[vb-saan]

Really unfortunate. I hope the family gets strength to see through the loss.

Wish the authorities (and Maruti) does a proper study on the cause of fire, and publish the findings. Otherwise, this will go as just another incident (like the Vento case) and wither away from the public minds in a couple of weeks.

[vaibzi]

RIP, the owner.

One of the ways to get out of a burning/drowning car is to take out the headrests from the seats and use the sharp pointed metal edges to break open the windows. Got this useful piece of info from the tv show Worst Case Scenario.

[PatchyBoy]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

A gory incident indeed! May the young man's soul RIP.
Breaking the front windscreen could have been a better option to get out, but who knows what the situation was like in the final minutes?

May his soul rest in peace. Sad he could not get out in time. Wonder why he could not release the hatch and get out from the rear. Was that also jammed by the mal-functioning central locking system?

: Lest others get misguided - The front windscreen is made of laminated glass and is very hard to break. Even if one manages to crack it, it still wont shatter. It is designed not to. Side windows or the rear windshield would be better options.

Rajan

[shimoo]

The new Fiesta, Polo and Vento can never be locked from inside. If you lock the car, the the doors won't open from the outside, but will open from the inside, unless the child lock is engaged. I think apart from these there are other cars that have a similar safety mechanism. If someone knows of any other such cars, please state here for the knowledge of the forum's members. Probably such a mechanism could have saved this man's life. May his soul rest in peace.

[ACM]

Overall it is safer to have a car that just does not lock from the inside (VW family cars for example) where in one needs to just give two tugs to the doorlock even if one has enabled central locking to open the door. - of course this would not work on the rear doors if child lock is enabled. - but overall a safer logic. Yes there are cars that claim that incase of an accident the doors would be unlocked automatically but this being electronics driven does leave some ground for malfunction.

The Swift incident is a sad one irrespective of there being foul play or not.

[carwatcher]

I am sure there are more than 50 (in NCR area alone) and much much more in all the country in last 2-3 years alone and most of them were mentioned as due to faulty central locking installation done aftermarket and also most of the cars were Marutis (esp Wagon R). But what is appalling is that not much info is available regarding exact causes or any action taken by Govt authorities against any manufacturer.
It is becoming just another statistic.

[indian21r]

Man That is Ghastly. may his soul rest in peace.

No car maker seems to be exempt from fires nowadays. This forces me to think if car makers can use materials which are fire retardant for atleast 10 minutes, we can have some chance of escape. Further they should create zones which will prevent spread of fire, like cutting trees in the direction of forest fire.

Are the materials used not able to withstand Indian Conditions? Alto to BMW nothing seems to be exempt

[Rahulkool]

Really horibble accident, rather than blaming maruti, i think it should be investigated. it can happen to any car. what i dont understand is, Even if central locking is malfunction/not working still one can open the door, because the locking mechanism and opening lever is connected mechanically. in my car even if battery is disconnected, doors can be individually locked/unlocked and opened from inside. Can someone explain how central locking is jamming the doors ?

[architect]

RIP for the deceased.

The Palio, when locked with central locking, can still be opened from inside (and front door lock levers, when opened, open all doors). I always assumed this was true for all central locking.

Even if the locking system got short circuited, then in a hatchback there's a boot with a mechanical unlock (I never liked cars whose boots are electrically operated or combined with central locking).

Lastly, I urge and advise everyone to carry a small weapon (I carry a wheel spanner under the driving seat) to break out in case of an emergency.

Of course, if you have been rendered unconscious or immobile or your seat belts jammed (like the ill-fated driver of the Vento in Pune) then these strategies wont work.

[MARCUS_520i]

Originally Posted by architect

Lastly, I urge and advise everyone to carry a small weapon (I carry a wheel spanner under the driving seat) to break out in case of an emergency.

That's exactly what I do. I always have the wheel nut remover and an iron rod under the passenger seat; in case there is an emergency like a fire or flooding or under circumstances where safety during late night travel or remote place travel comes in the picture!

[aaggoswami]

1) Foul play is a possibility.

2) Did the car have any accessories installed from outside? One should go out and watch how roughly the mechanics handle the car even in authorized service centers, things are worse for local accessories shops. This is one reason brought forward in all cases of car catching fire. This is one reason why we never like to add many accessories even from dealer.

3) Having portable fire extinguishers, etc. Well, today I was stuck in lift twice in hospital where my mom is admitted since 18th of this month. At the troubled time/s, a person's brain does stop working. In case of fire, time available is very less. One has to remain calm and that is the most difficult thing to do in case of fire.

4) A fire cannot/must not activate central locking. Moreover, atleast the driver door can be unlocked IMO. Not sure whether even the driver's door lock is motorized or not. But if it is, this needs to be looked into.

I have a couple of images where in a Verna ( the older generation, not the fluidic ) caught fire. The driver's window was broken. On a personal level, I am getting a bit worried when I read that more and more cars are catching fire. The excessive heat is also taking its toll IMO.

[ethan3686]

The worrying part is that how does the fire intensity increases? I mean from the engine side? There is just the engine oil and rest is either metal or fibre. Also how does it get in? Can someone explain?

[CRtorquefan]

R.I.P. that young guy.

That's really a Sad Incident, considering the technology upgradation in recent times which've failed still in case of Safety.
Some of the cars end up with failed ABS, some with failed Airbags, failed Central locking, Jammed doors, etc.
But In case of Fire, CO(Carbon Monoxide) being most toxic enters the cabin & makes the Driver or passengers Irresponsive before he/she reacts to something, leading to her/her burning alive inside, even if he/she had an option to to do something.
Also, even if the owner had an option to get out of the car, he might be helpless at that time, due to failed central locking with failed Electrical(Electromagnetic) Rear-latch opener(Swift ZXi/ZDi)

Though many companies are claiming Auto-unlocking of doors in case of accidents, even New Swift too, but almost most of them failed as reason for the Emergency exit becomes the fire, which cuts off all the systems first & leave owner stranded inside it to see all the scene. Probably that feature may be designed to operate in case of Collision only.

I'd rate Old-dated technology here better over this complicated latest one, which gets fatal at critical times.


Or there are times when some manufacturers have timely introduced some fool-proof Safety features, like;
-Daewoo introduced Non-jamming doors in Cielo.
-FIAT Introduced FPS(Fire Prevention System) in Palio with Fuel supply cut-off system.
-FIAT Introduced Anti-Pinch power windows on all doors.
-VW/Skoda Introduced One-sided Central locking i.e Central locking from outside only.
Initially it was much criticised, even I had done too, but later on when I thought about its +ve aspect, I started favouring it.

But due to these technology complications, the prices of these car went high & people(being least bothered for safety here) have rejected such cars.

Almost every time, I see a New car in Showroom, I always check it for an fool proof Emergency exit in it, which can be a;
-Mechanically operated Bootlid lock opener from Inside.
-Emergency Over-ride Central locking(Ford Figo, FIAT Punto/Linea, VW cars).
-Non-Power Windows(any 1 of 4).
-Inside Tail-gate lock Over-ride system for Electromagnetic lock in VW Polo.

Rest we can only take the precautions, as everyone's thinking abilities permit, but
The Saviour is only one -The GOD.

[BheemBoy]

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[aashishbc]

this is truly an unfortunate incident.

but a little information on the part of the guy trapped could have saved him. we have headrests in all the cars these days. in such a case where in the occupant get trapped inside, its these headrests which could come to rescue.

remove the headrest and you shall find that the metal rods have a pointed end. this pointed end can be used to break through the glass and get yourself a chance to exit and save your life.