Wrong side driving - road safety

Recently, I went outstation on road by car due to some emergency. The distance covered one way was about 550 km. 

In this particular route, in one stretch, I had many near misses, as I found vehicles of all types like 4- / 2- wheelers, carts, etc coming straight opposite in the wrong direction. 

Assuming I am safe due to the road divider, I was driving at 80-100 kmph speed. But, as I entered this particular stretch, I narrowly missed opposite coming vehicles many times. Initially, I thought it is a one-time affair. But, there was a constant stream of vehicles of all types. In one particular place, I thought I got one more life. The truck coming opposite straight in the wrong direction to me was about to hit, after taking a turn from the other side at about 50 distance (which I did not expect such a thing can happen). To avoid a collision, I changed from the lane adjacent to the divider to the middle lane. But, this truck driver also moved to the middle lane, and hurriedly he moved to the first lane again, thus narrowly missing me. Further to this wrong direction driving, he started staring at me. 

I felt that this lane discipline is nothing and should be careful during driving in this stretch at all times that vehicles can come in all directions. 

Distraction to drivers from bill boards on the roads

Today, I was driving to workplace. Enroute, while glancing at advertisements, I narrowly missed hitting a pedestrian. The lady crossing the road stopped and was looking at me, whereas I was watching billboard located at height, thereby missing the road view totally. It is mistake on my part. I also felt like there should not be any distraction to the drivers. Drivers should concentrate on the road traffic and possibly these billboards for others in the vehicles. Else, there can be accidents or near miss incidents like I had today.

Near miss incident - Tractor crossing rail track narrowly misses speed train

See the video here
http://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/caught-on-camera-shocking-moment-speeding-train-misses-tractor-by-inches-1730982

Strange encounters to a common man on the road

Recently I read that a person while walking on the road side was hit with a falling tree branch and was hospitalized. Few days back, when I went to an industrial unit, I was told that many years ago a boy playing in the ground died due to lightning strike. In the same area, when my self and a friend were going on evening walk, my friend had bird drops on his head twice within a span of ten minutes, and myself being just a feet or two away had narrow escape.  There were reports of fall of snake being carried by an eagle in the sky  on a person below and biting him to death. Personally, about an year ago, I had a near miss from a falling temporary structure, which fell about 10 feet in front of me while I was sitting in a vehicle. The structure was erected in front of a temple and it fell on another car below it but its passengers walked out without any injury.

Vehicles coming from a side lane or opposite and killing the riders on the main road is a regular news item. Uneven surfaces/pot holes/unmarked speed breakers on the road in the darkness unnerve the vehicle riders particularly two wheelers as they approach closer,  and may even lead to their fall. Splashing of water from the roads onto the persons by speeding vehicles on the road is another danger which can distract and can lead to accidents.
In some photos I saw deers and other animals hitting the cars while crossing the road and leading to major road accidents. There will be many such unknown dangers, but some of them can be learned before hand by making a research about the area to be visited and take measures to avoid such encounters.

Standing under the coconut tree - a nearmiss incident

Yesterday, I went to my friend's house and while leaving he came out upto the gate to see me off. While talking at the gate, all of sudden there was cracking sound and a dry big leaf (about 4 m long) of the coconut tree that is adjacent to the gate fell down, almost touching the backside of my friend. The tree is about 12-15 m high. When we saw up, one more such leaf is loosely hanging dangerously at the top and may fall any time due to heavy wind.
In the city where we do not see coconut trees due to apartment culture with no room left for trees, I forgot the dangers of standing under the tree, though we have a coconut tree at our house in the native place. My mother says, scorpions and even snakes are likely to be encountered when a person goes up to cut the coconuts from the tree or for removing the dried leaves. Same is the case with various types of palm trees. But their leaves are not as heavy as coconut leaves.
The incident is a near miss and a few millimeters made the difference to avoid getting hit by the coconut leaf.

Nearmiss - my experience during rain and heavy wind

Last week I was on pilgrimage tour along with friends on a rented car. When we were nearing a temple town, there was heavy rain with winds. As we approached the temple, our driver stopped the car about 15 m away from a temporary structure made for temple function. Within 2 minutes, we saw the entire structure falling down on a car near, due to heavy winds. The occupants of the car ran away. Though, there was no damage, but it is an experience and we were saved by our driver's timely action.
We always tell workers at height not to work during rains/winds, but if people see the incident, I think, then only they will understand the meaning in it.

Wrong signals - a nearmiss experience

Yesterday, I went  to see my friend staying about 20 km from my residence. I went on a 2-wheeler and stopped at a traffic signal. A car was on my right with right indicator blinking. When the traffic signal turned green, I moved straight and this car on my right instead of going straight or right turned left. I was just ahead of it and would have fell down had the left moving car bumped my vehicle. My heart pounded fast for few minutes.
A similar incident happened earlier few months ago which I mentioned in my earlier post wherein I was hit by a car and I fell on the road. Few years ago, when I was going to my office, again, I had a near miss, this time from another 2-wheeler with wrong signals. I was going straight and the scooter with left indicator ON, moved right. The driver shouted at me and when I pointed him to his left indicator, he laughed and drove off.

This type of driving with wrong signals is very dangerous and we have to be careful on the road, more so at junctions, irrespective of the indicators on the other vehicles.