She told me in a panic tone that she accidentally crashed her car into mine and she wanted me to come down to the parking lot to take a look.

BHPian Rachet recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello BHPians,

Accidents are inevitable , be it on the middle of the road or even at your parking lot where your car is safely parked.How much you try to safeguard your car , there are other external factors which you cannot control.

So this happened in my parking lot when my neighbour was taking her car out and ended up crashing into my car.

Sharing the video here.

It was one fine morning, I was enjoying a cup of tea when I heard my phone ringing. I sensed something was urgent as I never get any calls at that time of the day. And when I saw that the person who was trying to reach me was my neighbour I thought it was for some help. It never occurred to me that it might be something involving my car.

Then she told me in a panic tone that she accidentally crashed her car into mine and she wanted me to come down to the parking lot to take a look.For a few seconds I did not know what to say or how to react. Cursing my luck I rushed downstairs to my parking lot to assess the damage.

She had managed to hit the front bumper. After taking a closer look I could not find any dents.Less damage, less issues for both of us. There were minor scratches in the paint protection film at a few places and even this time the PPF did its job perfectly to safeguard the paint.

There was scratch in the PPF installed in the head light as well. Luckily the headlight did not break:

As my car escaped with few minor scratches in the ppf , her car ended up with a broken and dislocated bumper. I had to push the dislocated bumper to its proper position as it had come out of the clip hold it:

My neighbour had not come out of the shock and she was so frightened thinking about how I was going to react. Because she used to see me taking care of my car and she knows how much it means to me.I then helped her with parking her car and told her that there is nothing to worry as there is no major damage and a PPF reinstallation in the bumper is what's needed to fix it.

It had been couple of days since she had bought the car and came to know that she is going for driving classes. One can easily argue that she should have been careful or may be she should not have taken the car out without somebody with her because its a parking space and there will be lots of cars. But like I said, an accident can happen anytime anywhere if it is bound to happen, no matter how careful you are or how good you are when it comes to driving.

I really appreciate her for her good gesture that she rang me up when it happened and told me that "Hey , this happened . Apologies and I am ready to compensate for the damage."Under similar situations, accepting the mistake , an apology and the willingness to compensate for the damage caused to the other person should end anything then and there.This is applicable for the person who had caused the damage and the victim as well.Most of the time , it's the negative attitude of the both parties which makes the situation worse.Having said that keeping your calm might not help your way out in all situations. Last year when a truck hit the back of my car, if I had remained calm then it would not have ended up well for me. 

I took the car to OCD(where I had done the ppf installation for the whole car) to get an estimate of getting the PPF reinstalled in the front bumper. The same 10 year warranty product and got an estimate of 18k. I conveyed the same to my neighbour and asked her to pay OCD straight as I do not want to get in to all these cash related transactions.

In the end , it turned out to be a costly mistake for her but she has earned respect from all of us here for her good gesture which I think is what matters most at the end of the day.

Drive safe my friends.

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Researchers also stated that the fourth light in a traffic signal doesn't necessarily have to be white, just a recognisable colour which would be accepted universally.

According to a media report, new simulations suggest that traffic signals could get a fourth light once autonomous vehicles become more prevalent on the roads. Reports suggest that a fourth 'White' light could help human drivers better understand road conditions while self-driving cars control the flow of traffic, in turn saving time and fuel.

As per the proposal, while Red and Green lights will continue to mean the same, the White light will tell human drivers to simply follow the car in front of them. This means, whenever the white light is on, the autonomous vehicles would take over the intersection, all the while communicating with each other to determine the exact location and next move. The human drivers at this point would just follow the car in front, while the self-driving cars coordinate the best flow of traffic. However, if there are no autonomous vehicles, the conventional Red, Yellow and Green lights would control the traffic.

Using a small simulation via computer models, researchers found that the use of white light helped speed up traffic between 10 - 30% and delays were reduced by 10.7%. While this would help autonomous vehicles plot the best route, the added complexity could actually prove 'not enjoyable' for actual drivers.

Researchers also stated that the fourth light in a traffic signal doesn't necessarily have to be white, just a recognisable colour which would be accepted universally.

Source: IFLScience

The stretch from Gacchibowli to Kondapur RTO via flyover doesn't see any traffic even in the peak hours.

BHPian Altrozed recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Didnt find any post specifically mentioning the swarm of new flyovers coming in Hyderabad, signals being closed and U-Turn junctions being set up on 2 lanes.

To all the ones driving on Hyderabad roads, hope you are enjoying the drive on the empty new flyover at Kondapur, the Kottaguda - AMB Mall Flyover.

This multi-entrance/exit flyover at Kottaguda Signal appears to be far from being useful.

After the flyover is opened, the U-Turn at the Le-Meridian building is now shifted closer to the Gacchibowli after the Shilpa Layout Exit.

As a result, drivers coming from Hi-tech City, Whitefields Kondapur are now reluctant to use the flyover and prefer the signalled route underneath.

The stretch from Gacchibowli to Kondapur RTO via flyover doesn't see any traffic even in the peak hours. There are hardly any cars or 2-wheelers going on this stretch.

Moving to the worst part, after descending the flyover at Kondapur RTO, there was a T-Jn Signal which is now closed. They made a small U-turn junction next to the signal.

Now, this is being 2 lanes on each side, and U-turn barriers occupied 1 complete lane, technically making a single-line road on both sides. All the vehicles pile up to the left side of the left lanes and thus forcing all bikers to go onto the footpaths or even bus stops.

Wonder why it causes this havoc just to make a signal-free stretch.

The Gacchibowli-Shilpalayout flyover is now choking the Raidurgam signal as everyone picks this flyover to enter the Raidurgam signal/Metro or end of the flyover to turn back to Le-Meridian - AMB MAll road.

Such mindless actions, not so useful flyovers built as part of the SRDP of the TS govt are now becoming a laughing stock.

Others can write about various new flyovers they encountered.

Be it, the Hi-Tech City flyover, Kaitallapur flyover or Sheikpet flyover which deserves a long rant here.

Here's what BHPian GForceEnjoyer had to say on the matter:

Thank you for starting a thread on this. I had the displeasure of experiencing some of the worst traffic jams ever around the AMB Mall junction. I'm at a loss to explain how such a mess was created. Even after the flyover's completion and inauguration, the junction below is still terribly crowded, while the flyover remains empty as you said.

They closed the U-turn before the Shaikpet flyover which one could use to turn towards Khajaguda or back towards Biodiversity Park, which now leads to an inevitable pileup at the first U-turn under the flyover. If you're trying to get to road number 78 in Jubilee Hills, you now have this menace added along the way. Not to mention the barricades that are put up after nightfall which causes chaos even with a tiny amount of traffic on an otherwise empty and wide road.

Once you reach road number 82 and you want to turn right onto Jubilee Hills Check Post Road, too bad! You HAVE to turn left (the opposite direction) and go all the way to Road Number 45, take the U-turn under the Durgam Cheruvu elevated road and then go all the way back to the junction to finally head in the right direction after heading several kilometres away first.

If you want to head towards Biodiversity park on the Dallas Centre road when coming from Inorbit Mall road, too bad! You have to turn left and go all the way to the next junction to be able to take a U-turn and finally head in the right direction.

The worst thing is, what I said may not even be true anymore, since nearly every time I go somewhere, things have changed from the previous time, adding to the confusion. Using Google maps doesn't help either, since it's unaware of a lot of these diversions.

Then, the traffic lights were installed at Khajaguda and Nanakramguda Circles. They just cause pileups at the ORR exit ramps, causing you to have to slam on your brakes immediately after the curves since there is a mass of stationary traffic ahead!

After dark, I see insane chicanes made with barricades nearly everywhere and they manage to cause chaos with barely any traffic. And of course, no rant about Hyderabad's roads is enough with mentioning the rumble strips. Well, they've come a full circle now and just become speed breakers at this point. So, commuters can enjoy being rattled to death by hundreds of these on intercity drives!

Coming back to the U-turns in particular, the ones in Jubilee hills are sometimes made so narrow by barricades placed there that you have to take a three-point turn, while in other places, the barricades go so far out that traffic coming from the other side is forced into 1 lane from 3 or more!

I don't know what triggered this sudden spate of actions, but it seems like gone will be the days where you could enjoy the highest average speed in India (maybe they already are?). Link (Ola Insights: Average speed & traffic spots of the big Indian cities)

Here's what BHPian karthikg87 had to say on the matter:

I think most of the planning of Hyderabad roads is done at the whims and fancies of the powerful. A cycling track in a random country comes to a powerful person’s notice and voila we have a cycling track on the ORR.

There is no long-term approach to anything. Pedestrian paths are absent on all the roads. With our wide roads cycling can be encouraged for short commutes but it’s extremely unsafe. The less spoken about the U-turn the better. Metro without an eye on end-to-end connectivity is a flop with half a million ridership a day.

Hyderabad on average is the most polluted city in south India and nothing is being done about it.

Here's what BHPian thanixravindran had to say on the matter:

Leaving a picture taken last Saturday evening from 10 Downing Street, SLN Platinum. One can see how empty the flyover is and how choked the road is

Someone got the signal-free roads as a goal and just created a U-turn in the next 100 m after eliminating the signal and claimed they achieved their goals. At the Kondapur RTO office, they could have at least left the pedestrian signal working. It is now extremely dangerous to cross there.

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To my utter horror, this time the car wouldn't start. It's a new car, less than a year still and up to date, I've had zero problems with it. It kept saying "smart key not in range".

BHPian blitz_normad recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

We left early at around 6:45am. The plan was to have breakfast at around 8:30 on the way and reach the destination by 2:30pm. I've done this trip several times over the last 6 months, since I got my new Tata Punch. Generally a pleasant uneventful journey - only this time, it wasn't. Usually, I always travel with water bottles and some snacks, especially when traveling with my elderly mom who has Parkinsons. As I was turning the corner of my street, I realized that I'd forgotten the water bottles and biscuits at home. Since I was already en route, I didn't want to turn back to get them, thought I'll just buy them when we have breakfast (This turned out to be a monumentally stupid thing to do).

In about an hour, we'd crossed Hosur and were on the way to Krishnagiri, when traffic came to an abrupt halt. It turned out that protests had broken out near Krishnagiri for Jallikattu. 100s of villagers had blocked both sides of the highway. Later I learned in the news, there was stone pelting et all... but we were quite a bit of distance from the spot, maybe a couple of kilometers, where it was relatively calm except for the huge traffic pileup. I was hoping that things would clear up once the police gets there. An hour went on and then another. My mother by now hungry and weak had to be given her medication, but without her meal, I was reluctant to. Now it was almost 9:30 and my heart sank - there was no sign of anything clearing. I had nothing in the car - no food nor water. I decided I needed to do something. I left my mother and her caretaker in the car, and handed over the keys to the caretaker with some instructions. I'd turned off the ignition but had the A/C running for them and decided to take a quick look around to see if there were any shops on the outskirts of the nearby village which seem to be about 1.5-2km away. The car was already parked in the leftmost lane towards the end of the road. So I figured even if the traffic starts, it shouldn't be a problem. I'd walked for around a km and as the road curved saw that I'd still have to walk further. Asked a few people who seemed to be returning by walk on the other side of the highway and they told me I'd have to cover quite some more distance. Not wanting to leave the car too far behind, I decided to return. By now, some vehicles had started turning back using a large gap in the divider in the highway, several cars and trucks were taking this turn now and as a result, some traffic movement was beginning to happen. I quickly got back to the car and decided to get in queue to this turn to navigate back to Hosur, so that I could get food and water.

To my utter horror, this time the car wouldn't start. It's a new car, less than a year still and up to date, I've had zero problems with it. It kept saying "smart key not in range". I placed the key right near the handbrake where it is supposed to be placed in case of low battery and it still kept saying smart key out of range, then suddenly that message disappeared and the accessories etc came to life. But the engine wouldn't crank. There was some knocking kind of sound (not from the engine but from the audio system) each time I tried to start the engine - there was also some sound like the car was ventilating and then it would simply not start. I then got a message in the dash - something along the lines of 'one-hour mode activated'. Frantically took the manual and tried to get some suggestions from there on issues that could be wrong, but had no luck. Got some help from a few others on the highway, one of them had a Punch (my car is a Tata Punch) and he couldn't get it to start either. By now, the car was completely dead. Not even accessories would turn on.

Called Tata's roadside assistance, and they sent a mechanic with an ETA of 90mins - it was already 11:30 am by then. The map showed I wasn't too far from Hosur - may be about 12-15km. The block seemed to have been cleared and traffic was beginning to move - though the highway was still fully crowded due to the huge pileup. Considering that it might be 1 pm by the time the technician comes, I decided to seek help from passing cars to see if I could get some food and water for my mother to give her meds. Two good samaritans helped. One family who had nothing but a 5l water can, which they promptly handed over to us, said they will buy themselves another on the journey forward. A little later another offered us the food that they had packed. This person after moving on a distance must have parked somewhere, poured us some coffee, and walked all the way back to our car to hand it to us. I'm eternally grateful to these folks. We were able to give Mom food and medication and a cup of coffee to the caretaker. The next time you pass a stranded family in the highway, apart from the obvious need for a mechanics help, do ask them if they require food/water, especially if they have elders on board. They may just be in a fix wondering whether to ask or not. Such a gesture goes a long way.

In another 30 mins, the technician arrived on a bike, all that he bought with him were some batteries to jumpstart and a meter. He checked my car's battery and said it was weak. Jumpstart, worked right away and the engine came to life. However, the dash showed the 'engine' and 'abs' lamps on. He asked me to take the car to the service center in Hosur, which I did. All the way through the ABS and check engine lamp remained on, but by the time I got to the service center, the ABS lamp turned off. In the service center, they hooked the car to a laptop and did a diagnostic check. It threw a few errors, but the technician said these were temporary - so he cleared them and redid the test, this time no errors showed up. The dash check engine lamp also turned off. He said I could proceed back to BLR and get the vehicle checked by my regular service center, as he didn't see anything major showing up in the computer. But I was worried as to why the car shut off in the first place, but he wasn't quite able to state anything of substance and said it should not happen again and I could get it fully checked in BLR. Said he could do it in his center too but that would mean I'd have to break the journey. I didn't think that was prudent, given my mom also being there, so decided to return to BLR. All through the drive I was worried if I kill the engine it wouldn't start again, but nothing of that sort happened - the car ran absolutely fine without a hitch.

A few questions linger in my mind regarding the car - was the whole thing caused because I let the A/C run with the ignition off for about 10 mins? Considering it's a new car, I'd have expected at least a low battery warning in the dash but nothing like that showed up until it suddenly died altogether. I will indeed get it checked fully at the service center again, but any thoughts on the check engine lamp and abs lamp that was on for a while? If it was indeed a low battery thing, what are the chances of that occurring again. Any advice?

Here's what BHPian Turbohead had to say on the matter:

Running the blower on ignition quickly drains the battery. In such scenarios, it might be safe to leave the engine running and ask the occupants to lock the car from the inside until you get back. I don't think there's any indicator/ warning that exists for low battery in most cars.

Thankfully, you came across some amazing folks who helped you out in time of need. God bless them.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

Felt sorry reading this post. I will not add to your woes by giving superfluous and gratuitous advice now that you’re safely back.

You left the car ignition on in ‘Acc’ position and probably left the Blower fan on and not the AC. I don’t think any car’s battery can power the AC.

I think the battery just drained and with the undue stress a cell or two must have weakened.

I have experienced this non-starting and that ‘khat khat’ sound from the car’s electricals when long ago my battery had become weak and died. (Old Maruti 800 in 1997).

You may need to change the battery. I would also have all the electricals of the car checked thoroughly once along with the state of all the fuses. And I would also have the wiring inspected. Just to be sure everything is ok and safe.

All the best.

Here's what BHPian DCEite had to say on the matter:

Well TATA cars can be fussy for no reason.

I was in a similar boat as you , around couple of years back while we were still within city limits and crusing comfortably at 60-70kmph in Tigor AMT (2017 manufactured), I suddenly noticed power loss and the car would not pick speed and slowely started decelarating. Even though within city limits, it was at a national highway (Delhi-Meerut expressway), and somehow navigated the car to the side.

What was concerning for me that my family including two little kids were inside and it was record breaking heat outside (If I remember something like 45-47 degrees), and we had run out of food/snacks and water. On national highway you don't have any eatary or resting place, atleast on the strech I was on. All the warning lamps were ON including the battery indication. Though I came to know from this forum that 2017 manufactured Tiago and Tigor's do have some issue with Fuel pump, that generally shows up its ugly face when the running time as well as outside temperatures are high and car is being run for sometime continuously (around 1.5 hrs, similar to mine).

But the issue vanished after switching on the engine after half an hour. However, what was more disappointing that during these 30 mins or so I tried to get in touch with TATA roadside assistance helpline but the response was very lackluster. Their response almost reminded me of the movie Dhamaal's famous aeroplane crash scene. The TATA roadside emergency assistance response was similar to this ATC.

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The Taigun didn't even feel like it had been in an accident still handled just as well aside from the increased wind noise and also a minor heaviness on the steering.

BHPian al90 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

No matter how safely you drive on our roads, you cant control your fate or others on the road.

The trip:

We had planned for a trip back to my hometown in Trivandrum from Chennai via Velankanni on the 14/01 (reach Velankanni) & travel down to Trivandrum from there on 15/01. We had started off around 9 am in the morning, we usually start even earlier as am not a big fan of driving at night, I prefer to drive as long as there is traffic and people on the roads so we call it a day by 10pm, before the truckers are on the roads

The accident:

So on 14th at around 8.20pm we were nearing a place called Thirukadaiyur about an hour from Velankanni and we were doing 70-80 kms as it was already night and low lighting on the roads plus this was a narrow section of the ECR.

We were about 5kms from Thirukadaiyur when disaster struck, A man on a Bajaj discover coming on the opposite side decided to turn into our lane and right into our car just as we reached the other side of the road. This is the part where am glad I chose the Taigun over the many other options that I had, we didn't feel any vibration or backlash from the hit, the man was riding at a considerable speed as well I assume, all we heard was the sound of the hit and the right hand mirror breaking off, along with the sudden bight light from the headlamps of the bike right in my face from the right and nothing else, my son who was sleeping didn't even wake up. We pulled over to the side and luckily the only other vehicles on the road were a guy on a bike behind the guy who ran into us and a few locals in an Innova behind us ( we were lucky that they didn't cash into us or the motorist).

People started to gather and I got out to check on the guy after moving the vehicle to the side of the road, called 109 and by then the locals in the Innova behind corroborated my version with the other locals that I was not at fault. Its worrisome when a crowd gathers even if you are not at fault. The ambulance took a good 30 mins to reach and a few locals suggested to take him to the hospital in my vehicle. I agreed but a few were against it since we didn't know the extend of his injuries other than the bruises we could see. We checked the man, he was breathing and then we got the root cause, the man was drunk to the brim, we could smell the alcohol in his breath.

Finally after 30 mins the ambulance and the cops arrived. If that man had some serious injury he would have died by the time it took them to get there. The cops took the statement from the people in the Innova and the locals and told us to take the car and the family to a nearby town and to drop the family and return the vehicle to the police station. The Taigun was still running, no error on the dash except for when I turned right because of the broken fog lamp and the right hand mirror. (this made me really happy with my decision).

The locals were extremely helpful in getting us a place to stay, because it was Pongal the next day hotels were not taking in guests as people were taking rooms to get drunk, atleast that's what we were told. After going in and out of 3 hotels with 2 locals they finally made some calls and got us a room.

The next day:

Now begin my rounds of the police station. Called the cop who was at the scene, he said that they haven't been able to find the guy and did not get any information on which hospital he's been taken to. By around 11 am I went back to the station post which they took the number of the bike from me and made a few calls to trace the guy's whereabouts. Now came the talks of how much it would cost to get my car, have the FIR filed, compensation for that guy. I was lucky to have people help me who made a few calls and finally the cops told me that they couldn't file an FIR without knowing the condition of the guy and told me it would take about 5 days since it was a long holiday because of Pongal.

Now the cops suggested taking the blame as then it would be an open and shut case for them else they will have to treat it as a drunk drive case on that guy and it might take about 1.5 -2 years to be closed with me having to go down to Thirukadyaiur every time they summon me, and the injured guy might get some compensation. Nothing for me as the guy riding didn't have a helmet, no license and neither insurance or any other documents on him. Iprotested, but later agreed as this was the best option as suggest by a lawyer friend and this is the norm.

The aftermath:

We didn't return to Chennai, we went ahead to Velankanni as the misses suggested. We were originally heading there to offer prayers for my deceased father. We returned back to Chennai via cab on 16/01 and waited for the call from the cops.

Finally got the call and went back to pick up the car on 19/01 with a friend. There were some minor hiccups but finished at the police station with the FIR took the car to the ME at the RTO and then we drove it back to Chennai.

The Taigun didn't even feel like it had been in an accident still handled just as well aside from the increased wind noise and also a minor heaviness on the steering, which am not sure was with the car or something physcological.

Drove it to Chennai and gave it to the Volkswagen service center on 20/01.

The service centre:

They took the car and told me an estimate of 1.3 -1.4 lakhs. I had already initiated a claim with the insurance. They made me fill out a claim form and also a satisfaction letter, the latter which I wasn't very happy to sign without seeing the work done, but on the service centers insistence, I signed as they told me else I have to pay from my pockets and claim from the insurance. For some reason they kept insisting on polishing the car which didn't fall under the insurance. I told them that the car was anyways due for its second service so polishing can be done post that if required.

Tata AIG insurance has been hassle free up until now, will keep you updated on the details as things progress, I have comprehensive insurance with addons for consumables and hotel stay and transport and also with engine protect.

So what's giving me restlessness is that the body shop manager told me that it would cost 1.3-1.4 lakhs and I will have to shell out 3-4K from my pocket. They gave an estimate of 80K to the insurance and yesterday 31/01 they called me and told me it will be 1.5 lakhs and I will have to shell out 20K from my pocket.

Again insisting on polishing, I told them today 01/02 morning to hold off the polishing until after the 2nd service is done, first repair the car and let me inspect it.

I will keep you all posted on things as and when they progress, attached are the pics, I really pray I get her back the same way as she was before the accident.

One not-so-gentleman even said he saw me hit the scooter with his own eyes.

BHPian harshaguduru recently shard this with other enthusiasts

Having a dash cam has become a necessity. This incident happened to me around midnight 2 days ago. Onlookers immediately tried to blame me for hitting the scooter. One not-so-gentleman even said he saw me hit the scooter with his own eyes.

Fortunately was able to show them the footage and leave it unscathed.

Check out the video from my dashcam. Accident footage at 0:44 seconds.

Here's what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

I agree on the necessity of a dashcam in today's times. Just curious - did the rider also claim you had hit him or he was decent enough to clarify otherwise?

BHPian harashaguduru replied:

He was in shock. I think he assumed I had hit him because the 3-4 people who accumulated started narrating the same, and did not let him speak. If you see the video, the bike guy overtook me at around 50kmph from the left with no helmet on. He is lucky he was able to walk away. Once I proved my innocence I left the spot. The injured guy was ok, nothing life-threatening so I did not want to linger.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

As the police men also realised that the vehicle had a major break down, they asked my friend and family to take up all valuable items and board the police vehicle.

BHPian sachinpk recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

An incident narrated by my family friend and neighbour. The day before X'Mas he and family (wife + 2 kids) drove via the new Mysore Express Highway towards Kasaragod Dt., KL. They started a bit late, by around 6PM. Some where near Bidadi their vehicle broke down, and it was more like a 'multiple organ failure'. They tried reaching the vehicle dealership to see if they can arrange a tow truck. No luck there, and precious time was lost there as well. They looked for local workshops, but by around 7:30-08:00PM they had shut shop as well. It was now pitch dark and things were getting more risky.

At around 8:00PM my friend dialed 100 and sought police help. I think the call got routed to Ramanagara Dt Control room and they gave him the number of a police patrol unit. He called them, but the response was that the area where was not in their beat. More time was lost and finally they called 112 (which is the new emergency help number). 112 control room alerted the Highway Police unit, who called my friend. My friend shared his location via WhatsApp.

Soon the police vehicle reached the spot. As the police men also realised that the vehicle had a major break down, they asked my friend and family to take up all valuable items and board the police vehicle. The police men then took them to a good hotel between Ramanagara and Bidadi, so that they can stay there. They also managed to get the number of a local mechanic who promised to check the vehicle and tow it to his workshop.

The best part of this episode was that the two children had a very positive experience about the police, and the role they play (or should be actually playing) in the society.

Next day the car was towed to the workshop, and the family had to travel by bus to Madikeri. Ka.SRTC did have reserved seats, but the bus was too crowded.

Check out BHPian commentsstr for more insights and information.

The feeder highways have no proper signboards showing directions and distances to the entry point of the Samruddhi super expressway and those new need to do their homework first.

BHPian anjaan_c2007 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

We from the Cent Ind Vintage Automotive Association (CIVAA) went for a drive on our vintage cars today, during forenoon on this much talked about 8 lane super expressway. The entry point is through feeder highways starting from NH 44 followed by another feeder state highway stretching for about 18-20 kms distance in all from Nagpur city (zero milestone). The first two pictures are from our halt on NH 44.

The feeder highways have no proper signboards showing directions and distances to the entry point of the Samruddhi SE way and those new need to do their homework first, before reaching the entry point.

Once on the Samruddhi SE way, one just drives on and on. The expressway allows max speed of 120 kmph and there are intermittent signboards showing the max speed and the green rounded topped with white base replicas of the age old milestones, showing distances to the next interchange (village/town/city names). The overhead signboards showing distances to towns and cities ahead are aplenty.

We did steady speeds of upto 60-70 kmph (40-50 MPH on my car's speedo) and crossed two of the 19 interchanges during our drive. Traffic is very sparse and the new generation cars were zooming past on both directions. We also saw very few trucks but no buses moving during our drive. Perhaps if the road is opened up till Mumbai and the proposed interchanges for Aurangabad and Pune, maybe we will see more "tyre/wheel falls" (like the term footfalls we use for humans).

There is a troop of Grey langurs ( genus Semnopithecus) just near the first interchange (near Hingna village) that are bound to be killjoys for speeding cars. On the inaugural day, one was trampled and newspapers had featured the simian's corpse lying on the middle of the road. This needs to be taken care of else there are bound to be more simian casualties. They just joyfully dance on or off the road.

We found one brand new Bharat Petroleum fuel outlet towards the Mumbai - Nagpur part of the SE way just near the toll points. The BP outlet is just about a week old and not at all crowded. Hence, attendants are still well behaved. They were inquisitive about our old cars. One was asking whether the VW Beetle was an EV as it had no front grille. I had my fill of ten litres for fuel adequacy during our drive.

And a last word, for some who say this SE way is class above all and almost like or even better than the Autobahns. My answer is NO. Those who have driven on Autobahns will vouch that they are much more superbly built. I couldn't find anything different on this SE way that perches it above our other expressways and would never think of comparing it with the Autobahns.

Cars if driven here must be hassle free and one must have adequate snacks, food and drinking water to last through the to be covered distance. Any car breakdown would be a nightmare.

Some images to share:

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The guy at the rear heard a vehicle coming down making lot of sounds, which we in the front must have heard too. It was coming with greater speed than usual and he had to jump aside.

BHPian fawad0222 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Few close medico friends knowing each other for more than thirty years, spread across the planet, planned to have a reunion at a National tiger reserve. Dates finalized, hotel booked, modes of travel defined and finally we met on 20th November, 2022.

As expected it began on a thunderous note, had huge fun filled, time, safari embedded, local scenic drives, laughters in galore, reminiscences of college time maverick scenes, hidden heart throbs and on . It was indeed going the great way it was expected to be. That's how 20th and 21st November went away in a blur and finally we entered the 22nd the second last day of our dream sojourn.

Tiger safari was planned in the afternoon so we got up at a leisure pace, had a hearty brunch and after collectively praying for the afternoon prayers, we got ready for the afternoon safari. Now our hotel was located in a jungle atop a mountain and only way to travel between the base parking where our vehicles were parked and the hotel was by 4*4 vehicle usually open Gypsys provided by the hotels. It was probably a distance of of a km of a highly treacherous mountain road if one can call it so. It was an unpaved road put on a bit of shape with stones nothing else. Like a day before, as a natural and mountain lover, I decided to walk down this road till the place where it got connected with a paved road, where I would then board the 4*4 hotel car supposed to follow me a little later with some of my friends traveling in it. We were three friends who were walking that fateful day. Like the last time we were taking full precautions required for walking on such a path like sticking to the sides, keeping an eye, actually more an ear on the occasional vehicles coming down as due to harshness of the path they made cacophony of sounds and couldn't be missed. As any such vehicle approached, we could hear it from far way and took to side of a of the road well in time.

Now what I am going to tell you is not from memory but what my other two friends told later. Out of the three people walking, I was in the front, second one was keeping up with me with occasional rise of a gap of few yards, the one at the rear used to fall back considerable by 8-10 yards or by a turn on the road. The one in the rear heard a vehicle coming down making lot of sounds, which we in the front must have heard too. It was coming with greater speed than usual and he had to jump aside. Then it reached us, with my friend who was just behind me barely could save himself and he gave me a shout too. But as far as I remember, I just saw a glimpse of a vehicle while responding to either with the vehicle's racy approach or the warning shout my friend made, before the vehicle hit me and the hilly side and tumbled partially over me.

My left leg was crushed and later somehow I got extricated out from under the vehicle. To his credit, driver didn't run away, the reason I am not sure, he hadn't suffered any serious injury. My other two friends were in shock, I was unconscious bleeding heavily and there was no help around. As there were no phone signals, somehow in another 20-25 minutes, my friends who were going to use the 4*4 hotel vehicle, came to know about the incidents, though not exactly the extent reached me. They found that I was lying bleeding on the road with Jeep precariously hanging over me.

They mounted the resuscitation straightaway, though definitely hampered by the emotional trauma they were going through simultaneously. All were doctors but chiefly the job was taken over by the ICU intensivist and the orthopedic surgeon. Using the jackets they made a bed for me on the Isuzu V Max, especially provided by our hotel, used belts and shirts as tourniquets to try to stem the bleeding, while the car sped towards the nearest local town.

While doing this, luckily by the grace of the almighty, my intensivists friend's in-laws were from the first town we would reach in half an hour. They were called to be ready with all the resuscitation medical required, when we reached there. That done, we sped to the nearest big hospital, which was in a city, a solid 50 minutes drive from there where again our reception and the freehand my friends were given to manage me in their acute care are, was facilitated by my friend's in-laws. My friends literally took control of the ICU and tried to further resuscitate and stabilise me. CT scans of the body were done, to rule out any other injuries, which thankfully I escaped from, again through God's Providence only.

My wound was thoroughly examined and the decision was made to shift me to a higher centre in Delhi immediately, which was still fraught with risk. Once again a journey having unknown fate for me was started in the ambulance accomplished by two of my friends, the intensivist and the orthopedic surgeon. During the journey they tried to give me blood, which they couldn't as I had reaction. Finally, the ambulance reached at the doorsteps of the army base hospital, Delhi at 2200 hrs, which was decided to be the place I was to be taken to, during my journey to Delhi, in consultation with my wife who was at that time in Pune, the place of her posting.

The people were ready, and I was straight way taken to the OT and was operated upon. In next two days, with my condition deteriorating, the decision for below knee amputation was taken and was done through. After spending seven more days in ICU, finally I stabilised and was shifted to the officers ward. Since then, I am working through pain, wound healing and process of rehabilitation, while in the ward. I still have to go through operation for shoulder fracture.

Now after getting through the acute phase, the process for lodging the FIR has started. Some questions which are going to be asked are:

• The Bolero pickup which hit me, had no registration plate attached. Why?
• Why was the pickup going so fast? Was it brake failure or the driver just lost the control?
• Did the driver have any valid license?

The government collects so much money from us in the form of registration and other taxes and also fines us heavily when we commit a mistake. Now is it going to compensate me for failing to ensure a fit vehicle on the road, or for allowing an unregistered Vehicle to ply or may be a driver without a driving license.

Let's see, how it goes from here.

What will happen to my new Jeep Compass manual, which had the first long drive then. I am sure I would be able to drive again, but when, how, what car. Is my passion for long drives over.

I have not mentioned the actual name of the hotel, or the place as there is going to be legal process starting soon.

Finally I request you all to pray for me as I am sure only prayers saved me.

Drive safe.

Sincere regards.

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Caught up with the bus and made him stop. The driver and the conductor refused to accept their mistake feigning ignorance that he was unaware of his bus hitting something.

BHPian skanchan95 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The car met with two unfortunate accidents on consecutive days.

November 24 2022, 17:30:

One of those infamous Mangalore bus drivers brushed the car while trying beat a cop's stop signal at the Baikampady Industrial Area Junction. I slowed down, partly because on seeing the crossing traffic waiting ahead, I was expecting the cop to stop and partly because I was expecting some impatient two wheeler to dart across. To beat them both, the bus driver increased is speed and changed lanes without checking his ORVM, resulting in the car getting hit with a loud thud. I feared there would be a big dent on the bumper and severe damage on the bumper( which turned out to be much less after looking).

No matter how defensively you drive, no matter how much caution you exercise on the roads, you will always have suicidal and reckless maniacs like these bus drivers who show no respect to fellow motorists and pedestrians!!

Caught up with the bus and made him stop. The driver and the conductor refused to accept their mistake feigning ignorance that he was unaware of his bus hitting something. I showed them the scratches and yellow paint that their bus had transferred on the fender and the bumper. Most importantly, the dashcam footage was irrefutable proof of their rash driving and that the bus indeed had hit the car. They started apologizing profusely and asked to let it go as their boss would throw them out of their jobs if I created a scene.

November 25 2022, 09:30:

Near MCF, Three dogs darted across the highway. There was nothing I could do to stop in time or avoid the dogs. The first two were lucky but the third got hit by the car and did not survive, which was heartbreaking for me.

Opened the bonnet to see if there was any damage in the engine bay and underneath or if any fluids were leaking. Other than the bumper, nothing seemed to be visibly damaged. The car was running fine and A/C was working.

Spoke to United Toyota to see if I could drive straight to their workshop and drop the car for repairs. They said their Bodyshop is full and it could take 7-10 days for the car to be repaired and quoted Rs 9000 odd for only the bumper replacement(including painting & labour charges) - The fender repair charges would be extra.

I then checked withy Mr Sanjay Set of The Pitstop Carz Spa if he could accept the car for repairs. Drove straight to his facility in Mannegudda, Mangalore where he said the bumper could possibly be repaired but it would be better to replace it.

He checked with both Toyota & Maruti workshops for the cost of the bumper. Maruti quoted 2550(delivery - immediate) & Toyota 2705 (delivery - two days later). He ordered the bumper from Maruti. I also asked him to check & damage on the fender and repair it. He said the paint could be scrubbed off, but there was light dent on the wheel arch, which was visible when viewed at a certain angle, at the junction of the fender and the bumper, paint had chipped off which would lead to corrosion later. As the fender was going to be repainted, I asked him to repaint the left side of the rear bumper ( which had a big ugly scratch thanks to a reckless biker. Also chose to get the paint protection/refinement coating done.

On Monday, I was informed that the car was ready. As I was busy that day, I picked up the car the next day:

Total bill for:

• Repair(Bumper replacement, Fender Repair & Repaint and rear bumper quarter repaint) - Rs. 12,081.
• Paint protection/refinement coating - Rs. 5,500.

The job done was simply outstanding. The paint work was almost as good as factory finish - No paint mismatch or haziness. The pictures speak for themselves how good a job was done by Mr Sanjay Shet and his crew at Carz Spa, Mannegudda, Mangalore. Having got my old Figo and i20 repaint work done from him earlier, I can confidently say that he is probably the best in Mangalore and would recommend him highly to anyone in Mangalore who wish to get a paint job done.

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