[Meph1st0]

Originally Posted by Goandiaries

Happened to come across this on my YT. The car driver definitely did a good job!
https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=rt2IzuFtlTY

I think the car driver did a very good job at not running over the bikers. (though that was not my first impression)

The bikers fall around 30~31s and the driver observes them at 33s and this can be assumed as the moment the brakes are applied. This is fair considering normal driving, maybe a bit slower. The driver had kept sufficient gap which worked for him.
The speed indicated by dash cam has a few seconds lag compared to the actual vehicle speed.

The driver says that the brakes are not working. So there definitely is some sort of oil spill. Considering this he did a good job of avoiding going over the bikers. See the biker at 52 second mark, the moment he accelerates, he slips and falls. ABS will help in the wet, not when there is an oil spill.

[krrisdrive]

Does emergency braking warrant an evaluation of situation all around the car? I do not think so. The only criteria should be what happens in front of the car. In this case, there is a fair bit of chance that the car would have stopped before the oil spill area, had emergency braking applied timely.

With respect to this driver's timely response or lack there of, watch the video once again.
If you think he should have reacted earlier, please continue to drive with the same alertness.
If you think he had reacted timely, please re-evaluate your alertness and improve.

Will I react timely is such scenario? Yes.
Will I react timely every time in such scenario? Probably no.
But "such a scenario exists and I need to be alert always" point of view helps to avoid another mishap rather than "there is a limitation to human reaction" point of view.

[epiccross]

Out of interest, what would happen if I slam brakes on a wet road where there's enough oil?

PS: From the video, the guy braked safely well ahead and IMO this would have sufficed had there been no oil spill. People are being unnecessarily harsh on the guy. It's exceptional that he's had the presence of mind to avert a tragedy.

[jomyboy]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Yes we can.

And should. OK, if we were all perfect there wouldn't be any accidents and that is not going to happen, but driving in heavy rain is a permanently dangerous situation and calls for high levels of attention. One should also be able to tune out the wife, father, dog, child, friend, etc, whatever is going on inside the car. Even every-day city traffic requires this.

These are not superhuman skills: they are driving skills.

And yet tomorrow when you would be involved in a similar situation, you'd come with the same excuse that you tried your best, but it wasn't enough. I can tell you Surgeons from across the board are at their highest alertness when using a knife, yet the risk of injury to vital organs remains. No matter how good or alert you are, if its not your day, you can't bloody well do anything about it.

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by epiccross

Out of interest, what would happen if I slam brakes on a wet road where there's enough oil?

Most likely something like this. There's zero traction to have any control;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XoAiVnj7FM

[epiccross]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Most likely something like this. There's zero traction to have any control;

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=7XoAiVnj7FM

So essentially like drifting on ice. would it have helped if the driver had slammed the brakes? I mean thankfully he'd reacted much earlier since he'd left enough gap. Had he slammed on the brakes, isn't there a good chance of his car spinning out of control and causing more harm (regardless of the ABS since it's oil + water and not just water).

In this case, the driver has done an excellent job, I would say.

[self_driven]

Got this shocking video on my feed. Watched it at 0.5x over and over again, and I can say that once the red truck (main culprit) made that stupid move, there's nothing that could have been done to avoid what ensued.

1) There is no chance that the blue truck could avoid hitting the red one, with that amount of load on what appears to be a downward slope.

2) Hitting the red truck without swerving could have possibly limited the damage to those two trucks alone. Again, this is easier said than done, and could have been fatal for truck occupants.

3) Unless it is a road where two-wheeler entry is prohibited, even the rider can't be blamed. He is on the left shoulder minding his own business. The truck on their right was much faster and would have passed ahead in a couple of seconds. This was pure bad luck that the rider was there at that time.

All this chaos for one person failing to control his urge to go first! Unfortunately one of the two-wheeler occupants paid the ultimate price. RIP.

A fatal accident occurred within the limits of Kothur Police Station in Cyberabad, resulting in the death of a biker.

https://youtu.be/XT3cOv3lz3c?feature=shared

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by epiccross

So essentially like drifting on ice. would it have helped if the driver had slammed the brakes? I mean thankfully he'd reacted much earlier since he'd left enough gap. Had he slammed on the brakes, isn't there a good chance of his car spinning out of control and causing more harm (regardless of the ABS since it's oil + water and not just water).

In this case, the driver has done an excellent job, I would say.

When there's an oil spill, as is evident in the attached YouTube video, and the oil spill has covered the entire road, then NO VEHICLE should be permitted to drive over that slippery section. There is absolutely no traction as there's no friction between the tyres and the tarmac. The oil acts as a lubricant and it's just a slippery surface.

I would dare not walk, ride or drive on that oil spill patch. The truck driver shouldn't have taken the risk. It could have ended disastrously for the passing red truck. A strict NO for any vehicle.

The right option is to spread copious amount of saw dust on the oil spilled section and then sweep it off the road. Repeat again and till such time, the tarmac is able to attain some traction with the tyres.

The above situation is very dangerous as it's oil spill and not water logging.

Water logging to a certain level is still alright for vehicles to pass and after a certain level, it becomes dangerous.

A thin layer of water on the tarmac causes hydroplaning ( the thin water layer prevents contact of the tyre with tarmac this leading to loss of traction and resulting in loss of vehicle control.

Then there's Black Ice that forms on road in snowy regions (a thin layer of ice that compacts on road and becomes hard and very slippery)and they are equally slippery and dangerous.

Similarly the first rain of the season is dangerous as many small oil spill pockets on the road (where trucks / cars might have stopped and undergone some engine repairs leading to some oil spills / broken crank case etc) and when the first rain of the season falls, these oil pockets mix with water and form a dangerous slippery road for vehicle users. It happens more in city /town roads, at highway bypass, near roadside garages etc.

Under normal rain and a regular tarmac, the traction between the tyre & road are pretty good. So contrary to the public belief that wet roads are slippery, it's not so. They offer decent traction and there shouldn't be any issue unless one is driving very fast and brakes suddenly. Under normal driving speeds, rain should not pose any problems (tyre/road grip) other than visibility difficulties/inconvenience.

[Dhillon]

Originally Posted by self_driven

Got this shocking video on my feed.
All this chaos for one person failing to control his urge to go first! Unfortunately one of the two-wheeler occupants paid the ultimate price. RIP.

https://Youtu.be/XT3cOv3lz3c?feature=shared

This is truly chilling.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by self_driven

Got this shocking video on my feed. Watched it at 0.5x over and over again, and I can say that once the red truck (main culprit) made that stupid move, there's nothing that could have been done to avoid what ensued.

I am at loss of words and saddened watching this video. I couldn't comprehend the timing of the event. All I can say is that the 2 wheeler was in the wrong place in the wrong time.

There was absolutely no hint of what was going to happen the next second. One moment everything is fine and the next moment, the Rider's life is snuffed out. He probably even had no time to realise that the truck was falling on him. A blink of an eye and gone for no fault of his.

How does one handle such a situation. I mean from the biker's POV? Was there anything at all he could have done to escape the tragedy?

I ride a lot (rarely drive) and perhaps this is a lesson. Keep a safe distance from a truck/ vehicle while passing/overtaking..But deep inside me, I know the lesson don't hold much water. There are a million things that can go wrong on the road. Perhaps just do your very best and rest leave to destiny.

I am becoming more anxious on road now as there's so many ways, the story could end.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by self_driven

Got this shocking video on my feed. Watched it at 0.5x over and again, and I can say that once the red truck (main culprit) made that stupid move, there's nothing that could have been done to avoid what ensued.

All this chaos for one person failing to control his urge to go first! Unfortunately one of the two-wheeler occupants paid the ultimate price.

Spine-chilling death of an innocent traffic user who was not at fault! His pillion rider appeared to have ducked the hit at the very opportune moment. If he has come out unscathed it's providence. And very luckily, there were no other two wheelers or cars in the vicinity of the scooter else all could have been crushed.

This is among the multiple hazards for road users who get entangled due to machinations and wrongdoings of others and are killed despite not being at fault.