[mohan41]

Originally Posted by GTO

It shouldn't be too difficult to fabricate an after-market "dog bar". You would have to ensure that the mounting points are proper and that it doesn't interfere with any sensors (e.g. airbags). This would have to be expertly executed by a professional.

My question is : What's the point? Not like you hit a dog everyday!

True, this does not happen everyday. But chances are more than other accidents as there are so many dogs and they wander around carelessly. And when it happens, the car might not be in drive-able condition. What if this happens in a remote place or in the late night with family?

[arun_josie]

Continuation to the discussion in the accident thread.

Originally Posted by flipsyde

I have hit a dog on the Chennai - Bangalore highway when I was driving my friends swift. There is a lot of word play going on here. Slowing down is obviously a solution but emergency braking or strong steering responses aren't always the best.

Even I faced a very similar issue when I was driving back to bangalore from hyderabad. I was doing around 120Kmph and a Fiesta was behind me doing similar speeds. All of a sudden a dog crossed the road, the divider had lot of bushes and hence I was able to see the dog only when it was already on the road. Keeping the Fiesta in mind I didn't brake hard but slowed down to around 80-90Kmph, the dog almost crossed the road and got hit on the left corner of the bumper. My friend who was in the passenger seat said that the dog was thrown on the bushes and it ran way.

So, slowing down helped the dog with little more time to cross and also avoided hitting on the center of the bumper and dog going under the car. Also, it limited the damages on the car.

Damages:

1) A cut and dent on the bumper.(Repaired by MASS free of cost)
2) The headlight wiring got disconnected.(I was able to connect immediately)
3) The horn stopped working properly (Replaced free of cost by MASS, under warranty)
4) Fog light cover broke.(I was charged around Rs.150)

[PC77]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

1) A cut and dent on the bumper.(Repaired by MASS free of cost)
2) The headlight wiring got disconnected.(I was able to connect immediately)
3) The horn stopped working properly (Replaced free of cost by MASS, under warranty)
4) Fog light cover broke.(I was charged around Rs.150)

You are lucky to get away with not much damage. One of friend had loaned his car to his friend for an emergency trip to hubli and ended up with a dog hit costing him more than 75k with the front portion and turbo damaged

[junaid12345678]

Hit a small kerb at the parking lot at a speed of 5km/hr (though looked insane) and stepped out on a greenish liquid and walked to the front of the car just to see the front bumber had given way for the kerb to reach the radiator fan. The radiator broke and there were coolant all over the floor, not just that but the inter-cooler and the fan had gone kaput. The following are the important points

1. Radiator plastic piping broke and all the coolant leaked out
2. Radiator fins got bend
3. Inter-cooler assembly broke off
4. Bumper got heavily dented and broke, of course it should as a Maruti
5. Fan stopped working though nothing happened to it other than a shock
6. Bottom bumper grill broke off

Got the car towed to Indus Motors and generated an estimate of 27k for the repairs including labor and decided to go for the claim. After two weeks got the car back for a payment of 6k (including coolant, refrigerant, claim difference and replacement of all the affected parts)

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by junaid12345678

The following are the important points

1. Radiator plastic piping broke and all the coolant leaked out
2. Radiator fins got bend
3. Inter-cooler assembly broke off
4. Bumper got heavily dented and broke, of course it should as a Maruti
5. Fan stopped working though nothing happened to it other than a shock
6. Bottom bumper grill broke off

Sorry to hear this incident Junaid.

This is a serious hit but from the image it seemed only the bumper was heavily damaged but after reading the points holy cow! Hope the car is fine now post the repairs.

I had a similar incident of a dog crossing the road while I was at 60 kmph. Dog was ok but the front left fog lamp dislodged and a crack below the front number plate and bottom bumper grill broken.

Driving like this as MASS is asking a hefty price for all these repairs including labor.

Anurag.

[Arch-Angel]

Had witnessed a high speed dog hit once while travelling along the ECR. There was a MS alto which was involved in this. the guy was going at 80+ from what it looked like. He hit the dog straight and the dog got split down its mid section. The alto took a lot of damage though. Had a huge depression in the front like he had rammed a cement post. He would have had to get his ride towed for sure.

Poor thing: RIP.

[saket77]

IMO, at most of the times, it's difficult to actually 'decide' that what would you do. Normal human reflexes will force you to stomp on the brakes and in turn, you could be rear ended hard by following vehicles. Unfortunately, bigger vehicles like trucks & buses and most two wheelers simply cannot brake as good as a car which puts you to a lot of risk. OTOH, if you do not apply the brakes, you stand a chance of killing the dog/ animal and again damage your car too. But, this IMO involves lesser risk, as no human life in on risk. I may sound too cruel, but that is how it is. You may feel bad for 4-5 days for killing a dog(if you really kill it), but it can take a lifetime and still not to overcome the loss of a loved family member.

If there's a vehicle behind me, and confronted to such a situation, I think I will just let-off the throttle.

Just to share an incident, while returning from a family pleasure trip, I stood on the brakes to save a rooster. I was doing about 110 KMPH in my car. I knew that no vehicle was following me and the michelins did pretty well and kept me confident during the fiasco.

Regards,
Saket

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by saket77

IMO, at most of the times, it's difficult to actually 'decide' that what would you do. Normal human reflexes will force you to stomp on the brakes and in turn, you could be rear ended hard by following vehicles. Unfortunately, bigger vehicles like trucks & buses and most two wheelers simply cannot brake as good as a car which puts you to a lot of risk. OTOH, if you do not apply the brakes, you stand a chance of killing the dog/ animal and again damage your car too.

Other than what you have said is like the car going sideways if the steering input is given upon braking hard then there is always a risk of toppling the car if lost control.

I had this incident a week back in my Ritz where I gave a slight steering input at 100 kmph while braking hard to save a dog. The car went sideways and finally I gained control by feathering the throttle.

Anurag.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Other than what you have said is like the car going sideways if the steering input is given upon braking hard then there is always a risk of toppling the car if lost control.

Pretty right you are. Regarding a topple, in sedans, you may have some luck, you may even escape than in a hatchback, but god forbids if that happens to an SUV at such high speeds, it will be very difficult to control/ not to let it topple.

Wonder how so many people (mostlly non-motorheads) think an SUV to be the safest & the vehicle of choice for highways!

Regards,
Saket

[Divya Sharan]

Ah, dog hits! My friends have started teasing me as the dog smasher.

I have encountered canines on the road three times and I haven't been able to avoid even once. All three incidents happened while I was on my motorcycle.

Twice it has happened on the BLR-HYD highway, which frankly is a dog corridor. You just can't catch a break!

I had the worst crash of my life when I hit a dog at about 85-90 kmph while it jumped the median and ran straight into my path. I braked but I had less than a second for impact. What happened?
1. The poor thing died in under 10 seconds after crying out very loud.
2. I got flung off the bike and toppled over 10 times and finally my back hit the median. My head had taken a lot of bumps and I felt dizzy. Thankfully, I was in full riding gear up to the torso and there were no visible scratches. However, my knee guards had smashed into 2-3 pieces and my jeans had torn and burned my skin underneath. Half an hour later, I had a swollen right hand. 2 dislocations and 2 fractures from the elbow to my thumb.
3. The bike had a badly scratched fairing, exhaust shield, bar end weights, RVMs, a cracked windshield and a missing foot rest as it dragged for 30 odd meters.

Was off the roads for nearly 4 months.

The other incident happened near Kolar when I hit a dead dog at 9 PM while it was raining. I simply ran over it. The bike fish tailed a bit but I regained control. Speed was close to 55ish then.

Most recently, while overtaking a BMTC bus in Yeswantpur, a dog darted right across. I just dabbed the brake lever slightly but the front end washed away immediately. The road was gravel-ey and maybe I applied a bit too much of force at the instant. Luckily, no fractures this time.

While I'm an animal lover, especially dogs; I feel there are moments where we don't have another choice. However, incidents like these have made me stick to the 70-80 kmph on highways with lush greenery (where I cannot see much around) and 90 kmph otherwise (car as well as bike).

[Rahul Bhalgat]

In my childhood too, I had seen dogs suddenly coming on the roads. It was a scary sight to see a dog in the middle of the road and in two minds; whether to cross or to back out.

But I feel that the dogs had sharper reflexes in past. They somehow used to escape more frequently.

Compared to the past, the stray dogs are more exposed to the polluting water, air and junk food. Their reflexes are affected due to this.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Compared to the past, the stray dogs are more exposed to the polluting water, air and junk food. Their reflexes are affected due to this.

I doubt it is because of junk food. The vehicles are lot faster than before. In the 80s, very few cars had more than 50bhp. In the 90s, very few cars had more than 100bhp.

[Rajeevraj]

Most posts here talk about dogs. During the drives to Kerala from Bangalore, we encounter a lot of goats.

Recently when my in laws were driving down to Bangalore, the car hit a couple of goats. How this happened is still a mystery to both my co-brother who was driving and my sister in law who was in the front passenger seat. They said, to them it felt that the goats were pushed in front of the car. There were a couple of foreigners riding bullets in front and it could have been the goats got spooked and suddenly jumped to the middle of the road. The car was doing around 60 kmph.

In any case, unfortunately, one goat died and another was injured in the leg. In no time there was a big crowd of people (a little surprising as it is fairly desolate area) and discussions on compensation. Demanded 12-15000 for the 2 goats and finally settled at 8000. (Had no idea one would need to shell out so much money).

Car bumper was damaged and needs to be replaced. That ended up being another 11,000. (Etios)

I have read a few other reports of goats suddenly appearing in front of the car like it has been pushed or thrown in front.

So in summary if you hit a stray dog it is just the guilt associated with killing/maiming the poor dog and the cost to repair the car. But in case of a goat, a compensation component also comes in which can be very heavy.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Demanded 12-15000 for the 2 goats and finally settled at 8000. (Had no idea one would need to shell out so much money).

Goat is mainly raised for meat. I checked with an expert. An average goat can give 9-10Kgs of usable meat. Which means the goat herder gets 2.5-3K when selling it to the butcher. You paid 4K/goat, which is slightly on the higher side, closer to retail price, but it is still okay.

I am told there is also premium goat, which must be male, at least one year old, no injury, with horns. These command around 10K during Bakrid time. When an average goat comes under a car, it suddenly becomes a premium goat. The above description should help you identify whether it is true or not.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

In my childhood too, I had seen dogs suddenly coming on the roads. It was a scary sight to see a dog in the middle of the road and in two minds; whether to cross or to back out.

But I feel that the dogs had sharper reflexes in past. They somehow used to escape more frequently.

Originally Posted by Samurai

The vehicles are lot faster than before. In the 80s, very few cars had more than 50bhp. In the 90s, very few cars had more than 100bhp.

Hey, and I was thinking being with humans had something to do with their reflexes and survival instincts.

On two separate occasions, I had a dog each, bang in the centre of the road, refusing to budge even when I kept honking and flashing my lights from at least a hundred metres away. I had no choice but to go over them, as traffic on adjacent lanes meant I could not swerve or brake hard. In both cases, the canines survived. The cars involved: M800 and Santro. I did have a bent numberplate, but no more damage.

On one occasion a city dog jumped from the oncoming lane into my lane, just as I sped up to close the gap between my car and the next one, as traffic moved a bit in a congested area. The dog was flung into the air and landed somewhere farther ahead, safe and sound.

I was once narrated an incident by my uncle of one of his friends who, in order to avoid a stray dog in his car's path, managed to drive off the road and hit a tree. He ran a repair bill of around 80,000 due to damage to the various components such as radiator and others. That's what you pay for avoiding the canines.

On a side note, I once witnessed a Scorpio which accelerated so fast from standstill, that a stray pigeon loitering on the road was caught underneath it (under the body, not the wheels). Had it kept quiet/cool, it might have survived, but I guess it tried to fly up and away and was badly messed up by the Scorpio. I had never believed birds could be hurt like this, and then on my return trip from Goa a couple of years ago, I had a crow (which I consider to be a bit of an intellectual bird unlike a pigeon) hit my car's windshield in a mistimed flight across the road. Guess nature taketh away what she giveth, or something like that.