Man Jumps Off Out-Of-Control Maruti Jimny As SUV Slides On Black Ice Near Atal Tunnel [Video]

It’s winter and there’s a lot happening in and around the Atal Tunnel. Several videos from the place show out-of-control vehicles sliding around and crashing into each other. In a recent incident, an out-of-control Maruti Jimny was seen sliding on Black ice and finally crashing into a side rail to come to a complete stop. The driver is seen jumping off the SUV, and has a close call when the door tends to hit him.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 🇳​​🇮​​🇹​​🇮​​🇸​​🇭​ ​🇷​​🇺​​🇭​​🇪​​🇱​​🇦​ (@nangalvasi)

A careful examination of the video reveals key details of the incident. A Gypsy is seen first, carefully driving down the slope, followed by the Jimny. While the former makes it out safe, the Jimny driver seems to have applied the brakes and then tried to accelerate to balance the shift in momentum. This led to a complete loss of control.

The SUV spins and slides down. Panicking more, the driver jumps out of the vehicle. He falls to the ground, and the door almost hits his head. He had a narrow escape.

The way he falls off the vehicle is scary. While the fall itself might not have caused injuries, things would have been worse if the door had hit his head.

The video’s caption says ‘ See, if you are sure you’d panic, just don’t go there. Instead, if you want to go to the Atal Tunnel in winter, be sure to follow the advisory. Things will be fine then. If the snow-laden place is far from where you stay, it is better to enjoy somewhere close to your stay, than driving all the way through the snow. In the Atal tunnel, it is better to  stay for a maximum of 30 minutes.’

The driver should have ideally engaged the 4×4 and used engine braking to slow the vehicle down and maintain traction on the road. Hard braking would only lock the wheels and lead to a complete loss of traction. In snow-laden places such as these, it is advised to use chains to ensure traction.

Using Chains While Driving On Snow: What Is It All About?

Wrapping strong iron chains around the tyres (snow chains) is a common practice while driving on snow. This gives the traction a hike. These chains bite into the snow with their metal links and give the vehicle significantly higher traction than otherwise. This prevents slippage and skidding and keeps the vehicle in total control. Think of these chains as tiny teeth that would dig into the surface, ensuring good steering abilities and reassuring grip.

Other Best Practices For Driving On Snow:

When you drive on loose sand or in deserts, you deflate your tyres. However, driving on snow requires the tyre pressure to be as recommended by the manufacturer. You can find these values inside the fuel lid, or near the driver-side door. The most important advice would be to drive with a smooth, safe and slow pace. Be gentle with acceleration and braking. Any sudden throttle or brake would unsettle the car and potentially make it go out of control.

You should also use an increased following distance with the vehicle in front of you, and engage low gears whenever necessary. Ahead of the season, swap your tyres with healthy winter rubber. These will give you much better traction and grip on snow and ice, than regular road tyres.

If you start skidding, balance and neutral out the motion by steering gently into the slide (the direction you want to go), instead of slamming the brakes right away. As a best practice, keep the headlamps on for better visibility.