Team-BHP - Accidents in India

Quote:

Originally Posted by anujmishra (Post 1522031)

I can bet how many of car owners here know the controlled stopping distance of car and time. It means from 100 - 0 how many meters it will travel and how much time it will take.

Interesting. I have done intentional slow down, but never attempted an emergency braking at speeds like 100 kmph. Agree with you its a must learning to understand the practical stopping distances at high speeds . May be trying doing that from 70-80-90-100 kmph will help.. By the way, does it harm any part of the car (lets assume that I practice in a open ground)

Edit: This will also help to learn how the car behaves at such situation & may come handy during an emergency braking at a highway trip, atleast you want panic as you would be got used to that

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_naik (Post 1518756)

Let's accept the fact that none of our Highways (whether 2 lane or 4 lane or 6 lanes ) are designed to travel at speeds above 60-80kmph.

I for one do not cross 60 -80 kmph even on a reasonably good road like the one which links Bangalore to BIAL.

I agree, n_naik. Although high-speed driving is fun, some of my friends and I follow the same rule after having some close calls. Indian roads are simply too dangerous due to the -- relatively speaking -- huge population, lack of infrastructure, ignorance, stupidity, indiscipline, corruption, and poverty.

Until conditions improve, we currently follow these rules so that we have a wider margin of error and safety:

1) Speed:

Dry weather:

For cars without ABS, max. speed is 40 kmph in city and 60 kmph on highway.
For cars with ABS, max. speed is 40-60 kmph in city and 60-80 kmph on highway.

Wet weather and higher traffic/pedestrian population require slower speeds.

2) Seat belts and DRL's (daytime running lights - make it easier for people to see you from a greater distance.)

If one's car/bike does not have DRL's, use the parking lights in the city and parking+fog/driving or low-beam lights on the highway. If oncoming cars and pedestrians flash their lights or wave at you telling you that your lights are on, ignore or acknowledge them and be happy that they have consciously acknowledged your presence on the road among the sea of traffic and people and are less likely to crash into you.

Years ago, I remember reading about DRL's debuting as a standard feature on Canada market cars. I thought it was a crazy idea and did not understand it until I later saw a few cars and semi-trucks in the USA with them. The revelation came to me when driving and overtaking on two-way USA highway roads at 60-100 mph. Vehicles with DRL's had excellent road presence and I was able to make better, more cautious, overtaking decisions with a wider safety margin whenever I saw an oncoming vehicle with DRL's.

Even in the city, at low speeds, whenever my alertness was less than optimal, DRL's on USA market vehicles helped significantly raise my alertness towards that vehicle's road presence.

Based on my experience, I advise all Teambhp members to use DRL's here in India.

Quote:

Originally Posted by srikanths1 (Post 1521517)

Anyone who has driven the Mumbai-Pune e-way will assure how well lane discipline is followed. Its not like in par with US but surely 100% better than any other place in india.

Uh-oh! I can't but disagree.......

There are plenty of "educated / assorted idiots" on the e-way who overtake left, right and center! And quite a good number of CVs who stick to the center lane no matter what - been driving on it quite frequently since the last five years, and the discipline has deteriorated.

On the other hand, the Pune - Bangalore, Pune - Aurangabad has been four laned now (with a divider in between) and drivers are more considerate!!

No offense, Srikanth - I did enjoy the trip from Pune to Aurangabad and Pune to Kolhapur much more than the Pune to Mumbai (e-way) trip - you yourself mentioned "threat to others" and that is precisely what some drivers on e-way do, the way they overtake and cut lanes.

If you had read ToI this week, you would have noticed that Pune-Mumbai eway has topped in all India accident list! (I rest my case:D)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dose (Post 1522908)

Years ago, I remember reading about DRL's debuting as a standard feature on Canada market cars. I thought it was a crazy idea and did not understand it until I later saw a few cars and semi-trucks in the USA with them. The revelation came to me when driving and overtaking on two-way USA highway roads at 60-100 mph. Vehicles with DRL's had excellent road presence and I was able to make better, more cautious, overtaking decisions with a wider safety margin whenever I saw an oncoming vehicle with DRL's.

Even in the city, at low speeds, whenever my alertness was less than optimal, DRL's on USA market vehicles helped significantly raise my alertness towards that vehicle's road presence.

Based on my experience, I advise all Teambhp members to use DRL's here in India.

DRL was originally started in Scandinavian countries, where the ambient light is poor half of the year, following I got from Wikipedia

The Daytime Running Light was first mandated, and safety benefits first perceived, in Scandinavian countries where it is frequently and persistently dark during daytime hours. As ambient light levels increase, the potential safety benefit decreases while the DRL intensity required for a safety improvement increases. The safety benefit produced by DRLs in relatively dark Nordic countries is roughly triple the benefit observed in relatively bright Israel and America.[2]

So I am not sure the benefits of DRL in India,

more info Daytime running lamp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dose (Post 1522908)

2) Seat belts and DRL's (daytime running lights - make it easier for people to see you from a greater distance.)

If one's car/bike does not have DRL's, use the parking lights in the city and parking+fog/driving or low-beam lights on the highway. If oncoming cars and pedestrians flash their lights or wave at you telling you that your lights are on, ignore or acknowledge them and be happy that they have consciously acknowledged your presence on the road among the sea of traffic and people and are less likely to crash into you.

Years ago, I remember reading about DRL's debuting as a standard feature on Canada market cars. I thought it was a crazy idea and did not understand it until I later saw a few cars and semi-trucks in the USA with them. The revelation came to me when driving and overtaking on two-way USA highway roads at 60-100 mph. Vehicles with DRL's had excellent road presence and I was able to make better, more cautious, overtaking decisions with a wider safety margin whenever I saw an oncoming vehicle with DRL's.

Even in the city, at low speeds, whenever my alertness was less than optimal, DRL's on USA market vehicles helped significantly raise my alertness towards that vehicle's road presence.

Based on my experience, I advise all Teambhp members to use DRL's here in India.

+1:thumbs up, I have the habit of turning on my head light and fog lamps as soon as i enter a highway or on a high-speed flyover even in the day, I've noticed the difference, People let you over take and the vehicles coming in the opposite direction stick to their lane/side. Flashing the headlights or keeping the headlights on makes people think that you are not gonna stop no matter what! lol:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dose (Post 1522908)

If one's car/bike does not have DRL's, use the parking lights in the city and parking+fog/driving or low-beam lights on the highway. If oncoming cars and pedestrians flash their lights or wave at you telling you that your lights are on, ignore or acknowledge them and be happy that they have consciously acknowledged your presence on the road among the sea of traffic and people and are less likely to crash into you..

Agree with you 100%. :thumbs up
Recently I followed exactly the same while coming from Pondichery to Chennai on ECR in the mid-day time. I kept my Low beam headlight on throughout, until I reached the city limits.
Of course, the pedestrians, two wheelers and oncoming cars were so enthusiastic to point to me that my 'headlights were ON'. But, as you said, I just ingored them. This practice also helped me to discourage the morons overtaking even after seeing my car oncoming.
This is a very safe practice.

Agree with the 60-70kmph speed limit on highways...way too many dangers to go any higher, I guess even 70 is too high already..

A partial list of dangers on our 'highways'...

1. Road suddenly vanishing into a unpaved section/huge pothole, diversion etc
2. Cleverly camoflauged speed breakers
3. Bullock carts (needless to say without lights) traveling on WRONG side of road...have seen this myself many times.
4. Trucks without any rear light, either parked or broken down on right lane or wrong side of road, with some twigs placed 2 feet away as a 'warning' indicator. Recent Volvo bus crash in Mangalore area was one such - the truck had huge logs protruding several feet, which scythed through the Volvo killing several sleeping passengers.
5. Villagers casually crossing road without looking at traffic at all even for courtesy..

Quote:

Originally Posted by vrprabhu (Post 1523031)

"Rest your case" !!! ha ha, now why does this statement sound so familiar to me ;-) ... Yea i do agree upon the perils in E-Way. Its just that its comparatively better than open circuit roads.

But rest assured, like you rightly pointed there are plenty of "educated / assorted idiots" who are a clear threat to safety of road users until which time driving in ones own porch will comparatively be the most safest

Quote:

Originally Posted by srikanths1 (Post 1523578)

I totally agree with that. A sense of recklessness can be encountered anywhere and everywhere. Self regulation is best.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mclaren1885 (Post 1524735)

Looks like a headlamp wiring gone kaput? It looks like a mean tank just returned from war, though!

@mclaren, did you get to see that massive accident at byatarayanapura jucntion 3 days ago? it was ghastly ripping the front of an innova completely and the other car being an indica which was reduced to 2/3rd's the width.

i couldn't take pix coz i didn't stop. it was bang next to my office but i couldn't go out to take pix.