The Himalayan region of India is extremely picturesque but due to the extreme weather, the terrain can be highly treacherous. The Himalayan region regularly gets landslides, which can disrupt the traffic for hours. Here is such a landslide that happened in the Spiti Valley region in Himachal Pradesh and shows a Toyota Innova conquering it like a boss.
The video by Himalayan Holidays Advanture shows the Himalayan road blocked because of a fresh landslide. Big boulders and stones can be seen laid on the road, which has caused the traffic to come to a standstill on both the ways. However, the driver of the Toyota Innova had other ideas and went on through the landslide. He is using the older Innova, which is still extremely common on the Indian roads, especially as commercial tourist vehicles.
The Innova can be seen charging up the affected area at high speed but it soon gets stuck and the wheels lose traction. The onlookers then help out the Innova by pushing the vehicle from behind. After getting out from the first situation, the Innova soon gets stuck in the second point where pushing does not help much. The driver then takes the vehicle in reverse and tries the challenge again. This time, he manages to find enough grip to go over the rocks and get clear of the landslide to reach the other side.
Toyota Innova Crysta is extremely popular among the fleet car owners for various reasons. Even in the mountains, the Toyota Innova is preferred because of its extremely good ride quality even on the rough roads. Apart from that, the Innova is quite rugged and can be manhandled without any consequences as seen in the video. The Toyota Innova is a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, which can be tricky to drive, especially on the slippery surfaces. In the video, we can see that it is also raining in the area, which makes it much more difficult for the Toyota Innova to find grip on such surfaces. If it was a 4X4 vehicle, no external help would have been needed to go over the landslide.
Is it safe to do such things?
Absolutely no. The Toyota Innova driver seems to be a local person and seems like he knows what he’s doing but driving over such a huge landslide is extremely dangerous. Landslides happen due to the loose surface and rocks. Driving vehicles over landslides are not recommended as the landslide can further slip due to the weight of the vehicle and can cause massive accidents. If things go wrong, the vehicle can even fall in the valley.
It is always good to wait for help to come. In the mountains, landslides are very common and often the authorities arrive and clear the road within hours if it is the main highway. Also, there are many alternate routes that can be taken to reach the destination. Yes, these options would take a little more time but it will ensure the safety of the vehicle and the occupants in the vehicle.
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