An article on accidents in India - Part 3
The article is a very general one. It has been done to make people aware of the dangers one faces on the roads and safety measures they can take to stay safe. Fair warning! This is a very long write-up and has been split into multiple parts.?The videos are at times gruesome. Viewer discretion is highly advised. If you are someone who cannot stand the sight of blood or see accidents take place, or if you are a BP or heart patient, please skip the videos.?Those that like the article please share it with others and spread the message.
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In India we have the habit of randomly moving from lane to lane. Bikers are known to do this, some to get through traffic, others just for the heck of it. When changing lanes on the road do check to see that there is no one directly behind you in your lane or in the lane you want to move into. Use your rear-view mirror and signal when changing lanes. Note that some vehicles have signals on the sides also to make those on their sides aware of which way they are turning. If you want to move into a side street from the main road do not wait till you are almost at the place to make the turn. Do it gradually over a decent length of time. Note that it takes a few seconds for the person(s) behind to register the fact that you are turning even when the signal lights are on.
People/vehicles stopping suddenly on roads is one of those weird problems that we face as drivers. One never knows for what reason the person in front has stopped. Autos especially do this a lot. The reason could be anything ranging from vehicle failure to animals/people crossing the road. At times, they do it for no reason at all. Some just stop to pray (as do pedestrians) when they catch sight of a religious institution like a temple or church, regardless of where they are. This is a very dangerous thing to do, for you, those with whom you are travelling and those behind you on the road. Please do this while keeping the vehicle moving, or stop safely to the side of the road.
Driving on overbridges is a major pain these days. No rules are followed. Speed limits and turn decorum are especially forgotten. One may remember the case in Hyderabad where a car flew off an overbridge and landed on an auto below, while travelling at well over the speed limit. Do not overtake people on overbridges, especially at turns. Also note that when you turn on an overbridge there are various forces acting upon you and the vehicle. The faster you turn, the greater the centripetal force acting on you. This will pull you to one side of the bridge, sometimes forcing you off the bridge itself. However strong you think you are, be aware that your strength is nothing compared to the force of nature acting upon you. You may be lucky a few times when making these high-speed turns but the arrogance that stems from such success will eventually lead to your downfall. Turning on curves on these bridges needs special care. Sometimes multiple lanes of traffic meet together at a spot. One needs to be aware of this fact (see where the yellow and green lines converge on the bridge in the picture below). When you wish to go straight in a place where a left turn is present please move to the second or third lane on the right. Do not take the turn in the first lane. Vehicles turning into the left (blue lane) will be very close to you and you may hit them (or they may hit you) when they turn in and you turn away. Hence, instead of taking the red lane (see picture below) take the green lane. Similarly, when coming down an overbridge please take note of the service lane to the left side and that vehicles will most likely be coming out from it (and vice versa if you are the person in the service lane). Another big problem with overbridges is that people tend to drive over and across it to avoid the signals below or even drive on the wrong side of the bridge, against traffic. This is illegal but nothing seems to be done to enforce the rules.
Hyderabad overbridge accident. Source: YouTube. Viewer discretion needed
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Driving on the wrong side is so common in India that no one actually thinks of it as being wrong these days. It is probably considered being street-smart and the in-thing to do. People usually do this to cut down on commuting time when going the right way will mean covering a lot more distance. Also, shop owners or office goers tend to do this when their shops/offices are quite close by but they have to go a good ways and double back to get to their destination. Even on overbridges and in subways you will find people driving on the wrong side to cut down on commuting distance. Another common thing is to go on the wrong side of a service lane so that you can get on the right side on an overbridge. Whatever be the reason please be aware that those on the wrong side have no say whatsoever in case they meet up with an accident. Also, people driving on the correct side be aware of this issue (as I am sure you already are) and do not go too much to the left hand side of the road. It will be easier for you to move out of the way in case you meet anyone coming from the other side. Only strict enforcement of rules can cut down on this problem but this cannot be done in a place like India which has vast areas to patrol. Hence, this has become a way of life on the road. Probably, the rule can be enforced on overbridges and in subways alone to minimize the difficulties of those using them.
Signals that don’t work are another issue, though not too rampant where I come from. You do not know if the Amber blinking light is going to turn Red or Green. You are not sure as a driver or a pedestrian whether to go across or stop. This is especially so in the mornings. A very good example of this in Chennai is the signal near the Rajiv Gandhi Statue at Little Mount, just before the court complex. In the mornings, sometimes it is on Red, sometimes it is blank, other times it is on Amber. But, till about 8 am, whatever it is on, people just keep going through it without stopping even for Red (please keep an eye out for pedestrians and take a call on how to react if you see some crossing the road). The vehicles behind come at such a hectic pace that at times it would be suicidal to follow the rules and stop here (sorry to say; but I have experienced this first-hand, many times). This is one signal I am very wary of as I am never sure what to do here. Sometimes the signals have been purposely made this way as the turn at that point of the road has been blocked out. Riders please beware and use your (not so) common sense in such places.
Blind spots of bigger vehicles are something that needs to be mentioned in this article. I have seen quite a few accidents involving smaller vehicles trying to overtake bigger ones like buses from their blind side only to be swiped out of the way, wondering what went wrong and often blaming the driver of the bigger vehicle for what is actually their own fault. See the picture below detailing the blind spots on a bus and the fairly large amount of area marked. Some people have the habit of overtaking bigger vehicles and instantly cutting into their lane without realising that there is a blind spot right in front of the vehicle too. When overtaking such vehicles, it is driver of the smaller vehicle who needs to show more caution as the damage to them will be maximum, sometimes even leading to fatalities. These vehicles are so big that even a minor blow from them can send bikes flying. The sheer momentum generated by their movement is huge. The weight of these vehicles is measured in tons (1 ton = 1,000 kilograms), not kilograms. Any blow, however minor, will have a huge impact. Anyone going under one of these (with or without protection (helmet)) will be very lucky to survive, if in one piece. Even when overtaking these vehicles (hopefully from the right side) please let them know by use of horn that you plan to overtake. And go a good few metres forward and ahead of the vehicle before coming back into their lane. Do not slow down suddenly in front of them. It takes such big vehicles some time to even slow down after the brakes are applied. Also be aware that when the bus or any big vehicle tries to overtake someone or takes a turn it will be over several metres and at an angle that will make it appear as though there is space to overtake but in reality the nearer you go to them the lesser the space you will get to commute. All of the above pertains to pedestrians too. Do not try to run across a bigger vehicle, especially when the signals are turning. This could be the last thing you ever do.
Blind spots of big vehicles. Source: YouTube. Viewer discretion needed
To be continued . . .