Maruti Baleno hits Mahindra XUV500 head-on: Here’s the result

Single-lane highways are one of the most accident prone zones in India. Here’s yet another crash from one such highway that involved a Maruti Baleno and the Mahindra XUV500.

The Baleno was overtaking a vehicle from the wrong lane when XUV 500 came from the opposite side. It resulted in a partial head-on collision where the Baleno received significant damage. The XUV 500 was also damaged in the accident and the front right wheel of the SUV is out of place. The airbags were the Baleno were deployed.

After the impact, the Baleno lost control and stopped at the side of the road. All the occupants of both the vehicles have not received any injuries, which is a good thing. The crash has totalled the front right side of the Baleno.

XUV 500 being higher has caused heavy damage to the vehicle and the fender has completely given away. We are not sure at what speed the cars were travelling but the airbags and the damage indicate that the crash took place at a high speed.

The crumple zones of Baleno have worked well to absorb the impact and keep the occupants safe. Without the crumple zones, the impact would have transferred inside the cabin and it could have been a disastrous accident. The XUV 500, on the other hand, had a front bull bar installed.

If the bull bar had been in the impact zone, the end result could have been different. In this accident, the XUV 500’s fender seems to have taken the impact well. Even though the body of the XUV500 has received less damage, the front wheel of the vehicle has gone out of the place. It is possible that the XUV 500 has suffered from broken suspension and broken rack and pinion steering system.

Driving on single carriageways

Driving on undivided lanes in India can be very dangerous. While most highways are being developed to have a divider, there are still numerous highways where the roads are still undivided. Here are a few ways to staying safe on such roads.

• Over speeding can be extremely dangerous. Such highways are narrower than regular roads and provide limited space at high speed, making it extremely dangerous.
• Overtaking should be avoided on such highways. The cars coming from the opposite side can cause catastrophic head-on accidents.
• The centre-line which is present on a few such highways should be treated as the divider, and one should never cross it.
• Stopping on such roads can be dangerous due to limited space. One should always put reflectors and park the vehicle at a straight stretch which can be seen well from both the sides.

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