[Dibyendu Bose]

Saw the video..must say that God was kind..and so glad that you and your family are safe.
Seriously intrigued that even with this level of impact at 90 kmph, airbags didn’t deploy. Maruti needs to do a proper investigation.

Rear vision is always 20:20, but thanks so much to you. Because of the details, we can draw our learnings, and do corrections in our own behaviour and style.

Just wanted to share one thing i follow when i drive on a highway. The closer i am to uncertainty, and in this case the dense bushes which can throw a surprise, the lower will be my speed. Irrespective whether one is on the right or left lane, if there’s a potential for surprise, beware and act accordingly.

[yashg]

Originally Posted by Mr.Ogre

the thing that most upsets me is that you need contacts to come out of a situation like this. What if someone is not able to pull the strings - the very thought makes it so depressing.

Exactly my thought. You need contacts to pull strings to get anything done with the police, service centers, insurance companies. I wonder what would I do if I get in such a situation. I don't know another BHPian who can call someone in a different state, I don't know any higher ups in any car companies. Forget higher ups, I don't even have personal mobile number of the SA who handled my car during the last service. What would a common person do in such a scenario? I guess the only solution then is to pay your way out of the mess.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by ike

On the third day post lunch, I was cruising down NH16 in Odisha on my way to Puri when a group of buffaloes decided to come on to the road out of nowhere (see the dashcam video).
---
Things like this happen on the roads, I have been telling myself to get over it and start driving again. My heartfelt gratitude to all the bhpians who have helped and advised over the past couple of months.

Very unfortunate that you & your family had to go through this trauma.
But glad that no one was hurt physically. The emotional scars will take some time to heal.
Incidents like these are significant pointers of how things can go wrong, especially when they are not always in one's control.

Adding to what others may have already pointed out, few observations:-

1). Airbags not getting deployed - the point of impact on your car is near the A-pillar, much behind the approximate location of the airbag sensors, that could be the reason for no airbag deployment.
Going back into time 7 years ago, here is a possible source of information on the S-Cross airbag sensor from another accident reported on the forum - details (Maruti S-Cross : Official Review).

Image showing the airbag sensor location for the S-Cross:-



Another post from an accident reported for Toyota Etios on the forum - details (Frontal Crash - Airbags didn't deploy. Why?).

Image showing the airbag sensor location for the Etios:-



2). Moments just before the accident - again, this analysis is in hindsight. And anyone in your situation could have reacted almost the same manner, in which you did.

There was a small herd of cows enroute. Maybe you could have slowed down after seeing them, taking this cue and also looking at the dense bushes on the median, possibly pre-empting that there could be more cattle upfront.
You also mentioned somewhere that your car was in cruise control. But when you were approaching the Harrier, you honked and then maybe accelerated a bit to overtake the Harrier. And during that maneuver, you hit the buffaloes.
Again, a very unfortunate incident and almost anyone could have met with the same fate.

The above points 1) and 2) - no way mitigate the pain that you might have gone through, can only be done in hindsight - but they might throw sufficient advice on what to take note of, in the future.

[ike]

Originally Posted by yashg

Exactly my thought. You need contacts to pull strings to get anything done with the police, service centers, insurance companies. I wonder what would I do if I get in such a situation. I don't know another BHPian who can call someone in a different state, I don't know any higher ups in any car companies. Forget higher ups, I don't even have personal mobile number of the SA who handled my car during the last service. What would a common person do in such a scenario? I guess the only solution then is to pay your way out of the mess.

The fellow Bhpian's friend helped with the cops and I did not have to pay them off but I still had to compensate for the buffalo. Insurance claim was largely trouble-free except for the delay due to surveyor testing positive for COVID. Fortunately I knew someone in NEXA and was able to leverage that to get my car attended to at the service center. But yeah, if you are a long way from home it is quite difficult. If you don't speak hindi fluently(I don't), the trouble just gets compounded.

[sgmuser]

Looks horrible and thank God, you are all safe! Never mind about the material loss, which can be recouped in some way or other. This is India and there is no point in worrying about anything else except your and your loved one's life. I am surprised about someone pointing finger at your speed. For God sake this is highway! Single or two lane, whatever, it is a highway! Yes, driver could have driven slow but what guarantee is there still this would not have happened. This is all destiny and karma and keep moving. Let's stop doubting the driver. He did what millions does, driving on the road in reasonable way. There is no evidence of any unruly speed or behavior. The learning from this is that we need to be vigilant at all times, maintain a safe speed and in these kind of highways, drive in the left most lane as much as possible so that we have good view of both sides.

Now, no one is talking about the pathetic condition of the road, toll contractor, politicians, NHAI, the way the median is being maintained with the bushes that obstruct the views (yeah they help to block the high beams in the other said...but) and the stupid guy who was rearing the animals pushed them to cross the road without any sense at all. Why not put a barrier and build under passes for the humans/animals.

[DonHyd]

Apologies for an unpopular opinion. Not blaming the OP in the least but I really feel sorry for the unfortunate Buffalo. It received a forceful crash in its head. If it did not die immediately but instead got injured seriously, imagine all the pain and trauma it would have had to undergo. I understand National Highway, Right of way and all but animals are not intelligent enough to comprehend all that. When there is no all round visibility, better to drive at only those speeds at which you can halt without drama. My 2 cents. As for the OP himself, I echo what has been said my many.

[Caadmara]

This was so scary to watch and i am so glad that you and your family came away unscathed! I played/paused/replayed the video many times to see if I would have reacted any differently/learn from your misfortune. I regularly drive on the Bangalore-Mangalore highway and many times do this stretch after dark with family and your experience has terrified me (I am driving this stretch tomorrow night).

While there are no guarantees in life, i have jotted down wisdom shared by fellow BHPians so far on this thread for my benefit. Would greatly appreciate if there are other tips that will help in this situation

1. Speed: 90kmph on divided highways/slower on dual carriage ways

2. Stick to middle lane

3. If an animal does dart across: Do we try and brake hard/swerve to avoid? or is it better to impact the animal in a straight line?

4. What is the advice post collision with an animal and if vehicle is still able to move?

Would greatly appreciate your advice.

Cheers,
Kiran

[ike]

Originally Posted by Caadmara

3. If an animal does dart across: Do we try and brake hard/swerve to avoid? or is it better to impact the animal in a straight line?

I don't think there is a single approach that guarantees a favorable outcome when there are so many variables involved. Swerving might result in hitting the divider or a vehicle in the adjacent lane. Not to forget being rear ended after a collission.

[narayans80]

Unfortunately there isn't anything better you could have done given the situation and time you were given react.

Once you were committed to the overtaking move with the Harrier, the buffalo hit was inevitable. You couldn't have swerved even if you wanted to.

Divider grass gets cut around holiday season after the monsoons recede on the eastern coast. In fact I've seen the grass trimming happening MH, MP also happen in the same time. So the time you went, divider grass would have been the tallest.

This stray cattle and cattle herds are a huge nuisance over the recent years. This is not just limited to Seoni-Jhansi which is historically infamous. I see stray cattle on the fast lane on Old Mahabalipuram Road between Madhya Kailas and Tidel, GST near Guduvancherry, Same GST near Pallavaram flyover.

I had encountered a buffalo hit almost the same time as yours. This was on ECR near Kovalam on a new moon day at 9 pm. Unlike your case, I could take evasive action, but still couldn't entirely avoid it. This was at a gentle 50-60 kph with no vehicles behind, when I had possibly about 50-100 meters (1-2 seconds) to react. The buffalo walked away like nothing happened.

Damage to front right quarter panel, bumper, bonnet, right headlight assembly, front door.

Since the damage wasn't too major, I managed to nurse the vehicle back home for 35 km and another 15 km next morning to Porur Nexa. Since this was just after the huge deluges, the workshop was flooded with flood damage vehicles. Took 2 weeks for parts to arrive, another 5 days to get the damage fixed.

Originally Posted by Caadmara

1. Speed: 90kmph on divided highways/slower on dual carriage ways

Gives more time to react than say at 100-110. Doesn't really guarantee incident free drive 100%

2. Stick to middle lane

On a 4-lane what can you do? My incident was on left lane.

3. If an animal does dart across: Do we try and brake hard/swerve to avoid? or is it better to impact the animal in a straight line?

Better to brake if you have the braking distance. With highway speeds (I mean even 80-90), swerving and returning is highly dependent on your reflexes and driving skill and your body state. Direct hit is the worst. I've seen a Dzire crippled after one, this too was on NH5, but near Nellore.

4. What is the advice post collision with an animal and if vehicle is still able to move?

Depends on the damage. The one as extensive as Ike's, towing is the best. I was purely lucky in terms of distance and damage.

[theabstractmind]

Originally Posted by sgmuser

I am surprised about someone pointing finger at your speed. For God sake this is highway! Single or two lane, whatever, it is a highway! Yes, driver could have driven slow but what guarantee is there still this would not have happened. This is all destiny and karma and keep moving. Let's stop doubting the driver. He did what millions does, driving on the road in reasonable way. There is no evidence of any unruly speed or behavior

Until the day we drivers have this sense of entitlement and a propensity to pass the buck than take responsibility and adapt to the conditions, accidents will continue to happen. It is not to say that accidents won't happen ever, but it is entirely in our hands whether we want to be safe or feel entitled. As a few courageous members have posted, the moment I looked at the video, seeing the condition of the road, I felt the car was moving too fast.

There's a term called defensive driving.. Once we learn, we will have lesser accidents.

I will be unapologetic for posting this even at the cost of a possible ban.

Thanks!

[darthvader001]

Hi @ike, saw the video and I'm glad you came out of it. Unfortunate for the car though.

Actually, the grass or bushes grown on the median is a source of food/ fodder for the cattle (herded and non herded). Same thing on the Blr-Chn highway NH48. Near Vellore, Ambur etc. areas. The people are so ignorant and don't care about the dangers of cattle suddenly walking onto the road from median. They let cattle graze on the grass grown on the median. Pathetic situation and unless the roads convert to expressways with controlled entry/exit we cannot avoid this. Once while I was going towards Chennai on NH48 after Vellore a cow suddenly stepped onto the road from the median, fortunately I had some gap and my Hector was able to avoid the cow though I slammed the brakes due to one of the EBD/BA/ESP safety features.

[Mach_1590]

Fortunately you got out safe from a huge incident, it could have been much worse. You were doing 90kmph, which most of us drive on extra urban roads and with modern cars, its not a high speed. Even at 60 kmph, this looks unavoidable and you couldn't have done much.

I drive extensively in Gujarat and Rajasthan, on excellent 4 lane roads, with animals, wrong way traffic and jaywalkers being a huge nuisance. I exercise caution by slowing down at a hint of first glimpse of the nuisance. There have been multiple instances where an animals/jaywalker/bike suddenly emerged from the bushes, being on the left lane helped the most.

This is India, and remote places are completely lawless(equally for a villager), a cattle was hit, nobody would have compensated for it except you. Even if you hit and run, police wouldn't care and instead would shoo away the villager for complaining about it. What's the best thing to do here? If your car is good enough to move, IMHO always flee the spot. Safety is paramount.

[nerd1200]

Having travelled between Bangalore and Kolkata several times, my validated opinion is that NH16 section through Odisha is the worst when it comes to road usage etiquettes. People have no regard for safety and trucks happily trundle along the wrong side of the highway. I've had too many worrisome experiences in that stretch such that I'd probably travel via CG, Nagpur the next time.

In a particular incident, similar to OP's, cattle was pushed onto the road deliberately. Luckily I was able to almost avoid it in time, but my ORVM was smashed nevertheless. A villager came to ask for compensation, I showed him the dashcam video and said I'm heading to the PS. The guy shooed off the cattle and left the scene quietly. It seems this is almost a practice to extort money from unsuspecting foreigners.

[silverado]

I dont have any advice for OP, he was simply unlucky to have encountered that animal during his overtake. I shudder to think what would have happened if he was in a low slung sedan or hatchback!

Now the only thing which can possible save us from such incidents is to follow a fast moving truck closely. This way there is least possibility of animal straying in your path and truck drivers have much better visibility so they would be aware of cattle on such roads much before us.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by silverado

Now the only thing which can possible save us from such incidents is to follow a fast moving truck closely. This way there is least possibility of animal straying in your path and truck drivers have much better visibility so they would be aware of cattle on such roads much before us.

This does more bad things than good.

1. You don't have a damn visibility on what's ahead,

for example

(thanks SS-da). You have to rely on his judgement than your own.
2. Your GC is far lower than a truck. Worst case scenario is something like this (Journeying into the electric future – My Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor Review).
3. They are ill maintained, getting stuck on inclines or tyre bursts are common occurences.

For that matter I wouldn't even follow a car. Better to trust your own judgement on any situation, than some others.