[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by deehunk

Correct, just let normal people suffer and let the actual offenders get away. 😞. People can jump signals/stop/spit/smoke/urinate/eat/drink wherever they want, and it is not affecting the safety and security of the public as per our lawmakers.*

It is correct, and one cannot blame other, or society, or the government. If I run into the person in front, my fault. Even if he is being a complete idiot and stopping for no reason at all (which I something I see more and more of!

[srvm]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

It is often repeated here, but never enough, it seems. If you run into the vehicle in front it is always your fault. Your fault for hitting the bus. The other guy's fault for hitting you.

I too used to think it is always the fault of the trailing vehicle for bumping into the vehicle ahead. {I have been rear-ended twice while driving my car; Both times, even traffic cops said the same.}

But I think there should be some exceptions to this line of thinking. Some examples:

1. The vehicle in front does not have functional brake lights (sadly, this is all too common in our country). Which deprives the vehicle behind an important forewarning/alert. In this scenario, some blame / fault should be placed on the vehicle ahead.

2. You stop in time behind the vehicle stopping ahead. But the idiot behind you rams into you with enough force to make your vehicle bump into the one in front of you (refer to this recent post, as an example).

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by srvm

... it is always the fault of the trailing vehicle for bumping into the vehicle ahead ... But I think there should be some exceptions to this line of thinking.

There could well be.

1. The vehicle in front does not have functional brake lights

A cow does not have functional brake lights. No, it may be a mitigating factor, but I still think the fault is with the rear vehicle.

2. You stop in time behind the vehicle stopping ahead. But the idiot behind you rams into you with enough force to make your vehicle bump into the one in front of you ...

That is indeed moot. It is not driving into another vehicle, it is being pushed into it.

One that has occurred to me is, when another vehicle cuts in front and promptly stops. And it does happen.

Yes, there are fine points that can be argued, but I think we should hold to the principle: Our fault if we run into the car in front.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by maheshm619

I was taken aback by the sheer coincidence of your username and the context of this post.

I did not realize that!

I got to see CCTV footage from a nearby camera there and I did literally "walk" away from "death".

I thought my mind was exaggerating the circumstances of my stepping away from the car and it getting crashed onto but that really did happen.

I shudder to think if I had gotten inside the car to get my bag or if this or if that...but I tell myself nothing happened to all parties involved and that's the best case scenario in this accident.

Spoke to the gentleman yesterday evening and he is perfectly fine, no injuries external or internal. Asked us to give the estimate from the workshop.

[TurboTales]

My Near-Miss Experience in 2003 when I was in college

It was a late-night drive with my friends in a cherry-red Maruti 800, which I was driving.

In Prabhadevi, Mumbai, there's a one-way road that's quite broad, allowing 6-7 cars to drive parallel in the same direction. Both sides of the road were lined with parked cars. It was raining heavily, and the water-soaked road reflected lights from nearby showrooms, creating a mirage-like effect. In the center of the road was a small divider, about 5 inches high and 15 inches long.

I failed to notice the divider and, at the very last moment, swerved to the right, narrowly missing it. However, this maneuver brought me dangerously close to another car driving on my right, which enraged the two men inside. They began following us.

We were young and inexperienced, not equipped to handle road rage. Fear took over, and we did everything we could to shake them off. Eventually, they overtook us and blocked our way, stopping their car sideways in the middle of the road. Both men got out, clearly intending to confront us.

Sensing trouble, I quickly reversed the car right there in the middle of the road, turned into a nearby lane, and sped away. We eventually reached a friend's place, where we stayed overnight, safe and sound.

To this day, I vividly remember that close call. I still don’t know what guided me to avoid that divider at the last second. It felt like something beyond me—a moment of sheer instinct or a stroke of luck.

Till date the divider is present photos attached

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by am1m

I wonder if the old gent should really be driving.
x
Fortunately nothing, hope the dent was the result of a hit from a pole or some inanimate object. The family sold the car pronto!

My father in his 60s dozed off after attending a wedding, thanks to the lunch feast. Went and crashed into a parked car on the side (crazy similarities no?).

Other than a few bumps and bruises no great harm except to his pride.

After that, banned him from driving and out of town trips are with a driver only.

I just hope sense prevails when my time comes to bid a sad goodbye to the steering wheel and get comfortable in the passenger seat.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by am1m

But in their 70s, there was a visible lack of awareness, night vision, and judgement. After being in the car with this relative, and being scared by how they were driving in the evening, I begged them to stop driving, but with no success. "I've been driving all my life", etc, etc.

Well, I've been driving all my life, but it's how we are driving today that counts. This is true of all ages, from teens to a hundred. Every time we go out on the road, we should be aware of our reaction time, observation, sight, etc, and drive accordingly. Sadly, even after a night out and not enough sleep, few take time to think about how it has affected them, and the over confidence of youth adds to the danger.

We all have great, moderate, average, poor and downright bad days. I absolutely agree that there are days when we should never be taking the car out.

My mother drove into her 89th and final year. I hope to be doing the same. I'm 72, and I can assure the youngsters that seventies is not too old to be driving. Sixties is positively youthful! But some may require a few more decades to understand that.

I think there is a statutory requirement for a medical test at a certain age, for licence renewal. As with the driving test itself, mine was just theoretical, and the next one probably will be too.

Don't think about the numbers: think about every day. I have a fair idea how my driving is by the time I've reversed out of my drive, and a better one within minutes of being on the road. Are you below, at, or maybe above par today? Dear reader, I am not talking about your dad, or even your granddad: I'm talking about you!

[Ltinsane]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

We all have great, moderate, average, poor and downright bad days. I absolutely agree that there are days when we should never be taking the car out.

Very wise words. I absolutely agree. having a good, having a bad day and having a day in between matters, not just in driving but with everything.
I have been driving for a while now, and I love to drive (that's obvious with being a member of team-bhp) but there are times when I don't and should not drive. I could and have driven all night long, but I am, for certain knows that I should not be driving between 6-8 am and so I don't.

Same goes for extreme emotions, should not be driving when you are mad, or really sad. A cool, clear head is necessary to drive safely. There's no place for ego unless you are on a race track. Sadly, I have seen so many people treating safety precautions as 'lack of skill'.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Dear reader, I am not talking about your dad, or even your granddad: I'm talking about you!

As I was typing my previous post I knew I'd get a response from you Thad!

Let me clarify, I realize there will always be outliers. I'm sure you are a competent driver.

But in general, as we age, reflexes do take a hit. Doesn't even have to be in the 60s or 70s, I know for sure my reflexes in my mid 40s are not the same as they were in my early 20s, I can see it when I ride my bike everyday.

I was commenting specifically about the accident that deathwalkr witnessed and about the specific driver involved. From the description, it seems like more than just a bad day or extenuating circumstances. The driver hit a stationary car parked on the side of the road. Irrespective of the age of the driver, it is unfortunate that the cops just let it go.

And it is precisely because our license renewal procedures are so lax that it becomes important for us (all of us, all ages) to listen to honest opinions of those around us when it comes to driving ability and competence.

[N.A.GTC]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

A cow does not have functional brake lights. No, it may be a mitigating factor, but I still think the fault is with the rear vehicle.

Yes, but if there's a cow going 60kmph without functional brake lights, I definitely blame the cow. But yeah, it's a moo point.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by am1m

As I was typing my previous post I knew I'd get a response from you Thad!

Oldies Representative! Although I'm far from the only one on the site.

Let me clarify, I realize there will always be outliers. I'm sure you are a competent driver.

Ha ha, on a good day I am. Mind you, another thing I remind myself about is the saying Pride comes before a fall!

But in general, as we age, reflexes do take a hit. Doesn't even have to be in the 60s or 70s, I know for sure my reflexes in my mid 40s are not the same as they were in my early 20s, I can see it when I ride my bike everyday.

The fact that you are aware of this proves your competence, along with your maturity: you will, I'm sure, be a great driver in thirty years time.

I was commenting specifically about the accident that deathwalkr witnessed and about the specific driver involved. From the description, it seems like more than just a bad day or extenuating circumstances. The driver hit a stationary car parked on the side of the road. Irrespective of the age of the driver, it is unfortunate that the cops just let it go.

Oh sure, I agree. And our age should never be an excuse for lower standards. But we have to remember that this thread has many examples of accidents where people run into things. People of all ages. That guy should not have simply been let off.

And it is precisely because our license renewal procedures are so lax that it becomes important for us (all of us, all ages) to listen to honest opinions of those around us when it comes to driving ability and competence.

Yes, it is true.

Originally Posted by N.A.GTC

Yes, but if there's a cow going 60kmph without functional brake lights, I definitely blame the cow. But yeah, it's a moo point.

Beautifully put!

[careind]

Bizzare stuff happened yesterday with my friend's swift on a narrow busy road.

On a busy "L" signal ( Stop at the signal and turn immediately to the right ) Idle Stop & Go kicked in and stopped the engine. After that it just wouldn't start and the electricals got jammed. we couldn't roll the windows down or open the doors.
In this melee, he tried to put the car in 'N' and took the leg off the brake. We were on an incline unfortunately, and it rolled back and hit the vehicle in the rear. On hindsight, we should have engaged the hand brake.

The driver of the rear car got REALLY offended and was banging on the windows and doors. Of course he did not know our conondrum. We could not communicate with him as well as we were locked in. We tried to communicate with him in gestures.
Finally a complete switch off and switch on revereted sanity and we were able to get out of the car.When we eventually moved, thankfully there was no damage to any of the cars and all was good.

Accidents do happen for bizzare reasons and though the other party was enraged, my friend handled it pretty softly and agreed to bear all the expenses even before assessing damages.
Scary swift electricals! He said it had happened a couple of times before as well.

The lesson learnt was, till we do know the reason for a seemingly bad behavior on the roads, don't work yourself up assuming it was intentional.
And own up if you are in the wrong.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by careind

And own up if you are in the wrong.

Oh man, I always thought this way, till a police guy proved me wrong, read along,

Never own up or accept your mistake (doesn't mean that you go ahead with a fist fight with the other driver), because it's police guy's job to find out who's at fault. Most important is, describe him truthfully what happened at the accident scene and then let him take a call even if you think or are at 100% fault.

Incident - I was driving at modest 40kmph in a residential community, speed limit of the street was 60kmph. It was a 3 lane road, fastest lane was used as parking for the residents. So I was in 2nd lane. Suddenly I saw a kid darting from his house and trying to cross the road, I was awe stuck, with almost zero reaction time to save a tragedy from happening, stomped on the brakes, turned the car towards the left, keeping straight would have been a catastrophic disaster and eventually rear ended the stationary parked car. The kid hit my front fender near the tire and ran back in his house, like a spring, never to come out again and as if nothing happened. There was no one on the street who witnessed this. Now my heart was pounding, but it was a big sigh of relief that the kid wasn't hurt.

After sinking in the situation, realized, I had to call the police/insurance guy for accident, without their report, no mechanic or show room would accept the car for repairs and It's a simple rule here, if you have rear ended a car you are at 100% fault and I was mentally ready to accept my fault, get the police/insurance report and give the car for repairs, because all I needed was this paper for repairs, I would have taken care of repairs out of my pocket. Here faults are given in percentages and insurance covers you then accordingly as per the %age in your report, releases the money, if it's 3rd party.

In sometime the police guy comes, I told him the whole story (thanks google translator), till that time there was no clue of the other car's driver or owner. I remember we had a tough time understanding each other, we were translating each other with google translator. Mean time the police guy ran the license plate of the other car in his system and voila got his phone number and called him. Checked his documents and gave both of us papers for repairs. Mine was 0% fault and his was 100% fault. I thought he did a mistake, because I'm the one who rear ended the other car, so how can I be at 0% fault.

This happened on google translator on phone;

Me - It's my fault, I have rear ended his car,
Police guy - No, it's not your fault.

Me - Why,
Police guy - This guy has parked the car on the main street in speeding lane and he's not supposed to be here in the first place.

Me - Eyes popped up, after that I have never owned up any accident/fender bender, let some professional evaluate as per his expertise.
Police guy - Never own up, it's our job.

Me - Shukaran Mudir

Moral of the story - You might think you are wrong, but may be you aren't. So it's in the better interest to never own up.

[careind]

Originally Posted by NomadSK

Me - Shukaran Mudir

I think the moral of your story is, own up to your mistakes and be thankful of your stars if fate intervenes and the professional sees it in another way

Based on the transcript, seems this could have happened in Dubai.
And so many things different between the scenario that I mentioned and that you were involved in . India ( Chennai ) and Dubai are very different locales to apply the same formula.

Most of the fights on the road happens because people in the wrong do not own up to doing a mistake, especially when both the parties were involved and present.

Even in your case, if the driver of the other car had been in the car, that would have been pure and simple rear ending, whatever extenuating circumstances happened to you notwithstanding. Probably a 1 in a million chance that you were just lucky to get out on a technicality.

The fuel to road rage in case of accidents on Indian roads is the fear of the financial loss arising out of the accident, for no fault of their own. Assuaging that fear goes a long way in avoiding fisticuffs on the road.

If my car rolls down a slope and hit the car behind, that too with both the cars having active drivers behind the wheel, I wouldn't need a professional to sum up who is in the wrong. That could easily be construed as me trying to wiggle out of the situation and raise tempers, even before the police make their way to the site, and if they make it.

Ideally in my locale, the traffic police do not get involved unless there is physical damage to person(s). I believe this would be the case in other locales in India as well.

When all this was happening, the TC at the signal was happily avoiding us by looking at the other direction. And if we had called him in, he would have just took it as an opportunity to make money out of both of us.

[Thad E Ginathom]

A "rear-ending," as we generally mean it here, is when one is in normally-moving traffic and hits the vehicle in front. Not much argument that one is to blame.

Hitting a stationary vehicle is a different thing. But (I'm sure there must be exceptions) is, again, our fault if we do it, whether the vehicle should have been there or not.

A very special extenuating circumstance is when the collision is the alternative to running into a human. NomadSK was avoiding a child. There is no doubt at all that he was in the moral right, and had a very narrow escape.