Should We Buy Cars with No Safety Devices?

[roman]

Recently VW launched polo with airbags as standard across all variants,following on the foot steps of nissan which did the same thing with the micra.Honda used to do it till they entered the volume segments.

Now consider maruti,the largest player which produces cars like the alto 800,k10, ritz e.t.c they are not offering airbags or abs as an option in the top variants of the alto series.So the hottest selling cars are void of any safety features.

When I asked this issue to a friend of mine ,who is a service engineer working for a prominent maruti dealer in trivandrum he brushed aside the issue and used the 'people use two wheelers' cliche.

After riding and driving on indian roads from 1985 i can say that riding a two wheeler cannot be compared to driving cars." because people ride bikes they will neglect safety features in a car" is a flawed perception which holds back manufacturers from offering any safety equipment in cars.

We should remember that most people use two wheelers for short errands not inter state trips most of the time the average two wheel rider is caught in slow,city traffic where speed is well below 50 km\hour.Not the case with cars, even entry level ones tread our highways in the company of huge trucks,trailers e.t.c

Two wheelers are also used for inter state trips but not very often.
While riding a bike in a long trip the concentration levels will be sky high for a seasoned rider.He has an extremely nimble machine at his disposal,experienced riders will venture into highways only with utmost precaution,we check the condition of the bikes before undertaking a long trip,reduce night travel time and
most importantly would be having the uncommon common sense.Bikes are not as unsafe as they are portrayed to be

Since cars are often used on roads with high speed traffic so safety features are a must.The Indian govt will never pass a legislation making them mandatory thanks to the lobbying of these firms,So it is high time for market pressure to force these manufactures to prioritise safety.

Next time when we think of buying a car we should consider safety provided with it also. We should not let them con us by saying the illogical 'motorcycle' argument.At least all manufactures should provide them as an option

 

[anshuman8]

^^ Technically we should always opt for cars with safety features e.g. ABS with EBD or Airbags (Dual or more), but budget is always a concern. If manufacturers produce cars lower end models also with safety features, of course people would buy happily.

 

[nirvaan7575]

The government needs to step in and make it mandatory for cars to be fitted with ABS and airbags as standard. It is agreeable that budget is always a concern but lives are more important. With that being said people also need to be sensible on roads while driving.

 

[Releesh]

2 things from my side.

1. Maruti started giving airbag as an option in Maruti Alto 800 Thugh ABS not.

2. I heard ABS become a must for commercial vehicles within a couple of months by govt's new rule.

 

[gandhi]

Always we should buy cars with safety devices. During my search to own a car, I have looked all the cars safety features. Also we are not at par with other countries. Whatever we have in India, it is basic safety features.

IMO, Honda is the only company who give safety features in base variant. Pls read the below ownership thread from No safety to Full Safety. Then you will understand the safety features requirement.

Budget is not constrain to own the safety features for Indian customers. But the companies makes it as option in high end variant clubbing with other features. I think which is unfair trade practice with customer who wants to have safety feature in base variant.


http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/ownership-reviews/17288-hyundai-verna-ownership-review-no-safety-full-safety-22-days.html

 

[smooth rider]

people buy these cars without air bags or abs because its available. if the governments makes it mandatory that it should be there in all cars then buyers won't have a choice. we have a tendency to go after what ever is the cheapest. be it cars or anything else, safety is not a priority.

 

[nishant5858]

We have always been buying cars which have ABS, Airbags as minimum. Infact, Safety is the first priority when we are researching cars. Any car that doesn't have this as standard/optional gets rejected. All cars we currently have are equipped with these features. Its importance was explained by my father in my early age. Very proud to have such a father. We may never use airbags, but they are there to protect anytime accident occurs. His friends and others used to laugh and make fun when we purchased our 1st car with ABS, Airbags (2001 Ford Mondeo). Now they too have realised importance of Airbags,ABS and even Seat Belts. With Govt making these as mandatory by 2017 is a good thing for Indian Public.

 

[Vignesh_k]

In my opinion, always go for cars with the at least the bare minimum safety features i.e. ABS and 2 Airbags. Even when we were buying a pre-owned car, I was particular that it should have the safety features and we ended up with a Dzire ZXi.

Government / car manufacturers making ABS and Airbags mandatory will be a great initiative. But why do we need to wait for that. Who should be more concerned about our family's safety? Ourselves, government or car manufacturers? In that case, why do we pass the baton? Shouldn't we responsibly choose cars with safety features? Once everyone starts ignoring the base models without safety features or move towards brands that provide them by default, slowly all car manufacturers will be forced to add them. We are the consumers, we have the power and we should use it.

 

[MSN1]

For what purpose we are doing cost cutting or selecting a lower end varient,
if you are selecting a lower end variant to save money for some other purpose or for the sake of your family future ?
then think twise and make sure for whomsoever you are doing so should be alive or safe, for their sake select the one that comes with safety devices,

Spending money on safety devices are better than spending money for the incident happened or in worst case scenario money cant bring back lost lives.

 

[Vignesh_k]

For what purpose we are doing cost cutting or selecting a lower end varient,
if you are selecting a lower end variant to save money for some other purpose...

Whats worse MSN1, is that people choose lower trims without safety equipment and use the saved amount on fancy alloy wheels, fancy seat covers, better audio player, better speakers, amplifiers, sticker jobs, engine remaps, bling lights / DRLs, illuminated door sills and what not.

If people have money for all these, I do not understand why the safety features are ignored especially being aware that they cannot be retro-fitted.

 

[roman]

It is sad to see honda which used to provide abs and airbags across all variants providing none of these features even in the mid variants of the brio.

None of the carmakers are concerned about the safety of indian car buyers who spent their hard earned money trusting their products.It is strange that cars like nano,alto 800,k10 are void of these features even in their highest trims.

Volkswagen has set an industry standard by making safety features standard in a car like polo(their entry level hatch)that too under 5 lakhs ex showroom.It is high time we ditch carmakers who does not even offer any safety features even as an option.

Air bags and abs will not come to use every day but if such an unlucky day comes along in our life we may need them just to survive the crash.Airbags and ABS does not even remotely have a zen % success rate in saving lives but even 10% would mean the difference between life and death on that day.

 

[Mr.Boss]

To be simple, if one is concerned about safety don't buy cars without such features.

I would say ABS is more important than Airbags
ABS
- Self & Public safety
- Avoids a mishap
Airbags
- Self safety
- Provides safety during a mishap

And for the one who blame OEMs for such a cost cutting measure please do revisit that statement. OEMs do supply what the market (Customers) wants. When there is a Demand vs Supply gap, we can't see such a huge sales figures of cars that don't have any of the safety features. Now it is clear that we (customers) are responsible for such a cost cutting measure from OEMs.