Police Car Driving On The Wrong Side Causes Crash (Video)
Road accidents have lately been on the rise in India. In most cases, these are caused by inattentive or reckless drivers and people who break lane and traffic rules. We have also come across incidents in which police and other law enforcement officials caused accidents. The latest such case comes from Mumbai’s Western Express Highway. A police car driving against the traffic flow caused a crash on the busy highway. Dashcam footage of the same has now surfaced online. It looks like the cop car isn't the only one to blame here.
The clip opens by showing the dashcam-fitted car (we don’t know which model it is, so let’s refer to it as the ‘camera car’ from here on) moving smoothly through a busy section of the highway. It is doing a speed of 45-46kph. A White Hyundai Creta is following it. Initially, it is also doing the same speed as the camera car. Both vehicles are moving through the right lane.
At some point in the video, the camera car starts to slow down rapidly. This is where it gets tricky. At the same time, the Creta’s driver can be seen checking the leftside rearview mirror. The camera car’s deceleration is so sudden that the Creta’s driver is caught off guard. He is left with little time to avoid rear-ending it. He slams the brakes hard, but ends up hitting the rear of the camera car.
Luckily, the Creta did not take major damage in the incident. Its front bumper, grille section, and hood were dented and damaged partially. The camera-car then stopped to check out the gravity of the situation and do the needful.
The latter portion of the video also includes visuals from its front camera unit. It reveals the actual cause behind the camera car’s sudden deceleration, and in the larger picture, the real reason for this accident. In these, we see it driving behind a Hyundai Aura. The compact sedan soon changes course and enters the left lane.
At this point, we also see a Mahindra Scorpio used by the police department, slowly moving against the direction of the traffic flow, with its headlamps and beacon lights on. It is seen flashing its lights to warn the camera car. The driver applied the brakes quickly, making the Creta rear-end his car.
Before you wonder, this isn’t one of those infuriating cases of burgeoning VIP culture. It is just another poorly executed act of traffic regulation. People in comments have talked about the same in detail. On the Western Express Highway (WEH), it is common for one or two lanes on the opposite carriageway to be opened during peak hours. This is supposed to ease congestion and facilitate smooth (er) traffic flow. The actual efficacy of this practice, commuters say, remains debatable.
This ‘lane opening’ is often not handled or executed well. Usually, a police car is used as a pilot vehicle to warn oncoming traffic and clear the lane for vehicles following it. The Scorpio, in this case, was likely doing the same. It is seen moving very slowly, flashing its lights, suggesting the same. The camera car’s driver may have noticed it late due to visual obstruction caused by the Aura. And then comes the most important factor- terrible timing. The Creta's driver checked his left side mirror just when the car in front started decelerating.
That said, the cop car, and the current way of executing the ‘lane-opening’ need to be held accountable for this crash. You are unlikely to find a similar incident in countries like the UK or the US. There, you’ll see clear, well-planned, well executed systems (that use proper warning boards and personnel) to clear roads and regulate traffic. Forget matching them, our systems need to atleast make life on the road safer for motorists...