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One was reckless the other one was committing a crime. I dont know why cant we get over the victim blaming mentality in India.

All of us here break some form of rule each time we are on a bike or in a car. Overtaking from the left, honking when it's not required, over and significantly under the speed limit etc. The biker may have split lanes at a fast clip or made few rash moves but let it be clear that it was the fault of the driver. Why do we have to apportion some blame on the rider? It's stupid! The car driver was driving wrong side on the fast lane of not some small congested inner-city road but a proper multilane ring road. He has to take all of the blame.

It's like someone T boned your car but you are also to take 25% of the blame because couple minutes ago you overtook someone from the left?

Or you are out walking on the pavement, and a car jumped the curb and took you down but you have to take some blame too because you were not walking facing the traffic so you were a fool!

This has to stop. The car had no business to be on the fast lane going in wrong direction. If it were me or any other tom dick and harry he'd have been dealt with harshly, but given his political affiliations, this could shape up as another masterstroke :(

Seeing the Gurugram incident, my heart is shattered. A poor boy lost his life due to the careless attitude of the driver. That he was granted bail in just 30 minutes screams the flaws in our legal system. Such incidents are becoming alarmingly common in India. We must stop treating life so casually. Life is priceless, and it seems there is no value for a Life in our Country, And I say this with utmost disappointment and shame.

Again stating in our country law and order is a joke.
It is absolutely shattered and horrific more so since last decade.

As per one article I read police are just reporting and not preventing any crime, one show was to happen in Gurugram and the stand up artist got a threatening call that the stage will be blown up. Guess what, the police asked the victim to cancel the show and no action against the threatening group. What a shame ?

Here are some real life happenings -

- Hathras incident 300+ people died, no one punished

- Morbi bridge disaster 180+ people died, earlier the sweepers, labourers arrested and after public hue and cry, the company management were arrested, now they too out on bail

- Orissa train disaster close to 400 lives lost, no one punished

- Naroda rapists released by govt, only when supreme court reprimanded they were again put to jail.

- Pune Porsche case, Mumbai BMW case, we all know that these people will never be punished.

- Same case with many confirmed criminals mostly out on parole, we read the news everyday.

- Kolkata junior doctor rape, case is doing round and rounds and have become a political tool.

- Unnao, Rishikesh, Lakhimpur so many cases all out on bail and even contesting elections and winning.

This is the state of law and order in our country today. I will not be surprised that this too would be forgotten shortly with another IPL, OTT and Seema type of cases.

Note - Please dont make it political, I have just listed things that we all have read and seen.

Sir, I think we all agree that the wrong side driver is the main culprit in the accident. No two ways about it.

What the other BHPians are remarking is how the biker could have been alive if he were riding defensively. Please don't construe it as victim blaming.

There is likely a very good reason why the biker did such a reckless maneuver. He might have done such maneuvers several times in the past with no bad consequences. This time his luck ran out.

If he is really a victim who cannot be blamed, then the answer to the following question should be a resounding NO:

Is there anything the biker could have done to avoid the accident?

Not a rule abider. Yes.
Responsible for the accident? Resoundingly NO.
That's a 100% on the privileged idiot.

I am a relatively new (licensed in April 2024, started learning to drive in a driving school in January 2024) driver and I have had 5 collisions (none resulted in an injury to myself but all of them caused damages to the car that I severely regret) in the 3000 km I have driven my car, a Nexon EV.

I'm struggling to understand whether this is normal and is to be expected or whether I'm making a mistake in these scenarios because of my inexperience and lack of knowledge or precision, or whether I'm extraordinarily unlucky. I'm attaching dash-cam footage of two of these collisions. Both of them are in the Kolkata metropolitan region, which I'm advised, has the least developed and least disciplined road system of any Tier 1 city in India.

1. Lorry crashes into my side

https://youtu.be/Ku1AUhkx18M

This happened in my home town (Chandannagar, WB), which is infamous for having roads being multiple times beyond its maximum capacity, in this little clip here you can find almost any traffic violation you can imagine, whether it be illegal parking, riding without helmets, a lorry trying to drive through the middle of the road, people encroaching anywhere you can look, jaywalking, people jumping queues blocking the other side off, etc. I didn't understand how a professional HMV driver misjudged the gap between the lorry and me and managed to hit me on the side while trying to pass.

2. Bus tears off my car's ORVM's skull cap.

https://youtu.be/-sZLL_8k1XM

This happened below the Bengal Chemical metro station, I didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late. I don't know whether it was partly my fault for not coming to a complete stop, I thought that it was just trying to pass a minor obstacle like an auto waiting for passengers on the left, I didn't realize it was trying to make a full lane change without even putting its indicators on (which I was taught to do every time). This is almost the same thing that happened to another BHPian, I don't understand what kind of training HMV drivers get that doesn't teach them to account for their blind spots and to put on their indicators at least so that I can make evasive manoeuvers or honk when I come to understand the hazard.

There are 3 other collisions that I didn't bother to save the dashcam footage of and let it get overwritten and many near misses that it's becoming a little overwhelming, every time I bring my car into the ASC (which is a good 60km drive), I'm afraid that I'll get into another collision, major or minor on the way and I'll ultimately have to do the same dance again.

Thankfully nothing has come to threaten my life yet and all of these are minor collisions, but all of them have caused damages to my car that I have ultimately had to repair and pay for out of packet, which is threatening my peace of mind, not to mention the time I have to waste at the ASC. To me, Kolkata looks very tame and harmless from a footpath but from the driver's seat it looks very threatening. This is probably poor perception from a young and inexperienced driver but I can't help but think that my life expectancy is decreasing with every kilometre I drive.

I apologize if this is not the appropriate thread to post this, but this thread was the most on topic thread I could find.

I did not have the time to look at the videos but I really appreciate your willingness to learn. Let me see what I can make out from the videos and may be send you a private message.

Good to see your willingness to accept the incidents with an open mindset - this will definitely help make you a good driver and a human being.

While I do not want to generalise my opinion based on just the two videos, one area where all of us can be better drivers is by being more aware of the road situation and the vehicles around us. This will help us anticipate better the movement of the other vehicles and identify a potential threat much early and react accordingly.

This is more evident in the second video you shared where there seemed to be enough time to slow down or stop to avoid the bus hitting the mirror.

The other thing which you already seem to be following is to accept the hit, learn from it and try to avoid such situations in future. Wishing you lots of fun driving!

Well, when I said he was responsible, it was meant in a slightly different way.

May not sound nice but on Indian roads it is not about being right or wrong, being at fault or not. It is about being responsible for your own safety given the unpredictable Indian road conditions. It's no point crying Right or Wrong when the life is already lost - nothing will bring it back. I'd never blindly trust our roads and traffic enforcement and put my life under threat with such assumptions and with so many idiots around.

There are no assumptions to be made on Indian roads - if you can't see ahead, better slow down or stop but don't assume. Cyrus Mistry's case was a perfect example of this when the lady driving the car assumed there is a left lane although she was not able to see but still tried to overtake from left.

One needs to be in control of their vehicle all the time. Period. Only exception is a freak thing still hitting you out of nowhere. That is someone else's fault but just bad luck for you.

I watched both videos and here are my thoughts.

1. Kudos to you sir for driving a relatively large /wide car such as Nexon in those heavy traffic. Trust me when I say this. Even very experienced drivers could become intimidated by the way the traffic moved in the first (night) video.. You are doing well.

2. You drive an EV. It's so silent that it takes other vehicle drivers by surprise. I have been surprised by an EV car suddenly appearing behind my scooter and they silently whizz past. Their silence is a disadvantage in city traffic for the EV owner when it comes to the other people's awareness quotient. Though that has nothing to do with your driving habits. Just that give some short honks often just that people are aware of an EV around. It lurks around very silently.

3. You managed the traffic very well. In the first/ night video, when ever you sight a truck coming from the opposite side, immediately scour/ look out for the next available vacant/ open/ clear wide section on your side road. Do not keep driving till you hit a road block (like the scooterist getting his Pan Beeda and blocking the road while the truck bulldozed through). Instead choose a better open section on the road much before/ earlier and stop till the truck passes you safely and then you continue on the road. Do not get stuck as you did behind that scooter rider. You have no wriggle room there. You are sandwiched there and that's not a good place to be.

4. As I said earlier, while driving on narrow traffic roads, keep your eye open for those clear stretches on your side and make a mental note of it so that if a heavy vehicle comes you just slow down/ stop at the open section. You constantly watch out for these wider clear patches on road as you drive.

5. Regarding the bus, he obviously didn't notice you or he didn't care. In this case, always be extra careful/ weary when you are around a truck or bus. They could be either in front, side or behind you. Be extremely careful about them. The driver sits high, has a huge blind spot and most probably couldn't spot you or didn't care.

What you do is keep an eye on the front right wheel of that bus (which was on your left). If the wheel turns in your lane direction, you brake or slow down or if your right lane is clear then move right. Best is slow down when you see the bus tyre turn in your lane direction.

This is same for a bus /truck on your right. If there's a bus on your right, keep an eye on their left wheel. If the front left wheel starts turning in your lane direction, that means he is joining your lane. Slow down and see if you have space to go a bit left (if it's empty)..

So with heavy vehicles around, look at their front wheel for the first sign of changing lanes. If the wheels are pointing straight, you have nothing to worry.

Get a pair of Blind spot mirrors (available for Rs 250 on Amazon) and install it on your both ORVMs. Make it a habit to check the blind spot mirrors before changing lanes. It could save you from some mishaps too. I cannot drive or ride a vehicle without blind spot mirrors now. They are an absolute must accessory for me. It's a life saver. Trust me on this.

Sir, your driving is pretty good. Stay away from heavy vehicles as much as possible. Just let them pass. Don't be next to them if you can afford to manage it. Keep some distance from them. What I see in videos are that heavy vehicles seem to bother you much more than smaller vehicles. Give them way, stay a bit away and be wary of them.

You are driving well for your experience on roads. Follow road rules, respect other road users, do not get into road rage (it's never worth it), yield to other drivers if need be, on the road, be courteous, have that "You first" policy towards other drivers instead of "me first" policy.

The heavy Kolkata traffic will make you a good responsible driver or bad and irresponsible driver based on your temperament. There will be a few brushing here and there, some bruises on car and some bruises on the ego. It's all part of learning. Take it in your stride. Rest, I believe you are doing good. Some more time on road and you will be golden on the road :thumbs up

I am afraid to break it to you, but you are indeed unlucky to be living in 'Tier-1' city, or perhaps any city, in India and have taken to personal motorized transport. You can only get more skilled and perhaps make yourself a more cautious and aware driver over time, but you won't be able to win over the massive odds, which any big Indian city stacks up against you, every time you sit behind the wheel or handlebars. You can perhaps escape major crashes or debilitating injury but there's no escaping regular close calls which comes with extreme proximity of other vehicles and the inevitable 'caresses' which your car would be subjected to. If not another vehicle the roads would make sure that your pride and joy turns into agony and sorrow in quick time thanks to numerous potholes and speedbumps.
Defensive driving skills are must but I think one has to develop a certain mental makeup to keep driving in India-

1) Drive less. Period. It's insanely stressful and slow to drive within the city and very seldom enjoyable. Use your scooty or motorcycle more for errands. Parking is a chore in our poorly designed infra so ditch the car. Only use when it's absolutely essential.

2) Keep emotions out of it. Just tell yourself that it's beyond your control and move on. Fretting about those dents and scratches won't magically make them vanish. This one I am pretty sure would come with time anyway but try to always think that 5-6k would fix this and it's a tax you pay to drive in India.

3) Develop a thick skin. Don't react to morons on the road. If you must, a few expletives inside the car not going to harm, so release the tension freely and continue.

4) Be logical. Never do stupid things. You can perhaps take small liberties here and there but never the crazy stuff. Wrong side driving, jumping lights etc are few which should never be attempted.

5) For highway drives, plan your route properly preferring road quality over traffic density. You are never going to coast over pothole ridden roads even if there's sparse traffic.

Like ATV’s and off road vehicles have a flagpole with a flag mounted so as to indicate their presence - especially in mist and rain and over the crest of a rise etc, so should these vehicles equipped with ‘trainer wheels’ have a similar system. But then if they install these flag poles, they cannot squeeze here and there as they normally do because the flag pole can easily snarl with another vehicle or on one of those common fallen internet or cable TV cables etc.

As per the MV Rules, disability scooters are duty-bound to have 3-4 feet height flags protruding upwards from each retrofitted side wheel. I have seen them on the brand new modified scooters.

I guess they gradually fall prey to the usual apathy w.r.t. safety and common sense.

You sure got em' I must agree. To come out in public and say "I am a newbie and I crashed my Nexon 5 times" takes guts and humility.

1st - narrow lane, it was waiting to happen, roads too narrow for a car, let alone a truck. Not your mistake except of being in a congested street. Avoid if possible.

2nd - I would have stopped moment I saw the bus had another bus parked ahead and any Indian City bus driver will first turn the wheel at least 25'degrees and then wait to hear a honk, basically he will nudge ahead and no questions asked. And frankly his bumper was ahead, so it is your responsibility to brake in time since your bumper is in your control. This you have learnt the hard way.

Anyways, it is a mad mad world out there, not just India, most of the nations are facing congestions and road rage on the roads, just take care not to get into major accidents and face legal cases. A minor nick and a scratch is expected daily on Indian roads.

Watch out for Auto rickshaws, women and children, Pedestrians, Bikers & then cars and buses - since you are in WB stick to that order. :D

Dont hurt others and dont get into a major crash.