Freak accident of Safari Dicor

Bullfrog · 22nd August 2006, 09:32

My friend had an unfortunate accident in his new Safari Dicor. When he and one of his friends were driving apparently a stray Waterbottle rolling about in the vehicle got stuck under the Brake pedal and they couldn't brake the Dicor. So no time to react at a signal at all and straight into the back of a Scorpio at 50kph.

Dont know the details of damage on Scorpio but on Dicor it is extensive. My friend has just been presented with a 98k estimate of which I believe he can claim only about 50K from Insurance considering the Electrical, Plastic parts etc.

So guys in cars, carrying water bottles dont say you have not been warned

Regards
Bullfrog

johy · 22nd August 2006, 10:15

Wow! Absolutely Freaky and I am very sorry for your friend - really sorry. Thanks for sharing - I will be careful with them bottles in the car.

- Johy

Mr.Bangalore · 22nd August 2006, 10:20

hi

i think if your friend had acted sensible then this accident would have been avoided that's what i feel, if he could have applied the parking/ hand break instead of the usual break then this freaky incident would have not happened…

what do you say TBHPians...?

Bullfrog · 22nd August 2006, 10:50

The rider in question was a very experienced one and the reaction time was extremely less in traffic (It is Bangalore chaos after all !!) I beleive. The handbrake thing was the first question I also asked him.

Also hearing this my cousin narrated one of her friend's experiences of the Brake pedal getting stuck due to the fact that her high heels were caught under the pedal at some strange angle. The road was pretty free at the time and she had the presence of mind to downshift couple of gears and used the handbrake to come to a stop. Unfortunately not the case with Dicor....

regards
Bullfrog

janeckozzy · 22nd August 2006, 10:58

the same thing happen to my uncle in his esteem... went off the road and straight into one of those huge pipes.. the ones used for constructions car was totalled...

rks · 22nd August 2006, 11:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullfrog

Also hearing this my cousin narrated one of her friend's experiences of the Brake pedal getting stuck due to the fact that her high heels were caught under the pedal at some strange angle. The road was pretty free at the time and she had the presence of mind to downshift couple of gears and used the handbrake to come to a stop. Unfortunately not the case with Dicor....

I also had some near misses when driving with slippers on -- on one occasion, while I was taking a quick U-turn in a narrow road, someone got in my way and my sliippers interfered with my braking. But I was lucky that this was not a real emergency and I avoided the individual. So I have made it a policy to drive *only* with shoes, even for short errands; sometines the delay irritates those who are in a hurry to get along, but I always resist the temptation to wear slippers and drive.

Also one should beware of the rubber mat on the carpet under the driver's feet. This always keeps moving and gets into strange positions. So far I haven't had a bad experience, but nevertheless I always remove the rubber mat for highway drives for fear that it may get in the way when I need to either brake or accelerate hard.

passion4cars · 22nd August 2006, 11:35

Hi friends.

Sorry to hear about the accident, i had a similiar incident..... if i wud ve been in it...belive me u wudnt be reading about my posts..... in short a TRUCK was in front of me.... in night time in GURGAON, i had tried to over-take that truck but had to press brake 2~3 times.... ( in the meanwhile while braking the bottle from under seat JUMPED and landed on driver side and den went under the brake padal) while i applied brake 4th time the BRAKE PEDAL just wont go in..... THANK GOD the bottle was emplty and I used all my ENEGRY to HIT on BRAKE and the BOTTLE craked.... and in the same time I just applied HANDBRAKE..... so got saved just by roughly 6~8 INCHES.......

BE CAREFUL with those MISSILES (BOTTLES).....

Tnx n Rgds
Passion4cars

s.prashanth · 22nd August 2006, 11:47

seems like an incident from the movie FINAL DESTINATION do not no which part, any ways all lose things in the car are a no-no, get a net fixed in the footwell (merc c class) to keep water

jkdas · 22nd August 2006, 11:53

there's a thing called handbrake in Safari too right? Inexperienced driver I guess.

revharder · 22nd August 2006, 12:11

jkdas,
try using handbrake in any car at 50kmph, no need to go for one with high COG, and then try giving a slight twist to the steering!
i wont doubt the driver as to be an inexperienced one, coz in such extreme panic situation when one doesnot even has the priviledge to divert his path of motion and brake is stuck, one just can't do anything except yelling some expletives!

it was really an unfortunate incident.
but why people keeps bottles as loose as in this particular case?
there are backpockets behind front seats in almost every car today, what are they for?

khaadu75 · 22nd August 2006, 12:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkdas

there's a thing called handbrake in Safari too right? Inexperienced driver I guess.

Hey, I dont think this is a case of inexperience at all !! In such situations you cant sit and just say ' Inexperience ' -- coz maybe he realised a bit too late to even think of the hand brake coz when u driving in normal mode your senses arn't at their best as far as reflexes are concerned .

Unfortunat - Yes !! Inexperience - No !!

And lucky that it was a car that he went into and not some individual or some one on a 2 wheeler coz that could have gotten messy !!

Cheers

Boom Shiva · 22nd August 2006, 12:38

I guess the driver concerned has learnt his lesson regarding keeping bottles near the feet.

Hope no one in the Scorpio was injured. Getting hit from behind by a Safari at 50km/h can cause some serious whiplash.

1100D · 22nd August 2006, 12:41

Similar thing happened with me. Fortunately, it was a crossing so my normal practice of engine braking was already on when I realised the pedal wont go in. I did realise something rolling into the pedal but did not know what (someone had kept a loose bottle underneath the rear seat (how it crossed the cross member I am not sure). At the same time my left hand/foot was naturally downshifting into second so lot of momentum was
killed, thankfully I had the presence of mind to pull the handbrake up (although even if I didn't the impact would have been gentle).

One more occasion, I was wearing chappals for a wedding, and while applying the brakes the chappal just slid sideways between the brake and accelerator while taking a corner. Even then nothing happened as my left foot took care. But I always feel like hitting me on my own head for driving with chappals on (and that too a bit fast).

Steeroid · 22nd August 2006, 12:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkdas

there's a thing called handbrake in Safari too right? Inexperienced driver I guess.

Handbrake would've caused the rear to slide, causing more damage to vehicles around than the lone Scorpio in front. The vehicle is heavy - I doubt if the handbrake will pull it to a stop from any half-decent speed.

humyum · 22nd August 2006, 13:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Handbrake would've caused the rear to slide, causing more damage to vehicles around than the lone Scorpio in front. The vehicle is heavy - I doubt if the handbrake will pull it to a stop from any half-decent speed.

i agree with steeriod the vehicle this heavy would not stop with handbrakes as 70% of the braking is done by the front wheels.

22nd August 2006, 09:32	#1
Bullfrog BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 194 Thanked: 114 Times	My friend had an unfortunate accident in his new Safari Dicor. When he and one of his friends were driving apparently a stray Waterbottle rolling about in the vehicle got stuck under the Brake pedal and they couldn't brake the Dicor. So no time to react at a signal at all and straight into the back of a Scorpio at 50kph. Dont know the details of damage on Scorpio but on Dicor it is extensive. My friend has just been presented with a 98k estimate of which I believe he can claim only about 50K from Insurance considering the Electrical, Plastic parts etc. So guys in cars, carrying water bottles dont say you have not been warned Regards Bullfrog
	() Thanks

22nd August 2006, 10:15	#2
johy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Siliguri Posts: 972 Thanked: 622 Times View My Garage	Wow! Absolutely Freaky and I am very sorry for your friend - really sorry. Thanks for sharing - I will be careful with them bottles in the car. - Johy
	() Thanks

22nd August 2006, 10:20	#3
Mr.Bangalore BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bengalooru Posts: 368 Thanked: 55 Times View My Garage	hi i think if your friend had acted sensible then this accident would have been avoided that's what i feel, if he could have applied the parking/ hand break instead of the usual break then this freaky incident would have not happened… what do you say TBHPians...?
	() Thanks

22nd August 2006, 10:50	#4
Bullfrog BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 194 Thanked: 114 Times	The rider in question was a very experienced one and the reaction time was extremely less in traffic (It is Bangalore chaos after all !!) I beleive. The handbrake thing was the first question I also asked him. Also hearing this my cousin narrated one of her friend's experiences of the Brake pedal getting stuck due to the fact that her high heels were caught under the pedal at some strange angle. The road was pretty free at the time and she had the presence of mind to downshift couple of gears and used the handbrake to come to a stop. Unfortunately not the case with Dicor.... regards Bullfrog
	() Thanks

22nd August 2006, 10:58	#5
janeckozzy BANNED Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 57 Thanked: 0 Times	the same thing happen to my uncle in his esteem... went off the road and straight into one of those huge pipes.. the ones used for constructions car was totalled...
	() Thanks

22nd August 2006, 11:35	#7
passion4cars BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 156 Thanked: 6 Times	Hi friends. Sorry to hear about the accident, i had a similiar incident..... if i wud ve been in it...belive me u wudnt be reading about my posts..... in short a TRUCK was in front of me.... in night time in GURGAON, i had tried to over-take that truck but had to press brake 2~3 times.... ( in the meanwhile while braking the bottle from under seat JUMPED and landed on driver side and den went under the brake padal) while i applied brake 4th time the BRAKE PEDAL just wont go in..... THANK GOD the bottle was emplty and I used all my ENEGRY to HIT on BRAKE and the BOTTLE craked.... and in the same time I just applied HANDBRAKE..... so got saved just by roughly 6~8 INCHES....... BE CAREFUL with those MISSILES (BOTTLES)..... Tnx n Rgds Passion4cars
	() Thanks

22nd August 2006, 11:47	#8
s.prashanth BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: bangalore Posts: 365 Thanked: 85 Times	seems like an incident from the movie FINAL DESTINATION do not no which part, any ways all lose things in the car are a no-no, get a net fixed in the footwell (merc c class) to keep water
	() Thanks

22nd August 2006, 11:53	#9
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	there's a thing called handbrake in Safari too right? Inexperienced driver I guess.
	() Thanks

22nd August 2006, 12:11	#10
revharder BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 460 Thanked: 56 Times	jkdas, try using handbrake in any car at 50kmph, no need to go for one with high COG, and then try giving a slight twist to the steering! i wont doubt the driver as to be an inexperienced one, coz in such extreme panic situation when one doesnot even has the priviledge to divert his path of motion and brake is stuck, one just can't do anything except yelling some expletives! it was really an unfortunate incident. but why people keeps bottles as loose as in this particular case? there are backpockets behind front seats in almost every car today, what are they for?
	() Thanks

22nd August 2006, 12:38	#12
Boom Shiva BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,055 Thanked: 18 Times	I guess the driver concerned has learnt his lesson regarding keeping bottles near the feet. Hope no one in the Scorpio was injured. Getting hit from behind by a Safari at 50km/h can cause some serious whiplash.
	() Thanks

22nd August 2006, 12:41	#13
1100D Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Calcutta Posts: 4,390 Thanked: 4,096 Times View My Garage	Similar thing happened with me. Fortunately, it was a crossing so my normal practice of engine braking was already on when I realised the pedal wont go in. I did realise something rolling into the pedal but did not know what (someone had kept a loose bottle underneath the rear seat (how it crossed the cross member I am not sure). At the same time my left hand/foot was naturally downshifting into second so lot of momentum was killed, thankfully I had the presence of mind to pull the handbrake up (although even if I didn't the impact would have been gentle). One more occasion, I was wearing chappals for a wedding, and while applying the brakes the chappal just slid sideways between the brake and accelerator while taking a corner. Even then nothing happened as my left foot took care. But I always feel like hitting me on my own head for driving with chappals on (and that too a bit fast).
	() Thanks