Rammed for someone else's fault - What can I do ?

SuperSelect · 8th January 2010, 23:42

Hi guys,
I was driving from Mumbai to Pune today, in my white Swift, just out after a touch up and polish job.
As the expressway ends, we move on to the 'bypass' road, which has the various intersections / turns that lead to various parts of Pune.

About 2 km before Chandni Chowk, a chap in an MH-12 white Honda City suddenly decides to take a U-turn, and brakes hard.

Two cars brake real hard behind him. I'm the third. I too brake real hard and miss the Scorp ahead of me by inches.
An Indica behind me can't brake on time, and smashes my rear. I know it's not the Indica guy's fault, though he's apologetic.

Meanwhile, Mr. Honda City takes his U-turn and makes a clean escape.
Clean ? - no buddy, I've got your number.

Anything I can do to Mr. Honda City now ? Advise please guys..

p.s.: I was on my way to a funeral, and had no time or inclination for Police complaints / reports.

oss · 8th January 2010, 23:46

I'm afraid you can't do anything to the Honda guy. May be utter a few expletives, curse him, and file for insurance...again

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 8th January 2010, 23:53

1. You are obliged to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you.
2. You are obliged to keep an eye on the vehicle behing you and ensure that the vehicle behind follows #1
3. If the vehicle behind does not follow #1, you are obliged to maintain still greater distance from the vehicle in front of you so that you can give the vehicle behind sufficient braking space.

The "obligation" comes from good driving practice.

Too bad. Remember that there is no such thing as "braking suddenly to take a U turn".

greenhorn · 9th January 2010, 00:03

+1 to what backseatdriver said.
the fault here is with the indica driver. had he maintained proper distance, this would not have happened

Jaggu · 9th January 2010, 00:14

Unfortunately no! you cant do anything to the Honda guy. Really sorry to hear the news though.

SuperSelect · 9th January 2010, 00:24

Thanks guys.. that's that I guess.
Any procedure for me to get the name / address of the Honda guy from the RTO ?
That way I can at least let off some steam and write to him explaining what a lout he's been when it comes to highway driving discipline..

Gansan · 9th January 2010, 07:16

It is never the fault of the guy in the rammed car/the car ahead of the rammed one, however had he may have braked. It is the obligation of the driver of the following car to keep enough distance for braking. "He braked too suddenly" is no excuse. The Indica guy has to pay for your repairs.

I once followed a Matiz that accelerated to beat a red light at Bangalore. He chickened out at the last moment and stopped. I was following on my Splendor and could not stop. A last moment swerving attempt was not successful. The front half of my bike avoided the car, but the rear half banged his bumper exactly behind his right rear tyre, which burst in the impact. I bought him a new tyre, even though my bike had to go to the workshop for repairs.

lancer_rit · 9th January 2010, 09:18

sorry to read of the damage to your car! Hope you get her repaired to tip-top condition.

Buttt..., being a team-bhpian, please know the rules of the road. The car behind has to keep enough distance and maintain a speed that he can stop w/o hitting the car in the front.

In this case, the Indica driver is definitely at fault.

It amazes me how many people think that the car in front is the problem :-( Just last month, I had to convince one such fellow who rammed into my friend's i10 and claimed he braked suddenly !! The guy even went to the police station to file a complaint when he was at fault!

Surprise · 9th January 2010, 09:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

1. You are obliged to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you.
2. You are obliged to keep an eye on the vehicle behing you and ensure that the vehicle behind follows #1
3. If the vehicle behind does not follow #1, you are obliged to maintain still greater distance from the vehicle in front of you so that you can give the vehicle behind sufficient braking space.

On papers this is perfectly fine. But do you think this can be followed in our city drives. If someone has applied brakes all of sudden (heavily), Iam sure 8 out of 10 cars in city do a panic stop even if they were able to manage avoid hitting them.

Thanks for the point-3, its better to be safer than sorry

longhorn · 9th January 2010, 09:45

Yes, contrary to popular belief, if you get rammed from behind, its the fault of the guy following you. The vehicle following you has to maintian a safe distance at all times. I assume that the logic behind this is that as vehicles differ in their capability to stop, the driver ought to know the capacity of his vehicle and maintain an appropriate distance at all times. Sudden braking is not an excuse for ramming you from behind.

Ravindra M · 9th January 2010, 11:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperSelect

Thanks guys.. that's that I guess.
Any procedure for me to get the name / address of the Honda guy from the RTO ?
That way I can at least let off some steam and write to him explaining what a lout he's been when it comes to highway driving discipline..

Its possible to get it from RTO. But you need to tell them you need it because that car is up for sale and you need to verify who the owner is.

SuperSelect · 9th January 2010, 11:45

Makes sense guys.
When one starts to think in a calm manner, reality surfaces. We do tend to push the blame onto the guy ahead for braking suddenly.. (can you believe it, the Indica guy actually started to blame ME for his hitting me ! - I had to calm him down and say - boss, you're the one who could not brake, I'm not even blaming you !

)

The long and short of it is, that come what may, one must maintain distance, distance, and distance.
A lesson learned, at a cost.
Get back to work, sent the Swift to the workshop.

Thanks for all, guys. Trust team-BHP to give good advice !!

amit_mechengg · 9th January 2010, 13:47

sorry to say this, but instead of you nothing the honda city's number you should have held the indica.
there is a golden rule written in RTO " a person who smashed your car from back is at fault" no further story who braked hard in front and all.

logically this is correct. as a driver you should keep enough distance keeping in mind the braking ability of your car, your response time to apply brakes and your ability to react quickly to crisis situation.

one is expected to keep presence of mind while driving.

i know this rule as i had rammed into a ford fiesta once when he braked hard because he rammed the next car in front of him. i strongly say i should have kept more distance. even when i braked hard ford fiesta stopped more efficiently than my car.

if you would have called the police they would have asked the indica person to pay the expenses

nandans2005 · 9th January 2010, 13:53

Super Select,

The law says that if one hits from the rear, the one who hits is at fault. so you cant do anything with the HONDA guy.

Just leave it at that and carry on.

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 9th January 2010, 14:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperSelect

Makes sense guys.

(snip)

Thanks for all, guys. Trust team-BHP to give good advice !!

I learnt those principles from here only. ;-D

The rules, except 3 are in the Traffic Code; knowledge of which is essential for getting a driving license. However, none of the official sites make the Traffic Code available for download; and I believe that NONE of the police officers are aware of it.

Rule 3 is a basis principle of defence driving (being prepared for others' mistakes).

8th January 2010, 23:42	#1
SuperSelect Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai. Posts: 1,806 Thanked: 247 Times View My Garage	Rammed for someone else's fault - What can I do ? Hi guys, I was driving from Mumbai to Pune today, in my white Swift, just out after a touch up and polish job. As the expressway ends, we move on to the 'bypass' road, which has the various intersections / turns that lead to various parts of Pune. About 2 km before Chandni Chowk, a chap in an MH-12 white Honda City suddenly decides to take a U-turn, and brakes hard. Two cars brake real hard behind him. I'm the third. I too brake real hard and miss the Scorp ahead of me by inches. An Indica behind me can't brake on time, and smashes my rear. I know it's not the Indica guy's fault, though he's apologetic. Meanwhile, Mr. Honda City takes his U-turn and makes a clean escape. Clean ? - no buddy, I've got your number. Anything I can do to Mr. Honda City now ? Advise please guys.. p.s.: I was on my way to a funeral, and had no time or inclination for Police complaints / reports. Last edited by SuperSelect : 8th January 2010 at 23:45.
	() Thanks

8th January 2010, 23:46	#2
oss BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 683 Thanked: 6 Times	I'm afraid you can't do anything to the Honda guy. May be utter a few expletives, curse him, and file for insurance...again
	() Thanks

8th January 2010, 23:53	#3
BaCkSeAtDrIVeR BANNED Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kochi Posts: 2,522 Thanked: 752 Times	1. You are obliged to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. 2. You are obliged to keep an eye on the vehicle behing you and ensure that the vehicle behind follows #1 3. If the vehicle behind does not follow #1, you are obliged to maintain still greater distance from the vehicle in front of you so that you can give the vehicle behind sufficient braking space. The "obligation" comes from good driving practice. Too bad. Remember that there is no such thing as "braking suddenly to take a U turn".
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 00:03	#4
greenhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,745 Thanked: 4,402 Times View My Garage	+1 to what backseatdriver said. the fault here is with the indica driver. had he maintained proper distance, this would not have happened
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 00:14	#5
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Unfortunately no! you cant do anything to the Honda guy. Really sorry to hear the news though.
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 00:24	#6
SuperSelect Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai. Posts: 1,806 Thanked: 247 Times View My Garage	Thanks guys.. that's that I guess. Any procedure for me to get the name / address of the Honda guy from the RTO ? That way I can at least let off some steam and write to him explaining what a lout he's been when it comes to highway driving discipline.. Last edited by SuperSelect : 9th January 2010 at 00:25.
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 07:16	#7
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,536 Thanked: 5,561 Times	It is never the fault of the guy in the rammed car/the car ahead of the rammed one, however had he may have braked. It is the obligation of the driver of the following car to keep enough distance for braking. "He braked too suddenly" is no excuse. The Indica guy has to pay for your repairs. I once followed a Matiz that accelerated to beat a red light at Bangalore. He chickened out at the last moment and stopped. I was following on my Splendor and could not stop. A last moment swerving attempt was not successful. The front half of my bike avoided the car, but the rear half banged his bumper exactly behind his right rear tyre, which burst in the impact. I bought him a new tyre, even though my bike had to go to the workshop for repairs. Last edited by Gansan : 9th January 2010 at 07:19.
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 09:18	#8
lancer_rit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: bangalore Posts: 1,266 Thanked: 309 Times	sorry to read of the damage to your car! Hope you get her repaired to tip-top condition. Buttt..., being a team-bhpian, please know the rules of the road. The car behind has to keep enough distance and maintain a speed that he can stop w/o hitting the car in the front. In this case, the Indica driver is definitely at fault. It amazes me how many people think that the car in front is the problem :-( Just last month, I had to convince one such fellow who rammed into my friend's i10 and claimed he braked suddenly !! The guy even went to the police station to file a complaint when he was at fault!
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 09:45	#10
longhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,526 Thanked: 1,568 Times View My Garage	Yes, contrary to popular belief, if you get rammed from behind, its the fault of the guy following you. The vehicle following you has to maintian a safe distance at all times. I assume that the logic behind this is that as vehicles differ in their capability to stop, the driver ought to know the capacity of his vehicle and maintain an appropriate distance at all times. Sudden braking is not an excuse for ramming you from behind.
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 11:45	#12
SuperSelect Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai. Posts: 1,806 Thanked: 247 Times View My Garage	Makes sense guys. When one starts to think in a calm manner, reality surfaces. We do tend to push the blame onto the guy ahead for braking suddenly.. (can you believe it, the Indica guy actually started to blame ME for his hitting me ! - I had to calm him down and say - boss, you're the one who could not brake, I'm not even blaming you ! ) The long and short of it is, that come what may, one must maintain distance, distance, and distance. A lesson learned, at a cost. Get back to work, sent the Swift to the workshop. Thanks for all, guys. Trust team-BHP to give good advice !!
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 13:47	#13
amit_mechengg Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 2,488 Thanked: 2,252 Times View My Garage	sorry to say this, but instead of you nothing the honda city's number you should have held the indica. there is a golden rule written in RTO " a person who smashed your car from back is at fault" no further story who braked hard in front and all. logically this is correct. as a driver you should keep enough distance keeping in mind the braking ability of your car, your response time to apply brakes and your ability to react quickly to crisis situation. one is expected to keep presence of mind while driving. i know this rule as i had rammed into a ford fiesta once when he braked hard because he rammed the next car in front of him. i strongly say i should have kept more distance. even when i braked hard ford fiesta stopped more efficiently than my car. if you would have called the police they would have asked the indica person to pay the expenses
	() Thanks

9th January 2010, 13:53	#14
nandans2005 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bangalore. Posts: 640 Thanked: 42 Times	Super Select, The law says that if one hits from the rear, the one who hits is at fault. so you cant do anything with the HONDA guy. Just leave it at that and carry on.
	() Thanks