[Thad E Ginathom]

OhMyGod... I had already commented, "Eleven people in an omni?" about a previous incident only a couple of weeks ago. Hadn't realised until now that this is another incident.

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Helmet rule, seatbelt rule, speed regulation all this is treating the symptoms.

In Chennai, even this is not bothered about, except, maybe, when the policeman has upcoming expenses. I understand that some enforcement of these laws may take place in other cities in India. I thought that the situation was stricter in AP?

After three days of enforcement of helmet wearing, Chief Minister gave police the message not to trouble people. That is law enforcement here.

[Gilead]

I don't know about other cities, but here we have a strange phenomenon called 'Share Autos'. Some of the ugliest POS you can ever hope to see. They are probably even more unsafe than an Omni and a minimum of 10 people will be inside, including one on the driver's lap. But they are very cheap and quick and no haggling.

[extreme_torque]

Such a sad loss of life. Why is government dragging its feet on the Auto safety norms? Cars like Omni should be phased out ASAP.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

After three days of enforcement of helmet wearing, Chief Minister gave police the message not to trouble people. That is law enforcement here.

I am startled by this. And I know not how to react to this. I will flog this dead horse.

Originally Posted by Gilead

I don't know about other cities, but here we have a strange phenomenon called 'Share Autos'. Some of the ugliest POS you can ever hope to see. They are probably even more unsafe than an Omni and a minimum of 10 people will be inside, including one on the driver's lap. But they are very cheap and quick and no haggling.

I am aware of 'Share Autos'. The sentence in bold says it all folks.

People have no regard for safety or life. All that matters to them is efficiency and cost-effectiveness. So much so that safety is not even given the back seat, but thrown out of the window all-together! Indians give money utmost importance and don't think about the other things they are putting on the line (Life, safety, security) and this is very sad. This mentality will be extremely hard to change. And this is one of the reasons why we might remain a 'Developing' Nation.

[lohithrao]

God that's a bad accident!

Omni is conceived as a small truck, i know many who are proud that thier Omni can fit many while a car hardly fits 4 adults and in most of the cases have seen they are driven dangerously...

[Thad E Ginathom]

I have some ideas, and it is the most practical one that I have had so far.

The government should take some prime-time advertising slots in everybody's favourite serial and film channels for hard-hitting road safety messages. They must be hard-hitting, but they would also have to be psychologically clever, so that the message gets across. Furthermore, this would have to be a long-term commitment, as results might not even begin to show until today's youngsters become tomorrow's drivers.

Further, the media must be involved. A newspaper picture I remember vividly from a few weeks ago, showed two smiling girls on a scooter as a picture of carefree existence. Guess how many helmets...

Films... films are censored for sex, for upsetting religious sentiments... why not for stupid driving examples?

It is the national psyche that needs to change. These are the ways into national psyche. marketing companies know that very well.

Until it is no longer considered normal to load an omni until all airspace is used up, or to use a bike as family or goods carrier, nothing will change.

By the way... "two wheels, no brain"... that was me. I wish it could have been something more positive I contributed to the Team-BHP consciousness. Yet, often, when a biker gets in my way, I try to reflect that this is an ordinar, decent driver, proceeding at a safe speed, and taking up a traffic lane as he is entitled to do. Regrettably, there are more than enough lunatics to justify my generalisation

[RajaTaurus]

Second that idea - 100%. Media Must be involved. I have seen many media propaganda in Saudi TV.s encouraging and educating traffic rules and traffic sense / manners. Preferably with Cricketers or Katrinas and Rakhis 'preaching' traffic sense and rules. Thats the lingo our ordinary people understand.!

And those swanky ads for 2 wheelers must be regulated. It drives the message so hard into the people's mind, those who don't have time to go to a highway and try it out, are doing all tricks and speed tests on the over-crowded city roads.

Yes Sir... "Two Wheels No Brains" Has stuck in my mind so deep and I have been even telling all the two wheelers in my office and around here this phrase and they just blush in agreement.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

Second that idea - 100%. Media Must be involved. I have seen many media propaganda in Saudi TV.s encouraging and educating traffic rules and traffic sense / manners. Preferably with

About this, around 10-15 years back they used to show CCTV footages of bikers and cars crashing on prime time TV to put some sense in people. I myself have seen a motorcycle guy acting smart, crash behind an 18 wheeler at 90 degrees. It was a fatality. He hit head first and that was the end.

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Originally Posted by Hemanth

I remember of an accident which took place near my house in Coorg. There is a uphill and once you climb with a considerable speed maybe at aroung 100+ the vehicle can go upto aroung 4 kms which downhill. Most of the morons i have seen driving in the same dangerous way.There is a school in my neighbourhood and they have many vehicles which are driven rashly and negligently. One ill fated day a driver driving a Omni floored the vehicle and switched of the ignition and instantly the vehicle was switched off, steering got locked and he went and hit a tree on the right side. He could not apply brake since it was instant. The vehicle was strcuk in the the middle in front side and he lost his both legs with multiple fractures on his hands and what not.The vehicle was totalled. I can say that this is sheer negligence and carelessness and more importantly he was around 21 years.

Aftr reading, hearing,watching all these stories I HAVE SOLD MY 2004 OMINI A MONTH BACK and brought myself a Maruti 800

[VarunM]

I remember our neighbor who was involved in one such accident. Apparently the Omni was following a truck laden with small stone boulders. One of the boulders fell off the truck and broke the windshield, flew in between the driver and the co passenger and hit the lady who was sitting on the back seat exactly in between the two front seats.

It hit her on the head and she was blinded in one eye.

Imagine her bad luck!!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Another lesson: to stay well back from trucks, especially if they are laden with stuff that could fall.

There was a story from near my old family home in UK, of a guy who was following a lorry laden with steel scaffold poles. One slipped off. You can imagine the rest. European emergency services really can work wonders, but apparently they could not cut this speared-in guy out of his car for some reason. They talked to him, while he died...

[Edsel Rulez!]

Originally Posted by IQBAL VEERJI

After reading, hearing,watching all these stories I HAVE SOLD MY 2004 OMINI A MONTH BACK and bought myself a Maruti 800

Not what I'd call a quantum leap, but I suppose it's a step in the right direction.

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

Absolutely Spot on. Some friend here once said "Two Wheels No Brains".. And it applies to everyone on two wheel in India. I just don't see any exceptions. They just don't seem to realize how dangerous it is to drive without sense, even after they meet with any accident.
Who is going to educate them? Chennai, with 70% of vehicles on road being 2 wheelers, is the worst city to drive. They just come form anywhere, turn anywhere, stop anywhere, without looking left or right and if you try to educate them, they come all over you and start a petty fight with nasty slangs. It's always they are right and everyone else is wrong. I just don't understand how could educated individuals behave in such an arrogant way, but thats the way it is here... sigh.. sigh...

I totally agree with you, After spending 5 years in Bangalore, I found driving in Chennai traffic very difficult and tiring. Bikes cut in from any where, traffic patterns are pretty different here. I generally keep a cool head especially in the evening when i return my office, but someone trying to cut dangerously and mess around, I always have my tool kit ready with me to give a piece of my mind.

Sometimes the brain gets confused when there are too many vehicles like the auto, two-wheelers cutting around at a very fast rate, have you felt it?

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by Gilead

I don't know about other cities, but here we have a strange phenomenon called 'Share Autos'. Some of the ugliest POS you can ever hope to see. They are probably even more unsafe than an Omni and a minimum of 10 people will be inside, including one on the driver's lap. But they are very cheap and quick and no haggling.

Actually before shared autos we had shared mini buses and shared tempos. and they have always been overstuffed since one had to wait for 20-30 mins to get one in my small town. It may look like a strange phenomenon but this the reality of non metro india, I am not even talking about rural india.

I studied in a boarding school 40 kms away from city, a 1-2 hrs drive in such mini buses a couple times a year and I can't imagine doing it again the same way. But when I go back, life there still goes on just like it used to.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by VarunM

Apparently the Omni was following a truck laden with small stone boulders. One of the boulders fell off the truck and broke the windshield

So if it was not an OMNI, nothing could have happened?

Is the OMNI to be blamed for a truck carrying boulders that are not secured carefully? Also the OMNI driver too shouldn't be blamed for driving behind such a dangerous vehicle. Heck it is an OMNI how can the driver be blamed. The OMNI is to be blamed here too.

This is heights man