[Perakath]

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

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...

That's true; I moved here from Delhi recently and the sheer number of 2-wheelers on the road takes some getting used to... I don't think it's comparable to any other place in the country. They're like a swarm of flies buzzing around a honey pot. When driving in lanes you have to keep your car absolutely straight, because there're bikes both to your left and to your right!

Combined with the bus drivers who imagine their bus is the size of an M-800 and change lanes accordingly, I'm surprised I haven't seen more accidents in Madras. Fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by bblost

@Spitfire, I remember you posted about a guy wearing a face mask to protect against swine flu but no helmet while riding a bike.

Wow... that really pushes the limits of rationality.

Originally Posted by Hemanth

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. ... I can say that this is sheer negligence and carelessness and more importantly he was around 21 years.

I think it may have also been ignorance and poor driver education. Nobody may have told the poor fellow how dangerous it is to switch off a moving vehicle.

[bblost]

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.

Everyone?
do not use generalizations like that.

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

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...

Hi, R_T - humbly welcome you to Pune for getting you acclimatised to my way is the right way (Remember Rajni's dialogue - en vazhi thani vazhi) !! Everyone follows that rule here!! You will thereafter say that Chennai is really "Singara Chennai"!!

[Sudan_NFS]

Originally Posted by Hemanth

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.

Was the driver stupid enough to switch off the vehicle on hills. There are warning board which say don't even neutral your vehicle on hills and this stupid switch off the vehicle

The omni crash is really a bad crash,May the young souls RIP.

Indian govt should act immediately to bring Euro crash test in India at least by 2010 March. why can't we(Team BPHian) organize a rally during AutoExpo 2010, to bring the crash test and safety features standard in all vehicles.

[Hemanth]

This guy was driving this way for a couple of months before paying price for it but at what cost? These guys really don't understand if you tell them we will be considered an idiot.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

What about 2 wheelers? Why don't we ban them too? Everyday i see people riding like morons.

The highest number of deaths in India are probably of 2 wheeler riders. We see 4-5 people on one 2 Wheeler.

By the above logic we should be banning 2 wheelers too.

Your comparison is simply irrational again. I'm on both sides so I can understand the pain though.

However, since it escapes you - let me remind you - a biker can still jump off the bike/fall in time/let go. A person inside a car cannot do that in most cases. Most bikes anyways outaccelerate/out brake an omni and can tuck back in while an omni cant.

So lack of safety really depends on how you measure it. Not in sheer numbers. Else we'd have been 100x prosperous compared to USA! lol.

Finally I strongly disagree with the logic. We need to revamp designs of Indian vehicles to ensure that while there are cheaper alternatives for people with all pockets - but no alternative is downright unsafe.

Speaking of which, how is Tata Magic doing? I personally think the Nano is a great deal because it has crumple zones. I would rather advocate tata coming up with a Not-So-Nano as a compact people carrier.

If they are making nano in 1L - surely they can make an omni beater.

Remove the unsafe choices - indian mfrs will fill the gaps. else the useless choices will be taken day after day!

In fact, I'd actually be willing to bet 500 bucks that the death rate among pulsar/karizma/bullets would be not much worse than omnis. I have no issues being proven wrong. But I am sure that atleast among Indian cars - Omni would rank right up there as one with the highest # of fatalities as a % of accidents

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Nitronium

The Omni is an unsafe vehicle that won't pass a safety test in any part of the world. Irrespective of whether there is a substitute ready, BAN THE DAMNED VEHICLE!! In the event of a collision at even moderate speeds, death is imminent.

May the 12 lost souls rest in peace.

Originally Posted by Sarvodaya

It is not fair to blame OMNI for the accident. Overloading with 12 persons is the first mistake. And in India it is a common practice for any vehicle. Any vehicle overloaded from NANO to Mercedes, driven recklessly is a receipe for disaster!

Don't be so hard on the Omni guys. It's the van that moves over half the lower middle class and is highly respected for it's versatility and practicality.

Yes, it's absurd and downright wrong on the part of many who use it to move 12 people and who drive it recklessly. The police should intervene during such circumstances. And Maruti should also try and improve the safety of cars that are targeted towards the middle class as it's these cars that sell and if it weren't for them, Maruti as a manufacturer would be down in the dumps.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Your comparison is simply irrational again. I'm on both sides so I can understand the pain though.

Lets load 12 people in a Nano, Tata Ace or anything you please, give it to driver with no sense of rules or safety. Then lets T bone/frontal impact/side impact it with a Scorpio weighing 1.5 ton at speeds of 60 kmph again driven by a driver with a license acquired by paying money and doesn't know the spelling of rules.

Then we say the Omni is a unsafe vehicle if at least one survives.

Then let me drive a Omni with 4 people in it. Following rules and limitations of the vehicle and you drive a Scorpio knowing fully well the limitations of that vehicle and then try to kill each other intentionally.

And about jumping off a bike, well man you think that's as easy as you say it?

And its Spitfire - one word. Its after the glorious RAF fighter plane in WW2. I am not some fire breathing dragon but a bullet spitting fighter plane

[RajaTaurus]

Originally Posted by Perakath

..... Combined with the bus drivers who imagine their bus is the size of an M-800 and change lanes accordingly, I'm surprised I haven't seen more accidents in Madras. Fingers crossed..

Plese check out this official page of Chennai Traffic police.
Chennai Traffic Police :: Investigation Detail

629 died in year 2008 in Chennai City alone. That means, almost 2 persons are dying every single day here in Chennai.
And out of that 173 cases are on two wheelers.

[Thad E Ginathom]

We are treating the symptoms not the disease.

I don't even see much treatment of the symtoms

[anoopap]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Then we say the Omni is a unsafe vehicle if at least one survives.

Then let me drive a Omni with 4 people in it. Following rules and limitations of the vehicle and you drive a Scorpio knowing fully well the limitations of that vehicle and then try to kill each other intentionally.

We will always have the weakest link in the chain. If we ban OMNI, next will be 800. And so on.

What really matters is how we handle that weakest link.

Here on Kerala highways, we even have cyclists moving and cutting all around the road. And all monster trucks do overtake them. We can make rules by which cyclists can be banned on highways. BUT is it PRACTICAL ?

By the way, OMNI is very practical and affordable utility vehicle for many. Lets put more focus on driving it well.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I don't even see much treatment of the symtoms

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

Its another farce that the moron riding a bike doesn't fasten the helmet, or the seatbelts are worn where there are cops or the speedo meter in the cars/trucks don't work.

[RajaTaurus]

Folks, we in India, strongly believe that every single thing on 4 wheels that moves with some power is suitable for any road. Be it divided roads in the city, or controlled (again debatable) by cops or police, traffic lights and traffic signs, OR be it those so-called highways or Freeways (In India there is no FREE-WAY in the right sense, as it is only FREE-FOR-ALL-WAY).
It doesn't matter if it is a Maruti-800 / Nano or a Hummer or an Endeavour.

Any vehicle can be driven anywhere at any speed with any number of people. That seems to be the universal understanding and acceptance here in India. Again, not isolating India, it is even worse in Africa and Latin America, but then, we are supposed to be one of the developing countries with high literacy level compared to those countries.. right?
Coming to the fact, OMNI is not safe for highway driving, Period. It is basically a City mover. Same applies to Nano / Maruti-800 and all its sisters and cousins on the road. (Including the latest addition of Figo).

SO, taking a city vehicle on a highway is asking for risk#1.
Stuffing it with 12 people is risk#2.
Having no knowledge of the risks involved from the above two by the driver or passengers is risk#3.
To be blamed is, first of all those 12 youngsters (must be educated, right? why the hell they were travelling in one OMNI.?
Then the driver - to take 12 people in a OMNI on a highway.

Banning vehicles will take us nowhere.
Its just that we don't know which vehicle can take what and can be taken where...
Simple as that.

[shankar.balan]

pal if you think this phenomenon is peculiar to Madras then I suggest you look at Bangalore too.

It is usually 2 wheelers and Auto rickshaws and Indica taxis apart from Sumo and Tavera taxis who are at the root of much that is evil on our roads. add the Tata Aces, Piaggio Apes and other assorted fauna to this mixture and you have a lovely recipe for chaos.
The garnish is provided by the truly excellently potholed, narrow roads we drive on, with much of the already shrinking surfaces being occupied by construction debris, rubbish, unfortunate pedestrians, stray animals and of course, the great tribe of "pavement riders".

maybe they can control this chaos by upgrading the driving test to include a written test aimed at testing a firm knowledge of road rules and to put a complete stop to issuing driving licenses to anyone who fails the tests.

[quote=RajaTaurus;1499285]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

TWho 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...

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by RajaTaurus

SO, taking a city vehicle on a highway is asking for risk#1.
Stuffing it with 12 people is risk#2.
Having no knowledge of the risks involved from the above two by the driver or passengers is risk#3.
Simple as that.

I would say Stuffing it with 12 people was the main mistake which compounded the accident.
Everything else comes mainly with experience or enforcement (which is lacking in India).

On second thoughts, Scorpio's are also driven pretty rashly (No offence to the TeamBHPans who drive them), but this is a general observation. This could have added to the impact.