[saikarthik]

I hope to make this post un-biased (neutral thinking), sometimes necessarily naive and non-negative, so please view it in that perspective.

We read about a lot of accidents on Indian roads and some scary statistics that around 1.4 to 1.5 Lakh people losing their lives in at least few of them or most of them could have been averted if not due to negligence, lack of safety -awareness and tools(infrastructure, framework and mindset), lack of empathy or patience(on-road) etc...
The statistics may show the seriousness of the issue to a point (which is more than enough to scare anyone), but there are many folds of unreported minor accidents (which could have been major) and those which are near miss. But when we witness a serious accident, we tend to act upon it or think connecting all dots how this would have happened, how it could have been possible to avert or even imagine an extrapolated effect of the accident we witness.

The reason I am writing today is because, I witnessed an accident yesterday on Old Madras road (near Krishnarajapura) where I was passing by after a heavy traffic congestion. I couldn’t get anything apart from the fact that someone had met with an accident because, it was a typical accident scene – vehicles stopped on the lane where accident happened, people surrounding the victim(on a highway – into other lanes), some viewers on the other side stopping their vehicles – who have no intension to go and help but to just watch what’s happening increasing the chance of another accident.
This scared the hell out of me, because I had just watched 2 clips of accidents on social media about a truck moving down people who were surrounding a victim and another allegedly drunk trucker driving for almost 8 minutes zig-zagging and driving onto other vehicles.

On reaching home, I was thinking about this accident and other ones that I witnessed in recent times and connecting to some recent on-road experiences (not accidents) which frustrated me to the core. I was trying to figure out many of the probable reasons and who or what is responsible for an accident.


1. Involved Parties in accident:

a. Lack of attentiveness: Most of the cases it is the mistake (knowingly or un-knowingly) of either one of the parties involved in an accident. Sometimes its possible that the person who is the most injured is the one who made a mistake. So, this is to challenge the typical mindset of accusing the person on bigger vehicle or who is not injured.

b. Rash driving/riding: This is one of the most unforgivable cause of accidents. Unsafe driving or riding results in surprises, road rage and conflicts.

c. Influence of inhibitors: let it be drunk driving/riding or influence of any other including in my opinion with no disrespect, sometimes love (getting lost in some conversations).

d. Medical conditions: sudden loss of function in the body, may be paralysis or cardiac arrest – a rare case considering other reasons.

e. Frustrated driver/rider: This happens to any of us, when we are in a bad day, nonetheless the outcome is ours to control. So, anger/frustration should not be on the road.

f. Technology distraction: Using mobile phones on the road or listening to songs with noise cancellation headphones or watching movies/YouTube on the road in traffic conditions.


2. Infrastructure and Rules:

a. Poor road conditions: Damaged roads, no proper markings or dangerous last-minute appearing sky ramps (speed breakers), waterlogged or slushy with no traction are few to mention.

b. Construction: Another neglected cause, we see a lot of construction happening along the road side and most cases, either some structure or a pile of rocks/sand encroaches into road space, making road slushy, falling “objects” from flyovers under construction, barricading fences falling on people, holes dug but un-repaired after a pipeline laying and many more.

c. Level of infrastructure: Probably this is the most important and the prime reason for accidents happening. The poor planning of cities, delayed execution of the projects which were already planned poorly increases the traffic density to unimaginable level of frustration leading to people making hasty and quick changes while driving, road rage to some extent.

d. Discoing traffic lights: I have myself experienced these a gazillion times. Traffic lights going crazy – opening and closing of traffic on multiple sides, sudden change in the state (green to red even though counters are not at 0) and many more.

e. Traffic cops: I appreciate few situations they handle and the level of pressure for them is too high with the job at hand. But many of them create confusions in a perfectly smooth flowing traffic and create jams and even leading to accidents - changing rules instantly, re-routing traffic, manual overriding when the signal is perfectly working.

f. Lighting: Poor lighting conditions of the road.


3. Vehicle:

Sometimes the vehicle might be the cause of the accident due to some malfunction or a tyre burst etc... most of which can be avoided by proper maintenance.


4. Weather and act of supreme power (if true):

Rains, cloud bursts, lightening strikes on trees/poles, falling trees or poles due to wind, landslides.


5. Governmental and authority enforcements:

In most cases the long-term policies for infrastructure development, proper utilization of funds and education which are not happening, or the progress is slow. This I would say in my opinion makes the significant and fundamental cause but from a higher view.

Now, how to reduce the accidents is well known to everyone but some people choose to take it lightly.

This can change only if people follow the rules, be patient and empathetic on the road. And the rules make sense and implemented properly.

People are fairly treated in cases of accidents – considering genuine reasons and attacking the reasons and not people.

Penalizing with a mindset to instil change and not for the sake of penalizing.

Encouraging people to drive/ride safer by rewards in the forms of road tax benefits or so.


What can other probable reasons that comes to your mind and examples that happened to yourself which you think could have been handled better?

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Thanks Saikarthik for a very informative post.

Poorly maintained vehicles (especially the heavy vehicles) cause a number of accidents. Most of these are due to improper braking or steering or tyres.

Another contributing factor:
Drivers not watching the signs on the road, especially on the highways. There are adequate warnings on the accident prone zones. There are signs about road curvature, slopes, upcoming crossings, everything. I have seen many many drivers who haven't realised that they shall look at these signs and act accordingly. They just fail to take a notice of the signs, as if those aren't for them.

[KiloAlpha]

In about 99% of the cases, there is precisely one root cause for the accident. Please see this post from GTO:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ml#post4940642 (Small + frugal safety features with a big impact)

[saikarthik]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Thanks Saikarthik for a very informative post.

Poorly maintained vehicles (especially the heavy vehicles) cause a number of accidents. Most of these are due to improper braking or steering or tyres.

Another contributing factor:
Drivers not watching the signs on the road, especially on the highways. There are adequate warnings on the accident prone zones.

1. True, also the abuse in the case of trucks by overloading and un-authorized oversize cargo and sometimes we can see the material falling from them when they brake and accelerate.

2. Again true for the road signs. But there are also the cases where they are not visible to the drivers for example, when they are installed in secretive locations camouflaging in a tree or behind some bill-board. or the road signs are not visible due to an obstructive truck or bus which they follow too close.

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

In about 99% of the cases, there is precisely one root cause for the accident. Please see this post from GTO:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ml#post4940642 (Small + frugal safety features with a big impact)

Haha, yes absolutely.
But people aren't monks and also they can't control few situations that come as surprise which come in all forms. At some point I read a post

Originally Posted by aargee

including you due to reference to your post about saddle sore in another forum

"is it worth doing a saddle sore ride (IBA)" by in another forum, where he mentions cattle and bushmen (people jumping onto roads after their morning duties - applicable mostly on highways).

[nagr22]

Adding to the list, complete disregard to following traffic rules either due to lack of knowledge or 'breaking rules is kewl' attitude is one of the most important reason for all the near misses and accidents we see on the road.

On a typical 1 hour drive on Bangalore city road, I can count
1) Hundreds of vehicles driving on wrong side,
2) Two wheelers overtaking and cutting off from left,
3) Signal jumping,
4) Taking U-turn by climbing over medians (I have seen BMTC buses too do it!),
5) Taking exit on the left by suddenly moving almost 90degree from the right most lane,
6) Tail gating while driving at speeds in excess of 60kph,
7) Wearing helmets only when a cop is around, otherwise using it as a tool to protect one's shoulder, not using helmet when doing small errands because who will catch me?, ladies not wearing helmets because it spoils their hairstyle.
8) Removing side mirrors of two wheelers as soon as purchasing (I have met close friends who do it and the reasons given are like, otherwise it will stolen, it glares my eyes, I never use it, what if it breaks when the vehicle falls? etc)
9) Stopping way ahead of the line in signals
.
.
The list is huge!

Many people think that rules are there only to fill the coffers of cops and don't realize that many of them also save lives. Until we all follow the traffic rules, the concepts of 'road safety' and 'enjoying a peaceful drive' are a distant dream to me.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

There are adequate warnings on the accident prone zones.

If they had the foresight to 'warn' users about an accident prone zone, they should first redesign that zone and eliminate it! How many road users can read an English sign, how many will read it even if it is written in all Indian languages and how many will bother to follow it even if they understand it? Our roads must be made idiot proof!

[sumeethaldankar]

One important factor to the cause of accidents is "haste". Hurry to reach, hurry to overtake, hurry to cross the signal before it changes etc etc. The saying "Haste makes waste" is very true as far as driving is concern be it life, property or FE. My advice to anyone driving is never to drive in haste, by all means drive fast but do it safely for eg If you are going too fast or overtaking on a blind turn you are being hasty. No "ghai" (hurry) while driving.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by nagr22

If they had the foresight to 'warn' users about an accident prone zone, they should first redesign that zone and eliminate it! How many road users can read an English sign, how many will read it even if it is written in all Indian languages and how many will bother to follow it even if they understand it? Our roads must be made idiot proof!

Agree with your observations about how to people drive on the roads. We see somewhat similar situation here in Pune.

It is not always possible to eliminate the accident prone zones. Some zones are created due to terrain. Some are more accident prone in a particular weather. While deciding the road alignment, the consultants do consider this and eliminate many (most) of these. But at some places the cost does not permit this. For example, a tunnel would have been safer than a curvy sloping hilly road but the budget availability puts restrictions. If the amount of traffic expected on the proposed road isn't much, then too the economic feasibility constrains the budget.

The alignment of most of our highways have been decided decades ago when we did not have so much tax collection and this large economy. If you see today's tolled highways, you will hardly find any accident prone zones.

[Mortis]

I would say there is only one reason. Bad drivers. It's still possible to drive in a civilized manner on poor quality or badly designed roads but obviously it's not the case in India.
A poorly maintained car or breakdown due to serviceable component failure is also a symptom of being a bad driver. So many of our traffic jams would also be avoided or greatly reduced or at the very least resolve themselves in a smoother manner if not for, you guessed it bad drivers.

[landcruiser123]

2 main reasons why accidents occur often on Indian roads:
1. People not yielding the right of way (a concept that isn’t formally taught in India)
2. Drivers going too fast for the conditions (90 kmph on a state highway through the center of a village)

I think both people and the government are responsible- people have this “me first” attitude and the government for not educating drivers enough.

[DhruvGupt@]

Very detailed thread and lots of probable causes right there, one more that could be added is the padestrians jumping on the roads out of no where and causing fatals accidents. Another cause is animals on the streets, especially in the village areas, a cow once came in front of our
car on a state highway, a kid around 10 was herding cows when one of them suddenly jumped in front of the car and its horn hit the front glass of the car. My entire family could have been wiped off that day just because a kid could not manage the herd. Its a broad spectrum of reasons and a lot of work is needed to change the scenario.

[saikarthik]

Originally Posted by nagr22

Adding to the list, complete disregard to following traffic rules either due to lack of knowledge or 'breaking rules is kewl' attitude is one of the most important reason

On a typical 1 hour drive on Bangalore city road, I can count
1) Hundreds of vehicles driving on wrong side,
2) Two wheelers overtaking and cutting off from left,

4) Taking U-turn by climbing over medians (I have seen BMTC buses too do it!),
5) Taking exit on the left by suddenly moving almost 90degree from the right most lane,
6) Tail gating while driving at speeds in excess of 60kph,

9) Stopping way ahead of the line in signals
.
.
The list is huge!

I recollect most of these scenarios,
1. Happened yesterday: There was a grid lock due to wrong side driving on a service lane which leads to underpass and a junction.

2. I felt like fast and furious 1 (Korean's taking Brian and Torretto scene with bikes on gunpoint) - in the signals bikes surround a car and can't move an inch or if you turn/brake to avoid one crash it leads to another.

4. Yes, these people think they are born trail riders/drivers with a mindset - create your own path and go on footpaths, cross dividers when everyone is standing in a blocked lane.

5. Now, imagine that with a truck blocking your view. Its an outright major crash with no time to react.

6. Tailgaters are irritating, they think that they are slipstreaming and waiting for perfect moment to overtake to take a chequered flag.

9. Another cause for the gridlock.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

If you are going too fast or overtaking on a blind turn you are being hasty. No "ghai" (hurry) while driving.

Yes, get your point. Overtaking in blind turns is pretty common, one honk and they think magically oncoming vehicle will vanish.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

1. People not yielding the right of way (a concept that isn’t formally taught in India)
2. Drivers going too fast for the conditions (90 kmph on a state highway through the center of a village)

I think both people and the government are responsible- people have this “me first” attitude and the government for not educating drivers enough.

1. More of a ego trip nowadays. but yes, earlier days people took survival of the fittest to whole new understanding and yielding to a person or showing empathy is weakness. But one point I noticed is, that I maintain 2 car lengths as headway in highways but in cities it's almost impossible. Even if you leave a gap in front some other motorist will come and slide between.

2. Yes, Just if they take the foot off the accelerator when they see a crossover is more than enough. But they speed up instead.

Also yes, the point you made "me first" mostly results in no one going anywhere. I feel like people are more used to and like to be in trouble/fight and wait for hours than wait for a couple of seconds and travel peacefully.

[ButterRider 7]

If I were to list down the general habits of people which can easily lead to an accident, it would be as under:

1. Not following lane discipline and traffic regulations.
2. Not wearing the safety equipment - seat belts/helmets.
3. Driving rashly and not adhering to speed limits, thereby not having control on the
vehicle. Any vehicle over 80 Kmph speed cannot be controlled if it has to be stopped
suddenly.
4. Overtaking from the wrong side and at high speeds.
5. Large vehicles driving in the wrong lanes.
6. Driving on the wrong side of the road, which is very common.
7. Taking shortcuts or wrong turns.
8. Carelessness towards the maintenance of the vehicle - not checking if the headlights
and brake / tail lights are working.
9. Lack of alertness while driving.
10.Insensitivity towards fellow citizens and no value for human life.
11.Driving long distances without proper rest, resulting in exhaustion & stress.
12.Road Rage By tailgating another driver in anger or speeding past another driver only
to pull in front of them and brake, these road “ragers” cause many needless car
accidents each year.
These are my personal observations that I see in my daily life on Indian roads which can lead to major accidents.

[EightSix]

I think all BHPians here would have seen how most Uber/Ola drivers are always distracted by a simple Google Map running on their phones and thus driving like confused idiots. So just imagine what two 10" displays would do to a driver!

Speaking of taxis, speed limiters in them are another small yet significant cause I would like to point out. An Uber driver had told us on the Mumbai-Pune expressway that since his car is speed locked to 80kmph, driving it becomes boring as it doesn't respond with acceleration and deceleration which is why some drivers even fall asleep!

Another point I'd like to make, instead of calling them accidents, how about we call them car crashes? They are not accidents since most of them are caused due to stupidity. I read an article in an automotive magazine a few years back that stressed this point. I can't find it but would love your views on this topic.

[S2K]

As mentioned by others, the overtaking at blind turns is not just very common but also the something that can be easily avoided if the driver uses in common sense a bit.

In general, blind overtaking even on straight single lane roads without a divider in between also seems to be an issue. I have mostly noticed on such roads that small vehicles which have slowed down due to heavy vehicles are very eager to overtake them and since they have very low visibility on the oncoming traffic, change lanes only to be surprised by an oncoming vehicle.

A lot of them even have the audacity to flash the headlights asking for a pass. It feels as if flashing lights for pass is a rule to get into opposite lane and overtake a vehicle.
Most of the time either of the vehicles coming face to face has to slow down but seldom, either of them fail to slow down in time or react late and crash.

Completely avoidable.
Needless aggression.
Lives lost or at least some property damaged.

[TrackDay]

As someone who grew up in the Middle-East I have been used to organized traffic. Not that accidents don't take place there !

Some of the reasons I have felt for Indian accidents is that :

1. Folks are always in a hurry. No pre planning. Rushing at the last moment.
2. Thinking they are smart than the rest of us, doing wrong sides, Jumping
lights etc.
3. Driving under influence of alcohol, drugs, what not ?
4. Distractions using phone.
5. Distractions using those touchscreens on the car while driving
6. Trying to do some other activity while driving.
7. Taking eyes off the road to look at those giant hoardings, bill
boards.
8. Vehicular defects. This is from the manufacturer side when parts fail/don't
do their job and the poor driver is trashed for it.
9. Carelessness. Not checking tire pressure once in a while. Not ensuring
seat, mirrors are set properly before driving off

As a rule of thumb what I have always practiced while driving here in India is to always go at a cautious speed. On the highways here in Kerala I rarely go above 90 km/h. Most of the unbarricaded roads on highways mean someone is always trying to cross the road or unwanted animals straying right into our paths. I always ensure I have braking distance.

As for trees falling on our rides while commuting, Trucks falling from flyovers, other vehicles running into us, that is beyond us. I do my part. Rest is fate.