Caution While Driving Through Village Roads

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

I was travelling to my native place near kanyakumari.I had to take a Detour in my route(maintenance going on in main road),as this road was devoid of traffic,but had small potholes,drove in 30-40.
I encountered a bump in the road,so i slowed the speed rode on the bump and then raised the speed.I saw 3 children aged 6-8 years walking.Suddenly eldest of 3 ran across the road even though i had honked slightly to warn them.Followed by the 2nd one.May be 5m distance from my car,i braked slow to hard,and an accident was averted.
My dad,my grand dad,my mum,praised me for my sudden anticipation,but had warned the same that you could have drove slower(as usual mothers are always mothers).
I downed by windows and talked in a serious tone to the eldest of lot-Patthu Pokanga Pasangala(meaning- Go carefully kids).

The advice to fellow TAIn's is-
1.However slow you are driving,i village roads,a full concentration from both fellow passengers as well as driver is necessary(My case we were having a casual chat though in low tone,if there was no chat then i may have braked earlier.
2.Traffic rules should be taught to village people too
Their domestic animals and vehicles shouldn't be lying in side road,it can be placed in a better way.(If possible TAI guys can make an iniative for traffic awareness programme)
3.Service the vehicle correctly especially brake system,even though slightly faulty can be harmful.

 

[GrandRk]

Even National Highways are highways for us but same highways are just like backstreet for nearby villagers.
When you divert to un-kown village roads then be cautious for people, animals and kids. At nights especially keep your eyes on roads because you will never know about dangerous pothole, uneven patches and digging done in between roads.

I have came across some spices of human who themselves are on 2 wheeler and goes parallel with another 2 wheeler doing regular chit chat with each other blocking more than half of your road. Also note that honking makes no difference to them as they are "great" persons in that village.

 

[incarnation]

i have this exp on NH-17 so its not only the village, it happens in the city too. On NH-17 there are these roadside dwellers who are rag picker's. Once when i was travelling on this highway a women carrying a basket crossed the road without looking in any direction. i slowed my vehicle however following her was a 3-4 year kid who was running on the road to cross. i slowed my vehicle to a sudden stop. guess which vehicle i was driving with my wife in her NANO. the breaking is really poor and we must have been in the 60km/h range. we missed the kid by inches.i got down and really shouted at the lady for not taking care of the kid.A lot of people had gathered. Think if something might have happened to the kid i would be cursing myself for the entire life. by then some traffic police came and told me"Sir this is the same case everyday there are children who are dead because of this, you carry on these people will never improve". But believe me my condition was horrible my hands were trembling and anger was at the peak. The kid wouldnt know anything about the rules and regulatiuon its the job of the parent to look after isn't it?? how can they be so careless about thier own kid??? well no answer to this. I seriously feel something must be done in this direction. There is quite a lot of such experiences i have had on other roads too. A Black cow at night time when i was on bike on the jog falls road travelling from Bangalore-karwar.Tose who have travelled this road would know its a deserted road through the forest a curvy road. Man!!!! all i can say is my heart was in my mouth at that moment.

 

[bhvm]

This happens to me sometimes. Only way to go is drive dead SLOW and Honk the horn frequently.
These are real face why india is still 'developing'
These people never improve and when something happens, car/Truck owners get all the blame and sometimes beatings too!

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

i have this exp on NH-17 so its not only the village, it happens in the city too. On NH-17 there are these roadside dwellers who are rag picker's. Once when i was travelling on this highway a women carrying a basket crossed the road without looking in any direction. i slowed my vehicle however following her was a 3-4 year kid who was running on the road to cross. i slowed my vehicle to a sudden stop. guess which vehicle i was driving with my wife in her NANO. the breaking is really poor and we must have been in the 60km/h range. we missed the kid by inches.i got down and really shouted at the lady for not taking care of the kid.A lot of people had gathered. Think if something might have happened to the kid i would be cursing myself for the entire life. by then some traffic police came and told me"Sir this is the same case everyday there are children who are dead because of this, you carry on these people will never improve". But believe me my condition was horrible my hands were trembling and anger was at the peak. The kid wouldnt know anything about the rules and regulatiuon its the job of the parent to look after isn't it?? how can they be so careless about thier own kid??? well no answer to this. I seriously feel something must be done in this direction. There is quite a lot of such experiences i have had on other roads too. A Black cow at night time when i was on bike on the jog falls road travelling from Bangalore-karwar.Tose who have travelled this road would know its a deserted road through the forest a curvy road. Man!!!! all i can say is my heart was in my mouth at that moment.

Exactly same feeling as you, my hands were literally trembling not due to the sudden effect of braking,but by thinking that the child was so close.If Brakes had failed it will be nightmare thereafter.

 

[ERTIGA_ZMR]

I ensure to honk very frequently and slowdown, you have to be careful from hen, cock,goat, kid, cow and wrong direction incoming tractor to cycle.

 

[vijay_968]

@ VISHNUCARCRAZY : Phew... what an escape you had ! And yes, all Moms always comment on our driving skills, but won't accept when we say "salt is less / more in food" .

@ ERTIGA_ZMR : +1 to your comments. What you basically tell us is that you honk that horn whenever you see something moving . When I started 4W driving, I was doing it. Soon realised, people are too busy to care about it in residential areas (Village / Town / City) and stopped that. BTW, Bus / Truck drivers on highways always listen and react to the sound of Horn. It is the law abiding citizens driving within Speed Limits AND blocking others' progress AND highly educated do not listen. Higher the education, deafer the driver and longer the blockage.

Let us come back to safe driving. My rule is applicable for ALL roads. IF speed is more for THAT road, driver should become more alert. IMO driving at 25kph on a 20kph road is more troublesome than 70kph on a 60kph road. Villagers are not used to heavy traffic and are ignorant to some extent. The City dwellers are aware of victims of road incidents, yet, many take things casually. How many people cross roads in Big cites, without much worrying about oncoming traffic ? Residents of one area always have that "yeh mera baap ka rasta hai" attitude, the same way a villager has.

Bottom line: most road incidents happen when one vehicle is travelling at a speed slightly or much higher than the situation permits.