[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Fiat Avventura fell off a bridge, 15 feet down into a dry river bed full of rocks. A college professor who was driving solo escaped unscathed. This happened at Kalladikode, near Palakkad.

Attachment 1492029

Picture courtesy: Manorama online.

It looks like the airbag has deployed and there is frontal damage too.
I saw the photo from the newspaper on facebook, but I cannot read Malayalam.
I wondered if it hit something and fell down because of that or is it just the bridge railings. Is there something written about this?

But with so much of the roof crushed, the driver is really lucky to have escaped unhurt.

[itwasntme]

If the fall was directly onto the roof portion then it only goes on to prove the build quality of FIAT vehicles. Amazing!

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

It looks like the airbag has deployed and there is frontal damage too.
I saw the photo from the newspaper on facebook, but I cannot read Malayalam.
I wondered if it hit something and fell down because of that or is it just the bridge railings. Is there something written about this?

But with so much of the roof crushed, the driver is really lucky to have escaped unhurt.

As per the newspaper report, the railings of the bridge was broken a few months ago in an accident and temporary railings made of bamboo were in place. The car broke this bamboo railing and flew off down into the river bed. No mention of impact with any other vehicle.
It seems there were lot of protests at the site after the accident since the locals allege the broken railings were not repaired in spite of repeated pleads .

[VW2010]

11:53 SC steps in to help road accident victims with Good Samaritan law : The Supreme Court today approved the Centre's guidelines to protect Good Samaritans, who help road accident victims, from being unnecessarily harassed by police or any other authority.

A bench comprising justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra asked the central government to give wide publicity to these guidelines so that people who help others in the time of distress are not victimised by any authority.Earlier this month, the apex court had said it will pass an order on the recommendations of a committee headed by its former judge on road safety which advocated that people saving lives of road accident victims need not fear harassment by police or other authorities.


The bench also took on record the guidelines placed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways which were based on the recommendations of the three-member committee headed by former judge K S Radhakrishnan.

The committee, also comprising former Secretary of Road Transport Ministry S Sundar and Nishi Mittal, ex-chief scientist, had given 12 major recommendations including setting up of State Road Safety Councils, evolving a protocol for identification of black spots, their removal and monitoring to see the effectiveness of the action taken.


The apex court-appointed committee had also suggested strengthening of enforcement relating to drunken driving, over-speeding, red light jumping and helmet or seat belt laws.


The ministry had said in a statement that in the absence of any statutory backing, it was proving difficult to enforce these guidelines and therefore the government had approached the apex court to consider issuing these guidelines, through an order binding on all states and Union Territories, until the Union government enacts a law to this effect.


The apex court had in 2014 appointed the three-member committee to monitor steps taken by the Centre and state governments to ensure road safety.

This is welcome news.

Source - www.rediff.com

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Thicker Sheet metal doesn't result in greater protection during crashes.

Absolutely true, but the converse may not be.

Thicker metal does not make a car more safe, but skimping on the metal may well make it less safe. How else is it that we have Indian models that don't pass safety tests that the European equivalents do pass?

Originally Posted by coolboy007

To each his own, lets not debate about it on this thread as it would be off topic.

That battle is lost, I'm afraid. This thread will always have posts decrying cars because they crush i an elephant sits on them, or demanding 3mm steel for the structure. Misunderstandings with a sprinkling of brand bias thrown in

I feel safe sitting in a car which is well built, when the hatchbacks were tested for crash ratings, only the Figo and Polo had come out with a stable structure ...

Me too! Feeling safer is part of my reasoning for driving a Polo. Whilst it really counts that I also trust that stuff like crumple zones has been well designed, I try to remember that it is still just a tin box.

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

Will filling Nitrogen instead of air in the tube/tyre serve the purpose of reducing accidents due to tyre burst.

Nitrogen (at least for road cars) has been debunked. Air is mostly nitrogen anyway. Pressurised gas escapes through holes, and fast through big holes: it doesn't matter what gas it is.

[Night Raven]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Fiat Avventura fell off a bridge, 15 feet down into a dry river bed full of rocks. A college professor who was driving solo escaped unscathed. This happened at Kalladikode, near Palakkad.

Attachment 1492029

Picture courtesy: Manorama online.

That place has been an accident spot on the palakkad - kozhikode highway for years. One sharp right hand curve to enter the bridge, and you exit the bridge to another sharp left hand curve. The bridge itself is not that wide also. A slight miscalculation or a sudden swerving to avoid another vehicle on the bridge can get you off the bridge. The river bed is full of big rocks and except in monsoons its usually dry also.
The picture doesn't show the driver side, still i guess the driver was very lucky to have escaped unhurt from that situation.

[virgopal]

CHENNAI, March 31, 2016
3 killed as car rams lorry
Three men were killed when the car in which they were travelling rammed into a lorry parked on the margins of National Highway 4 (Bengaluru highway) at Santhavelur in Sunguvarchathiram in Kancheepuram district early on Wednesday.

While two of the victims were professors at a private engineering college in Tiruchengode in Namakkal district, the third was a lab assistant. The lorry, carrying a consignment of beer, had developed a snag and was waiting for a mechanic from Kancheepuram to attend to the fault. C. Babu was driving the car which left from Tiruchengode at 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Assistant professors K. Jagadeesan (31) of mechanical engineering, K. Senthilkumar (32) of electrical engineering and M. Mahadevan (33) of information technology departments, and L. Thyagarajan, lab assistant were travelling in the car.

Around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, the car rammed into the lorry that was parked on the roadside, killing Senthilkumar, Mahadevan and Thyagarajan on the spot.

Jagadeesan was referred to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai and the car driver Babu was taken to Sriperumbudur Taluk Government Hospital for treatment. Later he too was referred to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, police said, adding that their condition was a cause for concern.

Sunguvarchatiram police engaged a crane to remove the car that had rammed into the lorry, resulting in it getting completely damaged. They had some difficulty in removing the bodies for a while. Sunguvarchatram police are investigating.

[hemanth.anand]

Yesterday Evening, While returning home, there was a massive jam on the NECE road. it was caused by a major accident.
A Tata Starbus had hit a truck and the left portion till its steps was completely damaged.
I was in our company cab. We saw lot of blood all over the road
Seeing the vehicle, it was clear for us that anyone sitting on the single seat beside the driver couldn't have escaped.
But all our colleagues and I were hoping that nobody was sitting there and it was only injuries.

But sadly it was not the case to be. A report in today's TOI confirmed our fear. May the young soul Rest in peace
Attached is a photo that a colleague of mine took from his mobile phone. and the link to the news report.

Biocon scientist killed, 3 injured as minibus hits truck

A 25-year-old scientist with Biocon was killed and her two colleagues were injured when the minibus ferrying them home from work hit a truck near SNN Raj Apartments on Nice Road in south-east Bengaluru on Wednesday evening.
Police said the mini-bus, which was ferrying 15 Biocon employees home, tried to overtake the truck but ended up hitting it around 6pm. Revathi Raghunath, who was in the front seat, took the brunt of the collision.

Revathi and three other injured persons were rushed to a private hospital, where she was declared dead on arriv al, police said.

A resident of Hosakerehalli, Revathi had joined Biocon in December last. The body will be handed over to the family after postmortem on Thursday .

Police said the driver, belonging to Sai Travels, fled and the other employees had to find their way back.

“The front portion of the vehicle is completely damaged. Members of Sai Travels said the driver would be brought before us on Thursday ,“ the jurisdictional inspector said, adding that “prima facie the accident occurred due to the driver's negligence “.

A Biocon spokesperson said the incident is tragic and their team is providing all support to the family in such difficult times. Bengaluru:

Source:
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/A...31032016003034

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Yesterday Evening, While returning home, there was a massive jam on the NECE road. it was caused by a major accident.

Sad news indeed!!

I fear company buses more on NICE/NECE than the city routes only because they are really fast here. Not even a single company buse including the regular sized buses do anything less than 100kmph on this road, fully loaded with employees. Even the BMTC Buses (Contracted & Regular service) are driven rashly.

Overtaking them needs a speed of at least 120 KMPH at any given point in time. They don't give up if they have good momentum and will do anything to maintain that - They can swerve lanes, push you off, overtake from shoulder or even cut certain slow moving vehicles to make sure they never have to hit the B Pedal and keep that A pedal floored all the times.

May the should of the departed R.I.P.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Sad news indeed!!

I fear company buses more on NICE/NECE than the city routes only because they are really fast here. Not even a single company buse including the regular sized buses do anything less than 100kmph on this road, fully loaded with employees. Even the BMTC Buses (Contracted & Regular service) are driven rashly.

Overtaking them needs a speed of at least 120 KMPH at any given point in time. They don't give up if they have good momentum and will do anything to maintain that - They can swerve lanes, push you off, overtake from shoulder or even cut certain slow moving vehicles to make sure they never have to hit the B Pedal and keep that A pedal floored all the times.

May the should of the departed R.I.P.

Its not just about the speed. (120kmph is the designated speed limit on the road), its a combination of many factors including the way we people drive.

• The road is just not capable of handling traffic at 120kmph.
• The emergency shoulder, made into a two wheeler lane- is also used by buses, cars and trucks alike.
• Trucks occupying all 2 lanes forcing other to use that shoulder.
• many vehicles especially cabs overtake from the rightmost lane to the leftmost lane without looking at their ORVMs. I guess this is one such bad overtake move.
• Poorly designed ramps-Worst being the entry from Bhannerghatta road towards Mysore road
• the BMTC designated stops at junctions has made sure that people wanting to board these buses stand on the high speed road
• Innumerable vehicles that breakdown down due to ill maintenance or just are incapable of high speed cruising
• And finally our ever casual attitude towards traffic rules

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Sad news indeed!!

I fear company buses more on NICE/NECE than the city routes only because they are really fast here. Not even a single company buse including the regular sized buses do anything less than 100kmph on this road, fully loaded with employees. Even the BMTC Buses (Contracted & Regular service) are driven rashly.

Overtaking them needs a speed of at least 120 KMPH at any given point in time. They don't give up if they have good momentum and will do anything to maintain that - They can swerve lanes, push you off, overtake from shoulder or even cut certain slow moving vehicles to make sure they never have to hit the B Pedal and keep that A pedal floored all the times.

May the should of the departed R.I.P.

Looking at all these reports, I can definitely say that it is better to drive on a traffic jammed road rather than an empty road. The moment any stretch is deserted for even a few metres, speed picks up instantly.
It is high time the govt fixes speed governors in Traveler vehicles, private buses and even cabs so that there is some sort of sanity on the roads.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Its not just about the speed. (120kmph is the designated speed limit on the road),

Which itself is a separate topic that we need to discuss as we know how bad the condition of the road is if one is thinking 120 is the limit here.

Given the condition of the road, the density at peak hours, the mix of traffic and the urgency to drop employees on time ensures that each of these buses speed on this corridor and that speeding is so evident when you simply follow them for 2 kms.

They may be doing 80kmph also but for the maneuvers they indulge, it still is f_a_s_t.....really fast for a Bus or an LCV.

• The road is just not capable of 120kmph for which it is designated.
• The emergency shoulder, made into a two wheeler lane- is also used by buses, cars and trucks alike.
• Trucks occupying all 2 lanes forcing other to use that shoulder.
• many vehicles especially cabs overtake from the rightmost lane to the leftmost lane without looking at their ORVMs. I guess this is one such bad overtake move.
• Poorly designed ramps-Worst being the entry from NICE road towards Mysore road
• the BMTC designated stops at junctions has made sure that people wanting to board these buses stand on the high speed road
• Innumerable vehicles that breakdown down due to ill maintenance or just are incapable of high speed cruising

Eventually, all the above can be clubbed into just one simple statement as below from your own list :

• And finally our ever casual attitude towards traffic rules

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Given the condition of the road, the density at peak hours, the mix of traffic and the urgency to drop employees on time ensures that each of these buses speed on this corridor and that speeding is so evident when you simply follow them for 2 kms.

They may be doing 80kmph also but for the maneuvers they indulge, it still is f_a_s_t.....really fast for a Bus or an LCV.

Yes, Its scary to travel in them (I do it almost every day). I have tried hard to educate some drivers but have given up. So, I sleep most of the times.
Some days when I take my car, its more scary to watch them from behind when they make those moves.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Yesterday Evening, While returning home, there was a massive jam on the NECE road. it was caused by a major accident.
A Tata Starbus had hit a truck and the left portion till its steps was completely damaged.
I was in our company cab. We saw lot of blood all over the road
Seeing the vehicle, it was clear for us that anyone sitting on the single seat beside the driver couldn't have escaped.

Its high time that these company cab drivers are taught good lessons on how to drive. But in equal responsiblity, the employees should also be equally responsible. If you sit silent and let the driver take you home ten minutes early, then some day, the price paid will be high like the poor lady. I went one day in the office cab and that was the last day I ever sat in that stupid contraption called tempo traveller. Size of a bus and being manevoured like an Auto. And these mini buses are no better.

Not sure what impact this accident may do since AFAIK this is the first accident I have heard where a company employee is KILLED due to a transport provider.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by audioholic

the employees should also be equally responsible. If you sit silent and let the driver take you home ten minutes early, then some day, the price paid will be high like the poor lady.

This is easier said than done sir. Trust me, I've attempted it and given up. In the end you end up being a fool.
The drivers just don't give a damn to what you say. I've even complained to authorities but nothing much happens. The authorities say that we have to adjust because if we say too much, the drivers just leave their job the next day as there are lot of companies to hire them.
Sometimes, other colleagues don't give you any support. some people even come late to their pick up points and when asked to come early to their pick up point, they say that "its ok, we can make up in the NECE road"

Not sure what impact this accident may do since AFAIK this is the first accident I have heard where a company employee is KILLED due to a transport provider.

Hope something concrete happens other than just that driver being removed from duty.