for this, rather than leaving it as another accident account.

[parik_ind]

This is definately an eye opener. I am just trying to imagine what would have happened if this was a non ABS vehicle and the driver continued to stand on the brakes as he swerved.

The sad part is that many of us dont really understand how ABS works. When I bought my car I insisted on paying a lakh more because it featured ABS and Air Bags but I honestly dont know how I would have reacted if I was in a similar position. Driver education is a must and considering we are fortunate to have access to forums such as Team BHP we need to make the most of it.

Really glad that the occupants escaped unhurt.

Parik

[vnabhi]

Hats off to you, Keyur, for playing the role of a good samaritan, and helping accident victims! Really appreciate it.

As others have already said, ABS can kick in at low speeds also---I felt it once at 30 kmph on my Fiesta, in bumper to bumper traffic, when I had to brake suddenly to avoid hitting the cars in front of me, when some idiot darted across the road.

But you do have a point regarding ignorance of drivers, and I agree that they should be educated on how to get used to it.

In the accident above, even in a non-ABS car it would have happened, as the driver would have lost control of the steering and perhaps hit the railing at a higher speed.
SUVs have a grave weakness for being topple-happy: I have friends in the US whose CRVs have toppled on curves.

It appears both airbags were deployed. So if the owner had taken his seatbelt off, how did that one go off? I have a relative who also ran over a divider to avoid a freak swerve from another car, and the airbags got deployed though he says he was not wearing a seatbelt. So are you sure that airbags will not be deployed if seatbelts are not worn, or is that only a theoretical myth?