Team-BHP - Accidents in India

Quote:

Originally Posted by scopriobharath (Post 2478811)

Instead of having low power buses, The top speed must be limited to 90 max and have some safety measures like how volvo cars have impact sensing brake kick-off etc.

Limiting top speed is no solution in our country. The Kerala MVD had made it compulsory for all buses to have a speed limiter set to 60kmph. All buses have it - but they work only when the bus goes for the fitness test. At other times, the bus runs at the highest it can achieve. I've myself trailed buses at 80kmph (Keeping safe distance though) in Kerala.

Even if the manufacturer locks his buses at a particular speed, our bus operators would find a way of breaking it! So what is needed is strict enforcement of the rules/speed limits, and make the licensing process even stricter - I see no point in a person being able to drive an "8" for a two-wheeler license or an "H" for four wheeler - driving schools train their candidates on doing these. But they turn out to be duds on the road.

This looks like a Tata Globus .Guess the bus driver made way for someone and ended up like this !!
The passengers were lucky that it wasnt monsoon ...or else story would have been different with the fields full of water

About buses with DVD or seat belts ,I know this will take a while before passengers automatically start wearing seat belts .Govt should start make it mandatory for bus operators to have manuals showing how seat belts can save .

Maybe before every movie in those buses played they can play a short clip of an accident showing difference of people not wearing seat belt and those wearing. This can surely motivate some people in bus and soon everyone will wear seat belts.

Some hack proof technique could also be applied so that speed could be limited.

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedsatya (Post 2479077)

Even if Govt makes it mandatory or shows videos or whatever or even puts in an accident simulator, people will take time to learn. In-Spite of Aircraft Videos and demos i have noticed that people do not wear seatbelts or remove the seatbelt before the plane has come to a complete halt. If air passengers do this i have no comments about road passengers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hashim (Post 2479098)

only known thing (I tho' so) is speed humps, until I came across couple of VRL Volvos that do the BLR-Bellary route --- man made rattle snakes and I found out how ... the drivers would just run over the multiple humps at 80kmph.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownerofazkaban (Post 2479273)

ECU programming can limit the speed too - and that is not easy to get rid of if done properly (e.g via a one-time-programmable memory setting in the micro-controller).

Royapettah High Road flyover, yesterday...

In front of me, a bike, then an auto. Behind me, two bikes then a call taxi. We were all too close, as the traffic had slowed. The auto and the bike slowed further, and I noticed a speed bump and braked, perhaps harder than necessary. At least one bike bumped me: I've given up caring, that's what's bumpers are for, isn't it?

Looking in the mirror, though, it looked like the cab had bumped both bikes as they had all stopped for an argument. Nothing serious; bikes were still upright, so were the bikers. I just laughed and carried on

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom (Post 2479768)

I noticed a speed bump and braked, perhaps harder than necessary.

it looked like the cab had bumped both bikes as they had all stopped for an argument.

I just laughed and carried on

So, if i gather this correctly, you were a reason for a small mishap and you posted the same here! Why?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mac187 (Post 2479806)

So, if i gather this correctly, you were a reason for a small mishap and you posted the same here! Why?

Its always the responsibility of the person following to maintain safe minimum distance from the vehicle in the front. So, Thad is not responsible for the fault of the vehicles following.

@ Anilisanil - Absolutely right. No matter what the situation - the vehicle that bumps from behind is the one at fault and is responsible for maintaining safe distance. Ive had unpleasant experiences (specially at traffic signals) with vehicles bumping me from behind and being angry with me for braking (for a red light, by the way..!). In every case the person that bumped me thought I was joking when I told them it was their mistake, on account of not maintaining the sufficient braking distance. Rules such as this & how to enter\exit roundabouts, priorities for turns, when to use hazard lights, correct procedure to follow when one encounters an accident, I could go on all day ... its only a very small percentage of the motoring public that are aware of the rules. And of that lot a majority choose to go with the flow and ignore the rules as its frustrating to abide by the rules when other road users are likely to criticize them on account of their ignorance\indifference of traffic regulations.

Sigh! Considerate driving, anyone? A beautiful concept, it feels wonderful to practice, but something that makes our life HELL over time as we practice it, for virtually no other is ready to practice this on our Indian roads.

My observations on inconsiderate driving:
1. Even if the signal ahead is RED, the bus, lorry, bike, bicycle, three-wheeler MUST overtake every other vehicle to come to a stop AHEAD of them.
2. Buses can be parked anywhere on the road to disembark and embark passengers.
3. It's OK to keep left (and extreme at that), when you're going to turn right or take a u-turn at the next signal.
4. You must ACCELERATE when the signal turns yellow from green.
5. "Bumper to bumper" traffic is misunderstood by us. Surely the coiner of this phrase didn't mean it literally.
6. It's considered a sin if you allow someone to pass, take a cut at you or allow a Learner's vehicle to pass slowly in front of you. The vehicle behind you doesn't like it.

The above is just a rant not directly related to accidents. But considerate driving is something which can prevent accidents.

- Allow vehicles faster than you to overtake
- Just like playing chess, think ahead. If you're going to turn right at a point, plan sufficiently ahead
- The road belongs to everyone, so drive and let drive
- If there's no space for you to overtake, then that's it, there's no space
- Follow traffic rules. Know them. Bend them only if you are the only person on the road.

I always practice the above. Even more so now, after I got the "got bhp?" sticker on the back of my vehicle :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bejoy (Post 2480329)

Not sure if its posted here before.

Video of a scary Scorpio accident at Cherthala, Kerala - NH47. High speed -straight into the divider and ploughs through the median. Looks like it was late evening and the traffic was sparse. Amazingly, four guys come out unscathed.

jeez!!! the way that Scorpio went up that median it looked as if it were a premeditated stunt! they're lucky they all came out in one piece!