Are Indians Driving the Most Unsafe Cars in the World?


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Car safety takes backseat as auto firms focus on sales.
Almost all carmakers, from Maruti Suzuki to Hyundai and Honda, offer variants in India without life-saving features such as airbags and ABS (anti-lock braking system) although these features are included in vehicles exported to even smaller markets.
Most of the companies operating in India are global players and pack their export models with top-notch safety features — even offering six air bags on a compact car — whereas the models meant for India lack many of these.
In the West, where regulations are stringent against any manufacturing defect, results in companies recalling lakhs of cars and often being slapped with hefty million-dollar fines.
In India, the regulators have not taken on companies and agencies such as the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), which clears vehicles before they are launched, ignore basic features. For instance, several vehicles in India come with the indicator on the left hand side because the carmaker has refused to make the change in line with local driving conditions. There are vehicles where even the lever to open the bonnet is on the left hand side. Yet, the vehicles get the go ahead.
NCAP found that in the case of crash of Maruti Alto, Tata Nano and Hyundai i10, the vehicle structures were inadequate and collapsed to varying degrees, resulting in high risks of life-threatening injuries to occupants. The extent of the structural weaknesses in these models were such that even fitting with airbags would not be effective in reducing the risk of serious injury, NCAP said.
source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...firms-focus-on-sales/articleshow/38939948.cms
 
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What is the point of talking about unsafe cars let us talk about unsafe drivers of which there is no shortage of here. I remember reading about an accident involving an S class which was obviously driven extremely recklessly involved in an accident where the person died and the family wanted to sue Mercedes. The urgent need of the moment is to suspend the driving licensed of large numbers of idiots who are let loose on the roads with their killing machines.
 
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I was about to write that it is because of illiterate people behind the wheels that the roads are unsafe, but then I remembered those so called 'cool' young educated morons who drive like maniacs in their bid to show off their skills on road endangering the lives of other drivers and pedestrian.

I completely agree with vu2gte. We Indians are not driving the Unsafe cars, but are driving on the roads which are unsafe, the reason being we ourselves. Unless laws arent enforced properly, there would be no change in the dangerous conditions that prevail on Indian highways.
 
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I am pretty sure there is big looby of these manufacturers who ensure that government does not make safety compulsory. The same cars for export have all safety features while Indian version have almost none.
 
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During my recent visit to UK, I had seen vehicle like Swift, Wagon R, i10, i20, Punto on roads. How these vehicle pass the European requirements?

I have seen the Good HMV drivers from the so called illiterate drivers. I think all the important signals were in pictorial form. And the so called illiterate following the laws. But the accidents happens because the poor drivers get orders from their bosses without knowing the driver current conditions or fitness to drive the length. And making the road to unsafe condition to drive.

As vu2gte, we have to take corrective actions against those NON-SENSE guys.

Most the roads installed with cameras and speed limits in UK, if you cross the speed you will be fined. I liked the below conditions from UK....
1. Sound alarm comes when you cross the max speed (80 MPH).
2. Insurance companies will not support you to claim if you cross the set speed which was set by the insurance companies (again, it is tracked by insurance companies by using some instrument)
 

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