[saisailendra]

Hello dear Team-BHPians. I'm writing this post to share my experience that I had in my Vento, exactly a year ago.

We have taken the Delivery of My Vento 1.5 Tdi Highline on 30 April 2018. Ever since the day of delivery, I've been in love with the car. I would not let a third hand to lay on my cars paintwork for regular maintenance. I would go to my workplace which is 25 KMs from home, of which 15 KMs is in the City and 10 KMs is the Outer Ring Road of Hyderabad (ORR). I've been driving in the same commute for years.

A little introduction of my ORR Route : I enter the ORR from Gachibowli. It's a really wide road, with 4-5 lanes varying from stretch to stretch. The exits are curves and have only 2 lanes. After taking the entry ticket at Gachibowli, I take the Airport exit and then the TSPA exit. It's the same in return. Enter at TSPA, take the Gachibowli exit.

On 1 November 2018, I finished my work and started back home at around 3.20 PM. It was a fine day, and I was doing speeds of 80 Km/Hr, which is normal. I got onto ORR at TSPA, then was about to take the Gachibowli exit. I do follow lanes quite strictly and make sure to stay in my lane. The Gachibowli exit is towards the left and I am in the second lane which is appropriate for the exit. The exit has a very slight straight stretch in the beginning and then it curves to the left, after which it again curves to the right.

As soon as I entered the Gachibowli exit and noticed the curve, I have seen a cab (Silver Indica) stopped in my (Right) lane in the curve which is a blindsopt. I realized, checked the rear and shoulder, applied my brakes and swerved to the left lane. The blind spot revealed as I was swerving, another cab (Silver Xcent), stopped in the left lane , exactly beside the other cab. I applied the brakes as hard as I could and then realized a collision was inevitable because there was no third lane for me to swerve. All this happened in less than 10 seconds. Then my mind began processing, and thought, going in between the two cars would save my engine damage and would also be the best bet. So I steered in a way that I'd end up between the two cars.

I felt the sound, impact. I luckily came out scratch-less. No airbags were deployed as it was not a head on collision. I was the only person in my car. The drivers of both the cabs came out. None of the passengers in both cabs were hurt. They both realized that they have done a mistake stopping in the middle of 2 lanes on the expressway. I did not shout at them. Neither did they argue anything. I was, in a controlled manner asking how he could stop in the middle of the road.

The Right Side of my Car
I do not drive with the side mirrors folded. I folded them after the accident took place.




The Left Rear door of my Car




Front Side : Engine saved - Do Notice the Curved road - Blind Spot




The Cab in the left lane




The cab in the right lane

In the meanwhile, the patrolling cops have arrived at the location and requested me to park the car to the side so that traffic could move. I cranked up the engine and to my relief it started. But the car was not moving easily since the left suspension was out there was an obstruction to my left wheel. But the traffic cop reassured that some force would move the vehicle and I had no choice as, it was a 2 lane exit and it would block the traffic. So managed to move the car to the side and called my dad.

The cab driver was sorry for what happened and he did accept that it was his mistake stopping there,when the traffic cops questioned him as to what happened. But this sincerity did not last a very long time. They also revealed that the cab drivers were having a conversation about the route, right in the blind spot of a curve of an exit of the expressway.

I tried calling the VW Roadside assistance and their numbers did not get connected for most of the time and when they did get connected, they tried to help, but they did not have any towing services nearby. I could not leave the car there since it was time for some "VIP Movement". My parents arrived at the scene and we had the car towed to the Police Station, (Nanakramguda PS).

Now, here the real scene started. By the time we reached the PS, the "President" of Association of Cab Drivers already reached the PS (Their WhatsApp group is so quick) and spoke to the cop who would look into our case. We have no idea what conversation happened between the cop and the President, but the cop started shouting at me right away as I was asked to step in, in his typical Police Tone even before asking me what happened. Simply speaking he did not listen to what I had to say. That cop was saying I hit a car which was moving at a slower speed and I did not know how to drive a car. I insisted firmly that the cars were stopped in both the lanes in a blind spot and for a moment the cop questioned the driver "Did you stop your car ?". The Xcent driver was still saying Yes, but then the "President" would intervene and shout at the driver in Telugu "You stay calm ! We are talking no !". And the cop acted as if he did not hear anything. The other driver started telling this driver that they were moving and not stationary. Now the sincere driver also changed his version. The cop was totally partial and one sided, not listening to my part.

The worse part : The cop says to me : "For stopping on the expressway, a challan from the Motor Vehicles Act will be issued to the cabs (Which wasn't), for which they just have to pay a fine. For hitting their cars, a Criminal case will be booked against you (me)." I was aghast by the way this cop was talking and behaving. So much for the "Friendly Police"

Ironically, the "President" of the Cab drivers association was not present at the accident site and he managed to make the police argue with me that I was at complete fault and caused damage to the Poor Cab Drivers. We then made some calls to the higher officials and avoided further conversation with that police, submitted a written complaint and left. The Cab driver also submitted a return complaint and left.

The Worst Part : To the shock of all of us, after a week, we got to know that the complaint we submitted was never lodged and the complaint submitted by the cab driver was lodged against me.

Friends of my Dad, in the police department, suggested that we lodge a complaint against that police and that they will take care of it. But we chose not to do that just to live a fuss free life.

I used to get calls from constables from the Court asking me to come and Admit that mistake is mine, and that I can get out of the case paying some fine. But the lawyers we consulted suggested that we just fight it in the Court and not to Admit since Admitting would leave a mark on our history.

This incident left me completely disturbed for a month and after that, every time I hear about Police or Cab drivers, I get a full flashback of this incident and it mentally hurts.

And about the car, it was insured by Royal Sundaram. The surveyor was very friendly and he approved without any issue. The insurance company has given a quick approval for cashless transaction and the work was carried out quite well by PPS Motors, Khajaguda. Good definitely follows after a bad incident. Vento is running fine now and is pampered as always.

I decided to share this on Team-BHP, because I wanted to let you all know how manipulative the cab drivers can be because of their "Unions" and their "Presidents". Just stay away from them. This is a lesson I learnt the hard way and I wish nobody else should face something like this. Even when we follow rules and even when the we are not at fault, these guys can portray it the other way, not to forget the cops' role in this.

I know some readers will be ready with "Drive safe in the first place" replies. Trust me, I did that and I do advise that. But, sometimes, it's just the time.

I have not included details of repairs and few other things because I mainly wanted to emphasize on how polluted our system is and how notoriously these "Presidents" can ruin everything.

[McLaren Rulez]

Honestly, the only solution seems to be to get a dashcam. It would save you in the court, at the very least. In any case, what's good is that you got away with minimal injuries and damage to your car.

Apart from that, the scumbags that are in the police, goverment, etc. will remain scumbags. Hoping for change here is only for the eternal optimists among us.

[swissknife]

It is very sad to hear of this incident and the trauma you had to go through.

I however have a few questions. At roughly what speed did you take the exit? You say it all happened in 10 seconds. Were you not able to stop your car within 10 seconds? Did you get a CSR copy of your complaint when you logged it with the police?

Though there is no clear rule regarding video footage via dashcams, it would still be preferable to have one if not two, for the rear as well, to substantiate your case.

I hope your car is back in shape and wish you happy and safe driving.

[libranof1987]

At the first read, I thought the two cars were deliberately placed to create an accident and then blackmail the victim car. This just seems stupid road sense from the cab drivers. As for Mr. President, him playing the savior is his opening act as he prepares for a national role in politics. Isn't such hooliganism what makes a career.

Go with what your lawyers suggest; you never know what "arrangements" the cops have so tread carefully on accepting any fault. The system is rotten; find your way out and move on. Sorry I have to say this despite knowing how unfortunate it sounds.

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Honestly, the only solution seems to be to get a dashcam. It would save you in the court, at the very least.

What's dash-cam footage to these 'hooligans', they'll still 'bulldoze' their way and make life hell for you.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by saisailendra

I decided to share this on Team-BHP, because I wanted to let you all know how manipulative the cab drivers can be because of their "Unions" and their "Presidents". Just stay away from them. This is a lesson I learnt the hard way and I wish nobody else should face something like this. Even when we follow rules and even when the we are not at fault, these guys can portray it the other way, not to forget the cops' role in this.\

Thank you for sharing this here. I'm sorry you had to go through this but if I were in you shoes, I would insist on an FIR being lodged for the sole reason of what happens in an aftermath. Whenever there are multiple parties involved, it is imperative that an FIR, however frivolous it might feel, must be lodged just to safe guard your interests. Now, because of non filing of FIR at the time of incident, you are stuck for no fault of yours.

These cabbies and others take advantage of this fact that common man won't come and go through the motions and neither do we have "political connections" like them. If you do stick around, you can get it right the first time. I have personally got my scooter released which was illegally towed, reversed a frivolous fine an enthusiastic cop charged me with (in Belapur court) and got an FIR registered with a triple seat rider hit our old Grande Punto. The FIR proved handy, as 3-4 days later I got a call asking for compensation from their relatives - there was no injury and only damage was my car's busted headlamp. When I forwarded their details to the cops, they came begging me to take back the complaint, but I just told cops that I want in on record and not demand any compensation. The rider was charged with helmet less and triple seat and let go with a fine.

Today, thanks to social media, if any cop refuses to file an FIR, you can easily raise grievance. Some places also allow eFIR and postal FIR works too. If all this fails, you can approach a magistrate and file a written application, who then directs the police station to lodge an FIR in a time bound manner.

My recommendation would be to ASAP file a petition to dismiss the case / charges in court and file a counter case against them. I hope you have taken pictures of the incident. If not, let the case take its course and I'm positive the judge will just throw it our once it comes up for hearing. In no circumstances admit your fault.

[saisailendra]

Originally Posted by swissknife

It is very sad to hear of this incident and the trauma you had to go through.

You say it all happened in 10 seconds. Were you not able to stop your car within 10 seconds? Did you get a CSR copy of your complaint when you logged it with the police?

.

I think it happened in a lesser time than 10 seconds. I mentioned the number to indicate that it happened very quick, but my mistake, definitely didn't take 10 seconds too. The car had greatly reduced it's speed, but it being a curve, the braking was highly controlled by the electronics to prevent the brakes from locking. I did not pull the handbrake lever because I was scared of rear wheels locking and the car drifting, again because the car was already in the curve. I was probably at 60±5 when I entered the exit.

We have submitted the written complaint and left the place, and unfortunately did not get any receipt for the complaint we submitted

I hope your car is back in shape and wish you happy and safe driving.

Yes, the car is doing good now. Thank you.

Though there is no clear rule regarding video footage via dashcams, it would still be preferable to have one if not two, for the rear as well, to substantiate your case.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

This just seems stupid road sense from the cab drivers. As for Mr. President, him playing the savior is his opening act as he prepares for a national role in politics. Isn't such hooliganism what makes a career.

There was nothing such as "Road sense", when it came to talking about the cab drivers in the police station. It was just one thing that the cop emphasized on "You don't know how to control your car and you caused damage to these "Poor Drivers".

You would not believe this, but before leaving the PS that person "President" had a little chat with us, with that evil ego on his face. He did mention about his plans to get into politics and named a local politicians' name who would come to his help whenever needed. We just said gently and respectfully that whatever has to happen, shall happen as we filed the complaints, and left.

Go with what your lawyers suggest; you never know what "arrangements" the cops have so tread carefully on accepting any fault. The system is rotten; find your way out and move on. Sorry I have to say this despite knowing how unfortunate it sounds.

Yeah, there is no CCTV footage of that stretch as well. And there is absolutely no evidence to prove what really happened there. So the laywers suggested that it wouldn't be a difficult one to clear since it is the complainant who has to prove the other party guilty, which is not possible. It wouldn't have been easy for us to prove the same if our complaint had been lodged.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

What's dash-cam footage to these 'hooligans', they'll still 'bulldoze' their way and make life hell for you.

Absolutely, that is why in my last lines, I said, with experience and wisdom, just stay away from them.

[2000rpm]

Really unfortunate. Looks like the Police guy and the President are either old friends, since they must have been meeting very often for such instances. Most instances must be resulting in both getting an amount from people like you, as well as the cab drivers (whom they save), or atleast their vote for the next election.

Politics is the source of all forms of corruption in India, and I am sure it has a role to play here.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Honestly, the only solution seems to be to get a dashcam. It would save you in the court, at the very least. In any case, what's good is that you got away with minimal injuries and damage to your car.

Apart from that, the scumbags that are in the police, goverment, etc. will remain scumbags. Hoping for change here is only for the eternal optimists among us.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

What's dash-cam footage to these 'hooligans', they'll still 'bulldoze' their way and make life hell for you.

A dashcam will really help, actually. You need to take care that you show the footage to the right person / authority and not to the immediate person who's predetermined to argue and bulldoze you with his justifications and makeshift rules.

I have had two instances where I could simply kill unnecessary arguments by merely saying that I have everything recorded in a dashcam. Yes, I had to show the actual camera installed on my windshield to make them convinced.

However, in instances like this, it will not be that easy for sure, may be one has to take it to the police station and talk to a sensible senior officer by showing the footage.

[ike]

Very unfortunate incident. A dashcam would have certainly helped

[rakesh_r]

Sorry to hear what you had to go through. This is what we "Outsiders" have to go through when we relocate to other states for better opportunities. Couple of points I have decided to do the next time I relocate-
1- Learn the local language, period, no excuses. Happened one time when I and my friend (Who is a Bengali) were traveling on his TN registered motorcycle in Bangalore. A cab rear-ended us at one of the signals. The cab driver on seeing a TN registered bike started abusing us in Kannada. What followed was a volley of choicest words in Kannada which my friend shouted that completely took the cab driver by surprise.
2- Install a dashcam- I have two Installed on my car, front and back.
3- Make sure you have some good "Local" friends who can help you out from such situations.
4- Avoid ego clashes with cab drivers, some of them are certified maniacs who have nothing to lose.
I do lot of Interstate drives (apart from my yearly drive to Kerala that sees me cross 2 states) and a confrontation with such characters is the last thing that I want to do.

[sam_babushka]

Please tweet to the Commissioner of Police (linking to this thread) and try and ensure media coverage. There will in all probability be CCTVs set up in the vicinity of this unfortunate accident, and your focus should be to get access to any footage that can validate the actual sequence of events. I am sorry you had to experience this, and it is disgusting to see those whom we look up to for justice, blatantly misusing their power like this

[xway]

Driving and observing such cases over the years I would highly recommend keeping a cool mind and following the steps below -

First step - check all are ok and nobody is injured - if yes attend to the injured first thing
Take pictures and video of the site with the cars and also the drivers and keep a copy of the as is situation during the accident - this will go a long way in helping even if you do not have a dashcam. Abroad chalk lines are drawn by police to identify who is at fault but in India the richer is always the culprit an unfortunate unspoken rule.
Do not argue or shout or get angry even if other is at fault, we know how things escalate and fights start and even gets physical and in some cases gets worse.
Call somebody elder or friend immediately to assist you in case you are alone
Inform the police immediately and call helpline
Call insurance company and log the case

In India if a bike hits a cycle than the bike is at fault by default, if a car hits a bike its the car at fault again by default, if car is hit by a bigger car the bigger car is at fault, and god forbid if you are driving a luxury car you are conidered guilty by default.

The above steps will help in de-escalating the situation, speak firmly and softly to make your point, dont try to prove fault but wait for authorities to arrive.

[Lobogris]

My sympathies for your ordeal. Unfortunately, most drivers in India have no knowledge of traffic rules and very little concern for the few rules they might be aware of. On top of that, most people are used to lying and doing things per their convenience with no concern for others. They have no morals about doing the right thing, accepting responsibility and telling the truth. The only time they discover morality is when they want to interfere in someone else’s life.
Now in light of this, all we can do is drive defensively and hope for the best. When you are on a road in India where the forward view is blocked due to a curve, never assume it will be clear regardless of whether you are in a city or on an expressway. There are people stopped, pedestrians, cattle, wrong side drivers, rocks, potholes and other obstructions. Hence the speed of your vehicle must be proportionate to forward visibility allowing you to stop within the visible area. You just can’t assume the road will be clear around the curve. In a sense the policeman is correct that you were unable to control your car. I fully agree that no one should stop on the expressway but the reality is different, unfortunately.

[charanreddy]

It's very unnerving to get into these altercations. But one thing that definitely works in the long run is stand your ground and don't be afraid. It doesn't matter who is on the other side also as we are living in this country an understanding of how the police system and law works in the real world is an advantage. It's not ideal but it's not downright wrong as well.

These days access to senior police officers is very easy and helpful. Local police - constables and ASIs are very less educated and cannot be argued with. At-least get in touch with SI or CI. If this does not work, figure out where your local SP/ DCP office is and go meet them. Also, one more thing to do in the police station is say that you are ok to follow the procedure of the law calmly. If the police say that a compliant will be registered, explain your point of view and say that you are ok to contest it. Your advocate can be a good person to solve the issue as these guys can make the police listen. Also a police compliant is not the end of the world and a lot of these get closed given some time.

Also do send your written compliant through registered post to the local police station, CI office and SP office and send an email for good measure to these cops. It is an offense of police refuse to take your compliant. You can create the required paper trial by doing the above. If you are a woman, a compliant can be raised through e-mail as well.

Whatever you do, do not abscond or miss court dates, esp if a criminal case is registered against you. At-least have your lawyer present.