Anything Can Happen On Indian Roads Anytime - Here Is Proof
India has lately been witnessing a steep climb in the number of vehicles and road users. The number of road accidents has also been rising accordingly. It now takes more than just safe driving practices and good situational awareness to stay safe on the road. Our roads can be very unpredictable, and you really need to be lucky to stay safe! From jaywalking cattle to unmarked potholes, anything can lead to accidents and even loss of lives. A recent video shared online shows just how even a simple stone lying on the road can cause a crash that looks bad.
This incident seems to be from Kerala. The clip opens by showing an array of vehicles moving through what looks like a two-lane highway. It is likely to be the dash cam footage from one of those vehicles. A mini bus can be seen on the left lane, and an autorickshaw is following it on the same lane. A scooter carrying two ladies can also be seen behind the auto.
Soon, the autorickshaw tries to overtake the bus. The scooter follows it, seemingly maintaining a safe distance and without being too aggressive. But then, the video suddenly shows a small rock lying on the road. The rider fails to notice it and rides right over the stone. The rider loses control, and the two fall off the vehicle, towards the right. Fortunately, the vehicle falls to the left.
A Royal Enfield rider who was following it stops right in time, avoiding crashing into the scooter. He rushes to the two ladies, offering help. The crash seems to have caused injuries to both of them. From the video, it looks like the pillion’s right leg was significantly injured. She even fell on her face. Unfortunately, she was wearing a half-face helmet. We hope she wasn’t injured too badly.
The small tyre size of the scooter seems to have rendered it more vulnerable in this case. If it were a motorcycle with wider rubber, maybe the two wouldn’t have crashed after running over the stone. Motorcycles with narrow tyres (like the Splendour, for example) would be equally unsettled by the stone ( and other such undulations).
Maintaining more distance from the autorickshaw could have, however, helped the scooterists here. In that case, the rider would have noticed the stone earlier and would have gotten more time to react. This would have helped in avoiding the crash. This incident further underlines the importance of adopting defensive riding practices in staying safe on our roads.
It is the method of implementing proactive strategies to predict and avoid potential hazards on the road, thereby staying safe. The rider in this case, assumes that other drivers/riders may not see him/her and can make mistakes. The rider then rides even more safely, keeping the possible safety compromises caused by others in mind and even compensating for those by riding extra carefully.
The rider also maintains a lane position that would provide maximum visibility and minimize, if not eliminate, blind spots. He/she also keeps a constant watch for possible dangers or compromises.
The video has sparked active discussions on platforms like Reddit. Users are talking about the various aspects of this incident. Some blamed the women for the mishap. Many, however, understood the real cause behind it.
“Every time I see such obstacles on the road, I pull over and remove it from the road, so that everyone who crosses after me can ride easily. One of the things I do as a Biker,”- commented a user. Such a responsible rider, hats off... The stone here may have fell off a truck that probably passed through the place previously. If someone had thought the same way as this user and removed it, this crash wouldn't have happened!