I got rear-ended again.

Abes · 8th July 2009, 20:51

Usually, I don't venture into Sharjah, as I am a stranger to Sharjah roads. Today was one of those rare instances, I had to pick up a friend and take him to hospital in Ajman. So at around 9 am, I headed out from Dubai in my Tiida hatchback, aided by the navigator.

At a signal in Sharjah, the signal was turning yellow, I was in the middle lane, I had to go straight, there were slow tankers turning left in my lane. So I slowed down and was about to stop before the line. In the rear view mirror, I saw a pickup speeding up behind me. I was sure he wouldn't be able to stop, so I crossed the line and moved forward. I couldn't cross the signal as vehicles from the other side started crossing the signal. But, he still kept coming, and stopped slightly hitting the car in the rear.

Got out of the car, inspected the damage. The boot door was dented, the bumper slightly dislodged. The boot door was opening, no harm done to the hinge or lock. The pickup driver said that there wasn't much of a damage, so no need to call the police. He said he knows a workshop, he could get it repaired there. He said the he would get a Dhs. 250 police fine for causing the accident.

I thought for a moment. As per law all accidents need to be reported and no repair or painting should be done with out police report. So I insisted on reporting the accident to the police. When, the signal turned green again, we moved forward, crossed the signal and parked in the side and called the police.

(There was a previous incident, about an year ago, I was stationary at a signal, with vehicles in front of me. There was a lexus behind me with a couple of youngsters inside. I guess the driver wasn't paying attention and took his foot from the brake. I heard a the bang, got out of the car, and inspected the damage. There was nothing much visible, the bumper was slightly scratched. There was a cop standing at the side, issuing fines to erring vehicles. So we spoke to him. He said if we had any complaint, take it to Gusais police station. I said I had no complaint, and the other driver thanked me.)

The Sharjah police arrived within 15 minutes. Took our licences and “mulkias” (rego), took our reports, asked us to be seated in our cars and the officer got inside the police vehicle. After about 2 – 3 minutes, the police honked, we got out of our cars, and went to the cop vehicle. The office took our mobile phone numbers and emirate of residence. Then he issued the other driver with the white paper and the fine receipt. And I got the pink slip (in Sharjah, the non-erring driver gets the pink one; while in Dubai, the erring driver gets the pink paper and the other driver gets the green paper). He returned our rego and licenses too.

We shook hands, and set off in our ways. I took the car to a known workshop, got an estimate of Dhs 450 and a couple of days time, so didn't bother about the insurance.

I am on vacation from my office and don't have a vehicle to go around. So would sit around and read all the posts in the Team-BHP.

Nitin · 8th July 2009, 21:23

Sorry about the incident. Serves the guy right for rear-ending you.Definitely deserved a ticket!
Good that nothing very serious happened,and you guys walked away unhurt. Thats more important any day.

Spitfire · 8th July 2009, 21:43

Oh how boring is that...

No crowd, no self proclaimed judges, no galli galouch, no threatning, no "jaanta hai mera baap kon hai?", no bribing...

You guys miss out on all the fun we have in India.

HappyWheels · 8th July 2009, 21:46

This is how the law is - if you rear end its your fault!

Good that you called the police; not doing so would have given chance for that person to not honor the deal.

Abes · 8th July 2009, 22:30

Thanks for your concerns.
Here minor accidents are common sight, no one bothers about them, no crowd.
But for serious accidents, people tend to show concern. Drivers slow down to watch, causing traffic slowdowns.

tanwaramit · 9th July 2009, 12:41

thats a very professional way to handle accidents. Will India ever become like this? The best thing is that the erring driver has to pay fine to police. Well, we can only DREAM of such thing in India.

prince_pervez · 9th July 2009, 12:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Oh how boring is that...

No crowd, no self proclaimed judges, no galli galouch, no threatning, no "jaanta hai mera baap kon hai?", no bribing...

You guys miss out on all the fun we have in India.

Lolz! I was about to say that. Well said anyway!!

HappyWheels · 9th July 2009, 13:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abes

... But for serious accidents, people tend to show concern. Drivers slow down to watch, causing traffic slowdowns.

The side that will have the worst traffic jam will not be the one on which the accident took place; this is mainly due to people slowing down to have a peek at what happened on the other side!

Have noticed this behavior in most of the countries that I have been.

muralisk · 9th July 2009, 13:43

Law is very clear and it is implemented with even more clarity. However, it's not the case in India. I have seen many incidents in the US and these are quite easy. The guy who rear-ended is held for the offense and the damages to the other car are paid from his insurance company.

I wish to see such implementation in India as well. Long shot, I guess, no harm in being optimistic.

BenjiRoss · 9th July 2009, 17:54

This is a textbook description of how an accident should be handles.
unfortunately here in India such decent, professional handling is almost unheard of.
but there is hope - if its possible in Dubi, it should be possible here in India - in another 5 years!

Abes · 9th July 2009, 18:31

True, if its possible elsewhere, it should be possible in India too; at least in decent cities like Delhi. I guess its not that there are no laws; only its implimentation that is lacking. India is a very big country, I can't expect a fast response from the law enforcement agencies just for a small accident, as they are under-staffed, under-equipped and not trained professionally. Hope things will change in the future.

sanjayatarizona · 9th July 2009, 18:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

but there is hope - if its possible in Dubi, it should be possible here in India - in another 5 years!

Sir, did you forget a zero somewhere

NFS2024 · 10th July 2009, 15:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abes

as they are under-staffed, under-equipped and not
trained professionally. Hope things will change in the future.

For heavens sake don't quote these as excuses. Everything is possible and what is required is only implementation. We have been laggards for the last 60 years, not sure how much more time does one need to change things.

Abes · 11th July 2009, 00:19

yep, excuses, laziness, unwillingness to change, etc are the causes. Definitely, someone has to make an effort. It should start with us.

Abes · 11th July 2009, 19:01

Got the car repaired today. Looks new at the back. But, the workshop guys forgot to fix back the "Tiida" logo. I didn't notice it until later when I saw the logo sitting in the trunk. Well, not much bothered about the logo. I'd pass by the workshop, as time permits, and get it fixed.

8th July 2009, 20:51	#1
Abes BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Muscat Posts: 201 Thanked: 60 Times	I got rear-ended again. Usually, I don't venture into Sharjah, as I am a stranger to Sharjah roads. Today was one of those rare instances, I had to pick up a friend and take him to hospital in Ajman. So at around 9 am, I headed out from Dubai in my Tiida hatchback, aided by the navigator. At a signal in Sharjah, the signal was turning yellow, I was in the middle lane, I had to go straight, there were slow tankers turning left in my lane. So I slowed down and was about to stop before the line. In the rear view mirror, I saw a pickup speeding up behind me. I was sure he wouldn't be able to stop, so I crossed the line and moved forward. I couldn't cross the signal as vehicles from the other side started crossing the signal. But, he still kept coming, and stopped slightly hitting the car in the rear. Got out of the car, inspected the damage. The boot door was dented, the bumper slightly dislodged. The boot door was opening, no harm done to the hinge or lock. The pickup driver said that there wasn't much of a damage, so no need to call the police. He said he knows a workshop, he could get it repaired there. He said the he would get a Dhs. 250 police fine for causing the accident. I thought for a moment. As per law all accidents need to be reported and no repair or painting should be done with out police report. So I insisted on reporting the accident to the police. When, the signal turned green again, we moved forward, crossed the signal and parked in the side and called the police. (There was a previous incident, about an year ago, I was stationary at a signal, with vehicles in front of me. There was a lexus behind me with a couple of youngsters inside. I guess the driver wasn't paying attention and took his foot from the brake. I heard a the bang, got out of the car, and inspected the damage. There was nothing much visible, the bumper was slightly scratched. There was a cop standing at the side, issuing fines to erring vehicles. So we spoke to him. He said if we had any complaint, take it to Gusais police station. I said I had no complaint, and the other driver thanked me.) The Sharjah police arrived within 15 minutes. Took our licences and “mulkias” (rego), took our reports, asked us to be seated in our cars and the officer got inside the police vehicle. After about 2 – 3 minutes, the police honked, we got out of our cars, and went to the cop vehicle. The office took our mobile phone numbers and emirate of residence. Then he issued the other driver with the white paper and the fine receipt. And I got the pink slip (in Sharjah, the non-erring driver gets the pink one; while in Dubai, the erring driver gets the pink paper and the other driver gets the green paper). He returned our rego and licenses too. We shook hands, and set off in our ways. I took the car to a known workshop, got an estimate of Dhs 450 and a couple of days time, so didn't bother about the insurance. I am on vacation from my office and don't have a vehicle to go around. So would sit around and read all the posts in the Team-BHP. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

8th July 2009, 21:23	#2
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 3,294 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Sorry about the incident. Serves the guy right for rear-ending you.Definitely deserved a ticket! Good that nothing very serious happened,and you guys walked away unhurt. Thats more important any day.
	() Thanks

8th July 2009, 21:43	#3
Spitfire BANNED Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Panaji - Goa/Bangalore - Karnataka Posts: 3,312 Thanked: 774 Times	Oh how boring is that... No crowd, no self proclaimed judges, no galli galouch, no threatning, no "jaanta hai mera baap kon hai?", no bribing... You guys miss out on all the fun we have in India.
	() Thanks

8th July 2009, 21:46	#4
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	This is how the law is - if you rear end its your fault! Good that you called the police; not doing so would have given chance for that person to not honor the deal.
	() Thanks

8th July 2009, 22:30	#5
Abes BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Muscat Posts: 201 Thanked: 60 Times	Thanks for your concerns. Here minor accidents are common sight, no one bothers about them, no crowd. But for serious accidents, people tend to show concern. Drivers slow down to watch, causing traffic slowdowns.
	() Thanks

9th July 2009, 12:41	#6
tanwaramit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Dilwalon ki Dilli Posts: 1,930 Thanked: 497 Times	thats a very professional way to handle accidents. Will India ever become like this? The best thing is that the erring driver has to pay fine to police. Well, we can only DREAM of such thing in India.
	() Thanks

9th July 2009, 13:43	#9
muralisk BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Hyderabad, Bangalore Posts: 711 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Law is very clear and it is implemented with even more clarity. However, it's not the case in India. I have seen many incidents in the US and these are quite easy. The guy who rear-ended is held for the offense and the damages to the other car are paid from his insurance company. I wish to see such implementation in India as well. Long shot, I guess, no harm in being optimistic.
	() Thanks

9th July 2009, 17:54	#10
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 1,330 Times	This is a textbook description of how an accident should be handles. unfortunately here in India such decent, professional handling is almost unheard of. but there is hope - if its possible in Dubi, it should be possible here in India - in another 5 years!
	() Thanks

9th July 2009, 18:31	#11
Abes BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Muscat Posts: 201 Thanked: 60 Times	True, if its possible elsewhere, it should be possible in India too; at least in decent cities like Delhi. I guess its not that there are no laws; only its implimentation that is lacking. India is a very big country, I can't expect a fast response from the law enforcement agencies just for a small accident, as they are under-staffed, under-equipped and not trained professionally. Hope things will change in the future.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 00:19	#14
Abes BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Muscat Posts: 201 Thanked: 60 Times	yep, excuses, laziness, unwillingness to change, etc are the causes. Definitely, someone has to make an effort. It should start with us.
	() Thanks

11th July 2009, 19:01	#15
Abes BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Muscat Posts: 201 Thanked: 60 Times	After repair Got the car repaired today. Looks new at the back. But, the workshop guys forgot to fix back the "Tiida" logo. I didn't notice it until later when I saw the logo sitting in the trunk. Well, not much bothered about the logo. I'd pass by the workshop, as time permits, and get it fixed. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks