[ayon]

Originally Posted by murajith

Sharing the experience my brother had a day before

We can thank God and the folks at Ford for the miraculous escape. cannot even imagine the driver coming out of this episode without a scratch.

These episodes are a further reminder to all of us not to accept car manufacturers doling out cars without the requisite safety equipment.

[XtremeTorque]

Originally Posted by The Observer

In any case these bus drivers who know we have no choice but get out of the way, continue this dangerous practice unabated - this need to be reported - a front camera with recording can help us if we can share the video with the authorities (esp in Kerala - the cops are ready to fine/apprehend such drivers).

Car DVR - already ordered one. My hometown is at Vaikkom and so I'm a frequent traveller in this route. This "bus coming at us with headlights" is a common thing in this route and on every single trip I have encountered this few times but this one was a close shave. They all flash headlights as if there's gonna open a magical third lane on our left for us to give way

An unfamiliar driver in this route may get into trouble (and already happened a lot times) if this menace isnt stopped

[Manoj2268]

2007, Somewhere between Jaipur and Udaipur, my friend's Optra lost control when he was foolishly doing excessive speeds on the butter smooth highway(at night!). We were four people and everyone was belted up except my friend who was driving. The car turned turtle, flipped many times and banged against a trailer. I just suffered minor cuts as the airbag protected me. the passengers at the rear had dislocated shoulders and sprained wrists and concussion.

What happened to my friend who was driving? He was thrown out of the vehicle and we and the locals were trying to remove bits of him from the middle of the road.


Belt up! Always!

[StepUP!]

O man! Looking at the car pictures it's hard to believe they walked out safe! I am glad no one was hurt in the accident.
One thing I didn't get, the car's bumper area is not deformed. Probably car ran beneath as the truck didn't have under run protection bar. Is that the reason bonnet is dislodged from wind-shield side? Looks like it's peeled off when truck moved to clear the car.

Kudos to Ford!

[wilful]

Originally Posted by murajith

Sharing the experience my brother had a day before

Thank God your brother and family emerged from this safely. This really underlines the importance of seat belts (and other safety aids).

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The truck driver cut in front of the ecosport and then stopped. In this event, what can anybody do? This is not a case of hitting the vehicle in front because of being too close. That is a lecture that I often give, but I don't think it applies

First of all I am glad the passengers escaped without any injuries. It is easy to pontificate with the benefit of hindsight but when things go wrong in a split second, it is hard to put principles in to practice. Not commenting specifically on this case but in general a rear ending indicates the fault of the person who hits from behind in practically all situations. If the truck and the Ecosport were going at the similar speed then why was the truck able to stop and not the Ecosport? The truck starts moving towarxs the lane in which the Ecosport is travelling and an alert driver would have slowed down and honked. A truck needs much more stopping distance than a small SUV. Most likely scenario for such incidents is that the SUV was trying to overtake another vehicle at high speed and the truck was in front of this other vehicle. That is why the SUV drver might not have seen the lane change of the truck. Trying to speed up to overtake an already fast vehicle likely prevented the driver from being able to stop in time. That is why one needs to keep a safe distance and overtaking should be done only when one can see the road ahead to make sure there are no obstacles and that the road doesn't narrow and the lane doesn't end suddenly etc.


Again, I reiterate that this is a general argument and is not meant to criticise the driver of this particular incident.

[Thad E Ginathom]

It's a general comment, but then why link it to my quote, which includes the specific words cut in front of. Why not relate your comment, if you wanted to reply, to what I actually said?

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

It's a general comment, but then why link it to my quote, which includes the specific words cut in front of. Why not relate your comment, if you wanted to reply, to what I actually said?

I was trying to present an argument regarding the 'cut in front of' situation. However as none of us were present at the incident, I didn't want to argue that the same must have happened in the Ecosport case.

[mayankk]

I looked and found this. It is a repost, but do belt up!

Do you know what happens in the first fatal second after a car going 55 miles per hour(90ish Kmph) hits a solid object?

In One tenth of a second:
The front bumper and grill collapse. Slivers of steel penetrate the tree to a depth of several centimeters.

In Two tenths of a second:
The bonnet crumples as it rises, smashing the windscreen. The rear wheels leave the road. The radiator disintegrates. The front wings come into contact with the tree forcing the rear of the wings to splay outwards over the front of the wings. The heavy structural members of the car begin to act as a brake on the terrific forward momentum of the car's body, but the driver's body continues to move forward at the car's original speed. This means a force of 20 times gravity - his body weighs 1500kg. His legs, ramrod straight, snap at the knee joints.

In Three tenths of a second:
The driver's body is now off the seat. Torso upright, broken knees pressing against the dashboard. The plastic and steel frame of the steering wheel begins to bend under the pressure of the driver's grip. His head is near the sun visor, his chest above the steering column.

In Four tenths of a second:
The first 50 centimeters' of the car has been demolished, but the rear is still travelling at approximately 35 mph. The engine block crunches into the tree. The rear of the car, like a bucking horse, rises high enough to scrape bark off the low branches.

In Five tenths of a second:
The driver's fear-frozen hands bend the steering wheel into an almost vertical position. The force of gravity impales him on the steering column. Jagged steel drives through his chest, puncturing lungs and internal organs.

In Six tenths of a second:
So great is the force of the impact that the lace-up shoes are ripped off the driver's feet. The brake pedal shears off at the bulkhead. The chassis bends in the middle, sheering the body bolts. The driver's head smashes through the windscreen. The rear of the car continues its downward fall, crashing down on the rear wheels.

In Seven tenths of a second:
The entire disintegrating body of the car is forced out of shape. Hinges tear away. Doors fly open. In one last convulsion the seat rams forward, pinning the driver more firmly on the steering column. Blood spurts from his mouth. Shock has frozen his heart. The driver is dead in just seven tenths of a second.

[arunphilip]

Yet another video that shows the importance of buckling up everyone - kids included.


Source: http://9gag.com/gag/aepROLp

[subhro1988]

Originally Posted by murajith

Sharing the experience my brother had a day before

Was the phone connected via bluetooth to the SYNC which led to such prompt assistance?

Originally Posted by Vid6639

3. Emergency Assistance (only if a phone is connected via Bluetooth):

• A first in India...with the potential to save lives. Unfortunately, response times from medical services are the weakest link in our country. Some States have it good, most are poor.
• SYNC will automatically dial "108" from your phone if an accident leads to airbag deployment or fuel pump cut off.
• SYNC will notify you before dialling 108, and wait for 10 seconds for you to cancel (that is, if you don't want the system to call emergency services). Simply press the hangup button on the steering wheel to cancel.
• If you don't cancel, SYNC will place the call to 108 and speak out an automated message that goes "A Ford vehicle has been involved in an accident. Please standby for GPS coordinates. The GPS coordinates are XX, YY" It will then transfer the call to the occupants for any further instructions.
• If an accident occurs while you are on another call, the emergency assist system will forcefully end it and dial 108. Also, incoming calls will NOT interrupt the emergency call.
• Obviously, SYNC works only if your phone is connected via Bluetooth, has network range and is functioning properly post-accident.

Does it work? Fortunately, we never got a chance to try this feature out. Another media group met with an unfortunate crash, you can read about their experience here. While there are inherent advantages to the system contacting support staff on 108, especially if occupants are physically disabled from using their phones, I have my apprehensions on the operator's understanding of GPS coordinates. India isn't there yet.

[glenmz]

Originally Posted by subhro1988

Was the phone connected via bluetooth to the SYNC which led to such prompt assistance?

Sync only comes with the top end titanium. This is a trend variant, hence no assistance.

[kotirajendra]

I hope this is the correct thread to post my query.
I am looking to buy a new car and I have zeroed in on the Toyota Etios. The only thing holding me back is lack of seatbelt pre-tensioner and load limiter.
Would like to understand how important are these 2 components? If safety is what I am looking at should these be mandatory along with dual airbags?
Thanks in advance.

[Turbohead]

The fact is it's very difficult to convince people to wear seatbelts. They just laugh over it and say that nothing is gonna happen. Even my mom wears it only on insisting several times. Do you guys have any good way of convincing people to wear seatbelts? Especially the older crowd who can easily get offended when requested.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

.......Do you guys have any good way of convincing people to wear seatbelts? Especially the older crowd who can easily get offended when requested.
Mods, if it seems irrelevant, please remove this post.

When it comes to family, only firm but gentle (not to mention patient) cajoling will do. My own parents were reluctant seat-belt wearers until a few years ago. Now all I need to do on the off chance they forget or are reluctant is sit without cranking the engine for a few seconds after everyone's got in, and they take the hint and belt up. "I'd rather have you pissed at me than injured in a crash" works on my Mom like a charm, every single time.

What one does need to make clear is it's not an option to belt up because an un-belted passenger isn't a hazard just to themselves, but can be a fatal projectile to ones around them in case of a shunt. It's not a case of "My life, my choice to take risks with it", and I make it clear to all my co-passengers.

As for acquaintances/colleagues/friends, I have a clear 'belt-up or find alternate transport' policy The sensible ones belt up, the cavaliers can take an auto!