[lurker]

Yes, I was in a car once overtaking a bus which had just stopped, and out of nowhere a kid had unboarded out of the front door of the bus and ran across the road just about when my jeep was almost done passing over the bus. This kid was just inches away from my vehicle and I was like 60 kmph. It seems kids, bikers can come out of every blind spot in India and one needs to always keep a watch out for them especially in front of or behind parked buses, large vehicles or even autorickshaws.

[noopster]

Overtaking a vehicle that isn't yielding is NOT a good idea.

Yesterday I was driving home from work when a lady on a Scooty overtook a couple of cars and then immediately attempted a U-turn right in front of me. Since the cars were directly in my line of vision and neither of them were turning, I hadn't slowed down and only saw the lady emerge at the last instant. Thankfully, the other cars saw the Scooty and stopped, or else it could have ended up pretty messy.

[aviraj]

Do I understand correctly that you were riding on the wrong side of the road and trying to overtake the slow moving traffic of the correct lane? If this was the case and a couple of morons decided to do the same, who is to really blame? Get well soon.

[flyingkolors]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Also 'zooming' is not the right thing to do when you are on the opp lane and overtaking vehicles on your own lane. Hope your hand heals fast.

Thanks! I was doing like 40kmph. The injury was more due to the bike skidding on a smooth cement road.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Hope you recover quickly. Where in Bangalore was this, by the way?

Originally Posted by aqualeo2040

Get well soon

Btw, where in Bangy did this happen?

Thank you for your wishes. Getting better, slowly and steadily.

This happened on the stretch connecting between BEML and Jeevanbhima Nagar.

Originally Posted by noopster

Hope you make a speedy recovery, flyingkolors. There is an old driving saying that you should complete an overtaking manouver before you even start it.

Thanks, Noopster! Learnt the good old saying, the harder way!

[Mister_M]

It is a nice gesture that you wanted to share this to caution fellow members!

As motorists on road, we tend to lose patience soon, especially amidst dense traffic. Personal experiences like yours proves how important is it to be calm and contained while motoring.

Few years back I met with a road accident too while driving my HHSplendor and lucky me - am alive today! I was actually "Hit and Run" by an old Ambassador who didnot follow the traffic signal. It all happens in a few seconds and the game in most cases is over even before the victim realizes it!

Get Well Soon flyingKolors! My prayers...

[ashis89]

Sad to hear about your accident flyingkolors, hope you recover completely soon enough. I could completely relate to the scenario that you faced, I have faced it several times in Bangalore traffic.

[Blur]

Get well soon Flyingkolors.

And following a few basic rules / driving habits can help you avoid these kind of situations:

1. Honk, LOUDLY, as you approach the front end of the bigger vehicle you are overtaking. (This especially applies when overtaking transport buses that have stopped at a bus stop. People usually emerge from the front to cross the road, and they never check for oncoming vehicles.)

2. Keep an eye out for blind spots and slowing down ever so slightly as you approach them, just in case you need to stop quickly.

Drive/ride safe man!

[nandans2005]

Originally Posted by Blur

People usually emerge from the front to cross the road, and they never check for oncoming vehicles

Rightly said. A lot is desired in the way we ride and drive in India. I am also surprised how people dont allow others to pass by.

I largely feel that we INDIANS are fit to be called a "HERD COMMUNITY". Everybody wants to use the same piece of ground at the sametime, so everybody rushes. no discipline , no consideration for other road users, no courtesy for pedestrians. These pedestrians are atrocious. I have seen pedestrians appear from the front of the cars, trucks. Ideally, they should cross the street from the rear of any vehicle.

A lot, i mean "A LOT" is desired from everybody on the streets.

[PatchyBoy]

Takes a lot of guts to post "I was wrong" amidst a thousand other posts that blame the others.

Hope you get well soon and more importantly, hope you have learnt not to make the same mistake again.

Rajan

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by flyingkolors

Request you all to be careful while overtaking a heavier vehicle and when there are people jumping into your lane from behind the heavier vehicle. We know these spots, but tend to forget/ignore while actually driving. Completely slowdown at these blind spots, please and drive safe.

Thanks for the heads up flyingkolors. I wish you a speedy recovery, and even better time riding your bike!

Here's a similar incident/thread. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...arked-bus.html

Well, as I have mentioned, whenever you are overtaking a bus at its stop, or a slow moving vehicle, do be prepared for unforeseen emergencies emerging from the blind side of the bus.

[flyingkolors]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Thanks for the heads up flyingkolors. I wish you a speedy recovery, and even better time riding your bike!

Here's a similar incident/thread. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...arked-bus.html

Well, as I have mentioned, whenever you are overtaking a bus at its stop, or a slow moving vehicle, do be prepared for unforeseen emergencies emerging from the blind side of the bus.

Thank you, Dhanush. I remember reading your wonderful and practical advise, before the incident actually happened.

However, as mentioned earlier, just slipped out of my mind while actually drving. Surely a lesson learnt, the hard way. And my sole intention in putting this together was to pass the message to all BHPians to be cautious and safe.

[Pacifica]

Also, when overtaking a bigger vehicle please do keep in mind that their turning radius is also correspondingly larger. Just because a bike or auto can turn on a dime doesn't mean a bus can, too.

Last year in Noida I was behind a DTC bus that was taking a U-turn in front of Jaipuria Plaza. This U-turn is a walled lane. There was this guy on a bike who tried to overtake the bus as it turned, by cutting across its turning radius. Unfortunately, as the bus continued turning, it rapidly closed the gap between the right side of the bus and the wall of the U-turn lane. Result - the biker was simply crushed between the bus and the wall. The bus driver didn't even know the biker was there until after the impact and by then of course it was much too late.

It all happened so quickly. In just a few seconds an impatient biker's life was snuffed out. And for what? To save maybe two seconds on his commute? The sheer pointlessness, the futility of it all is something I will never forget. Yet everyday on the roads I see my fellow road users merrily speeding, swerving dangerously, driving/riding on the wrong side, jumping/ignoring signals and lane markings, parking haphazardly, jaywalking, the list is endless. Its everyone from the guy in the most expensive car to the humblest pedestrian.

What is wrong with us as a people? Why is road discipline so hard to inculcate? Each year more people die on our roads than anywhere else in the world. Every one of us knows someone who was killed/maimed in a road accident. Yet we all behave as if it will never happen to us no matter how idiotically we behave on our roads.

Un-#$%^*!-believable.

[Tom Sooraj]

I don't know whether it is right to post here or not. I cannot find a better title than this.

The roads in Kanyakumari district are 2 lane roads and they were in bad conditions due to improper maintenance. And it became worse after it rained throughout last week.

Coming to the incident, near Therekalpudhur, an Innova was in front of me and a Tamil Nadu government bus was at the back. A bad patch of road (less than 1/4 of the width of the road was good, that too on the other side) came. The Innova slowed down and moved to the centre of the lane to avoid some deep potholes. I too followed the Innova. Suddenly, the bus overtook us by left. I usually don't like 4 wheelers overtaking me by left and by the way, it's illegal to overtake by left. So, I decided to teach him a lesson. I honked and honked hardly (I never do this) and used the pass light for some distance until I got way to overtake him. And after overtaking him, another bad patch of road arrived. The vehicles were moving slowly. The bus tried to overtake me again, but I didn't give him way. And after that, I drove for 1 km and had parked our car near Appta Market, Ozhuginasery (which is on the side of the road). The bus came back and stopped on the main road and the driver was shouting something. I too yelled at him for overtaking by left and closed my windows. He then went away.

The way I behaved on a public road should have been aggressive but I feel what I did was right. But please do comment on this. Waiting for your opinions.

Regards,
Sooraj.

[ike]

Originally Posted by Tom Sooraj

C I too yelled at him for overtaking by left and closed my windows. He then went away.

What did you gain out of this entire exercise? Wasting your breath yelling at a Govt. bus driver. It is always safer to yield to vehicles overtaking you rather than slow them down unnecessarily. If he's willing to drive on bad patches, let him. Just move out of his way safely.

[2000rpm]

It seems you are not a regular commuter to work on bike. This is a very very common scenario bikers face in such a situation. On the left side overtake AND the right side overtake. Fellow bikers always try to find the path of least resistance and cut lanes from between cars.

My strategy, I maintain a 10-20 speed in such scenarios and with fingers on brakes. If such a situation occurs, I am prepared to reduce speed as much as possible and if I cant stop, I am mentally prepared to hit the other vehicle rather than sway side ways and risk getting crushed (trust me, a 10 kmph hit is much better than an opposite side collision).

If the speed required to overtake is more than 20, then I consider it to be plain rash driving which will cause inconvenience to both sides traffic.

EDIT: Just read that this was a Cement road and you were doing 40 kmph, which means that the main lane must be about 30 kmph. Few faster seconds not worth it friends.