[sparky@home]

Saw this car, which had turned turtle, on my way back from Eddapal to Trichur yesterday. I guess it was an over speeding accident. Nothing known. The car appears to be a Punto. The location was curve on the road. Hope the occupants are safe.

[Rahul Rao]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

I'm more curious why so many Balenos end up rear-ending different cars.. this is almost the dozenth case reported here alone.

This incident is over two years old. Baleno was a new car then, I was driving my Polo at about 80-85 in the middle lane following a Bus driven at the same speed. being a divided 6 lane stretch I could overtake the slower Baleno (centre lane hogger) as soon as the bus passed it. A few seconds later, when I had not completely passed the Baleno the bus braked hard due to another accident ahead, I did the same and stopped at a decent distance behind the bus. The Baleno had also braked hard too, but stopped parallel to the bus, with his rear bumper at least 3 M ahead of the bus rear bumper.

Not only Baleno I have observed this with Etios driving parallel too.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Another Tire burst theory and the car jumping the median! There won't be a change to such conclusions even after a decade and most of the times the car always jumps the median and never gets off the road beyond the shoulder on the left hand side after a tire burst and that means, it is always the right hand side tire that bursts first and then jumps the median!

Tire burst is something I don't believe, more often than not the tyres burst after hitting the median, etc. In the last 26+ years that i've been driving I've experienced two tire bursts, one at 100+ in my dad's Contessa which I could control, and second at about 80 in my Tata Estate when a fallen piece of steel had punched it.

Other than that I have had to go off the road at speed to avoid a fallen motorcyclist, and man sleeping in a truck falling in my path, and both times a tire or two have been destroyed.

Rahul

[(Alok)]

RE Continental GT 650 crashed in Kerala.

https://gaadiwaadi.com/re-continenta...nsibility/amp/

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Rahul Rao

Tire burst is something I don't believe ...

I expect it happens, but I doubt that it happens very often. It used to be "brakes failed," now it is "tyre burst."

[kimianks]

I was returning from Surat to Mumbai on NH 48..a Fortuner overtook us ( was clearly doing 130 kmph ) before Pardi and when I came down the Flyover, was shocked to see that the same Fortuner had rammed into the back of a Trailer. The car was in tatters, leaking fluids. All the Airbags were deployed. The Driver was in a state of shock and had some injuries. The co-passenger was critical and we quickly arranged for an ambulance to take him to the nearest hospital. Praying and hoping the co-passenger is saved.

NH 48 in the night is one of the most treacherous highways with the Trucks sticking to the middle and the right most lanes...I am assuming that the Fortuner driver switched lanes without realizing the slow moving trailer and rear ended him, glass shards were strewn all over the highway. The incident happened around 915 pm. Pics attached. A special mention for the travellers who stopped their vehicles and helped those in the stricken vehicle. Locals came in to assist as well...

Stay safe friends.

[locusjag]

I was en route to drop off my 3 year old at school this morning 1.5 hours ago when a silver Swift rocketed past us. We were on our RE Electra motorcycle. The car didn't even slow down for a patch of broken road past us and kicked up dust. Barely a few metres later, it veered right onto the median for no reason on the clear 4 laned road and hit the median. It rolled over thrice.


Oh boy was I angry! I rode down immediately to the police checkpost 0.5 Km down the road and told him clearly that an accident has occurred and that it was a case of overspeeding when the driver lost control.

I took a U turn to drop of my kid at school when I spotted some folks shedding tears at the scene. It struck me then that these were roadside vendors with mobile establishments near the scene. They were in a state of shock.

An ambulance sped away from the scene, the last I saw there.

For those familiar with the Selaiyur area in Chennai, this is on the Agaram main road which is all set to be connected as a major part of the Highway to Trichy soon.

Now that I think about it, you don't just roll a Swift easily. It took a lot of doing on the idiot's part.

Also, I must have been a few metres behind him when he lost control. Did the steering rod or something break to cause the car to steer right? He had ridden roughshod over the broken patch at what I think was 100 Kmph. It was an old, 1st Gen Swift. Who knows how vulnerable its mechanicals would have been to a breakage?

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by kimianks

NH 48 in the night is one of the most treacherous highways with the Trucks sticking to the middle and the right most lanes

I lost a friend in a similar accident at Vapi in 2009 or so.

I am a daily driver on a portion of NH48 and have done Surat-Vadodara multiple times .

My respect for truckers was huge when i first used this road in 2002. Today, I have scant respect for truckers because they occupy all lanes, change lanes without warning, and almost force faster vehicles to use the left lane to overtake.

Several vehicles stop on the left lane with no prior warning and this causes emergency manouvering.

The only action I take is to reduce my max speed to 75kmph when I see such bunching.

[discoverwild]

Originally Posted by kimianks

I was returning from Surat to Mumbai on NH 48..a Fortuner overtook us ( was clearly doing 130 kmph ) before Pardi ...

NH 48 in the night is one of the most treacherous highways with the Trucks sticking to the middle and the right most lanes...
Stay safe friends.

Driving at high speed and blaming others for a mishap is totally preposterous. It is one thing to drive fast, doing the same at night on a busy highway is on another level of madness. In my opinion, he reaped what he sowed.

[sinharishi]

Originally Posted by kimianks

NH 48 in the night is one of the most treacherous highways with the Trucks sticking to the middle and the right most lanes...

Even during the day. It is almost impossible to follow the basic rule of overtaking from the right. What make things worse is impatient car drivers, just making way thru the small gaps at high speeds. I have been in a situation around Surat and Baruch (on every trip to Mumbai) where I am waiting for a truck to give way and I can have a clear view of the road ahead but there are always car either tailgating me, honking or filing the gap between my car and truck! So damn frustrating!

I was shocked to see cars using shoulder lane to overtake slow moving vehicles on NE-1, at speeds well over 100 kmph.

[tazmaan]

Originally Posted by sinharishi

Even during the day. It is almost impossible to follow the basic rule of overtaking from the right. What make things worse is impatient car drivers, just making way thru the small gaps at high speeds. I have been in a situation around Surat and Baruch (on every trip to Mumbai) where I am waiting for a truck to give way and I can have a clear view of the road ahead but there are always car either tailgating me, honking or filing the gap between my car and truck! So damn frustrating!

I was shocked to see cars using shoulder lane to overtake slow moving vehicles on NE-1, at speeds well over 100 kmph.

True I travel often to Ahmedabad by road and almost all the trucks are hogging the center lane and middle lane leaving only the left most lane for overtaking. So cars usually end up overtaking from the left lane dodging the bikers and autos.

Regarding NE-1 unless you are going to drive ahead towards Udaipur the NH-8 or the old highway is broader, emptier and faster. Only thing is toll is higher by INR 60 compared to NE-1.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Does anyone have "inside information" as to why truckers stuck to the right?

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Does anyone have "inside information" as to why truckers stuck to the right?

Mostly due to two/three wheelers traffic on highways which sticks to left lane. And there is constant change in their riding pattern. Also, they exit and enter highways with no regards to trucks which makes it unsafe for the truckers.

With no heavy two wheeler traffic on highways, truckers will stick to left lane on their own. Another way could be to provide separate lane (service lane may be) for two wheelers.

Mumbai-Pune expressway is an example (though you can spot few two wheelers illegally plying on some stretches) where truckers stick to left lane most of the times.

But in ghat sections, they occupy any lane possible so as to not lose momentum by getting stuck behind other slow moving truck. But that's another issue altogether.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by sinharishi

I was shocked to see cars using shoulder lane to overtake slow moving vehicles on NE-1, at speeds well over 100 kmph.

This has become a regular practice on NE1. I had saved this video from one of those drives in 2016. You can notice how casually if the shoulder lane used for overtaking by so many cars. At nights I have seen even buses using this lane to overtake!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLTf3lAh-LA

I really felt good when I drove on NE1 first in 2009-10 watching each one follow rules, each truck drive or move to the slow lane and only flashing of lights doing all the work even during the day time.

All that is gone now and its all chaos.

Especially Mumbai - Ahmedabad, there is too much of truck as well as car traffic nearly all the times and this is exactly where things become messier. At night when private buses become part of the game, it becomes even more dangerous and quite easily a driver inside that car can become aggressive and would end up trying some quick moves due to frustration of tailing slow moving traffic all the time.

[tazmaan]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Does anyone have "inside information" as to why truckers stuck to the right?

From what I understand they do so to avoid bikes and autos who can pop out of anywhere or stop anytime. So the slow ones drive in fast lane and slower ones drive in the middle lane. But give them 4 lanes and they will do the same starting from slow, slower, slowest.

[kimianks]

Originally Posted by discoverwild

Driving at high speed and blaming others for a mishap is totally preposterous. It is one thing to drive fast, doing the same at night on a busy highway is on another level of madness. In my opinion, he reaped what he sowed.

I meant this in general..not in this particular incident. You have to be in control even if you are at 60 kmph.

On a separate note, its shocking to see the amount of drivers coming down the wrong way even at night...