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Blinded by splashed puddle water, Nexon driver hits a flyover median

I was driving at 60-65 km/h on the Electronic City Flyover. I noticed the puddle of rainwater a little late & didn't have enough time to change lanes.

BHPian jarpit96 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Had a minor accident today on the Electronic City flyover (for those who don't know, it's an 8km toll flyover). It rained heavily sometime back and then stopped raining. Speed limit is 60, I was driving at 60-65kmph. It's two lanes, I was driving on the right lane, close to the median. I noticed a puddle of water a little late and didn't have enough time to change lanes.

Ended up driving over the water, which threw ungodly amounts of water on the windshield, the entire windshield was covered, and even the passenger side person was not able to see anything. We were blind for a good 3-4 seconds.

During the initial 1 sec, I didn't understand the gravity of the situation and expected to regain visibility (as there was no vehicle in front of me in close vicinity). But post that I started panicking, but didn't do very hard braking, as it was a 2 lane flyover, where people zoom past on 100-120kmph.

By the time, I was about to stop, I ended up bumping into the crash guard/divider on the median (which was kind of a metal sheet). Got away with a dent and long scratches on the panel above the right wheel well of my Nexon.

Lesson learnt today: never to take stagnant water lightly.

Anything else I could have done differently? Is this something everybody driving on highways who are already aware of?

Here's what BHPian whitewing had to say about the matter:

I can relate to the situation you were in, I have been in a similar situation, and was lucky to get away without incident.

I think you did the right thing once you landed in the situation you were in. Your good fortune that there was no one tailgating you or was trying to overtake you like they do on that road.

The ecity expressway (and many tolled NHs) have excellent road surface (encourages speeding) but very poor water drainage design. On the ecity expressway, I don't understand why they have not corrected the pooling of waters that remains for hours after rain.

Preventive steps that come to mind would be:

  • Stick to the middle lanes, the leftmost and rightmost lanes tend to get flooded. Driving in the rightmost lane also runs the risk of getting drenched by a speeding truck/bus in the opposite lane. In case of a 2-lane road, like the ecity expressway, try to be towards the middle of the road. This has the least possibility of wading into deep water.
  • Run with tires with good tread depth. Bald tires and wet roads don't get along well.
  • Slow down.

If one lands up in a situation like you did - near-complete loss of visibility on the front, very little that can be done, apart from drawing upon experience. I suppose you reacted well and got away without major damage.

  • Turn on hazard lights, increase wiper speed.
  • Look into the rearview mirror.
  • Take the foot off the accelerator (if at high speed), and do not engage the brakes, (consider periodically tapping it lightly to turn on the brake light indicator, if there are vehicles behind).
  • Coast along in a straight line. Familiarity with the steering position helps. If the situation allows, try keeping the view on either the left window/right window as a reference (only possible if drenched by an oncoming vehicle).
  • If the car runs into a trough on one side, likely the car gets pulled slightly in that direction. Try to compensate, but this is very hard since we are not trained to drive blind.

Most important, don't panic!

The above should be reflex actions and happen smoothly and quickly. Helps if we remind ourselves that such a situation can occur and run through the next actions as a mental checklist. The mind would react better when such a situation occurs.

Here's what BHPian sarathlal had to say about the matter:

Had the same experience on the exact same road two weeks back. This particular road is well laid out but got a very poor rainwater drainage system. The right lanes from both sides have water pooled up. There is also added challenge of water getting thrown onto our vehicle from the opposite lane traffic as well.

  • Best way is to reduce the speed according to visibility/condition and drive in anticipation.
  • DO NOT drive with hazard lights ON. Use it to warn others during such extreme situations alone.
  • Primarily use the left lane only and use the right lane only if you are very sure. Apart from water pools, there could be also debris on the right track.
  • DO NOT overtake a larger vehicle on the go, as there is a higher risk of water being splashed onto the windscreen from that vehicle.
  • Finally, try not to panic and if one is not comfortable driving ON, take a rest at a nearby petrol pump or restaurant for that heavy spell to subside.

Here's what BHPian chaitanyakrish had to say about the matter:

It happened to me a few days ago on the same Electronic City Flyover. Here's a video from the dashcam.

Luckily, I was able to manage well but will be careful next time. Things I followed are, I maintained the same speed and didn't panic brake.

Need some tips on how we can identify puddles on a poorly lit highway.

Note: On the day I faced the puddles on ECity Flyover, highway lights were not turned on as it was still not night. They should make them automatic according to outside light.

Lessons Learnt:

  • ECity Flyover has road banking towards the median, so there is a greater risk of water stagnating there.
  • Take the left lane and observe how vehicles ahead are moving. They will be the first indicator of a puddle ahead.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
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