[SmartCat]

Short story: One guy driving a BMW rammed into another car and there was a fatality. But how does the Indian media report the incident?

After collision with speeding BMW,...



Why does the Indian media have to mention that it was a BMW? And not just one, but every newspaper? Why don't we see these type of headlines?

Mahindra driven by a student kills 1
or
Speeding Maruti car rams into cab

What exactly are these papers trying to imply?

[giri1.8]

General public's perception is that people who own cars like BMW will not follow any rules and in case of a crash always the faster or more expensive car is always blamed no matter who is responsible for the crash.

[Daewood]

Not only against these owners of german cars, the Indian Mindset has always been biased against whatever is seen as a western luxury item. It's a thought process that has got embedded from our forefathers. That's precisely the reason why Indians continue to stash away all their unused income as gold jewels. Many Indians think only Maharajas should indulge and middle class should only save money.
A person spends Rs.2000 for dining is frown upon, while a poor driver spending 2 lakh on a ceremony for his daughter is seen as essential.

So when someone who has 'indulged' does a mistake or is involved in an accident, it's "i told you so.."

[vinair]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

General public's perception is that people who own cars like BMW will not follow any rules and in case of a crash always the faster or more expensive car is always blamed no matter who is responsible for the crash.

To a greater extent its not just perception but a reality too my friend. Yes, it is incorrect to generalize all high end/value car owners as silly and not the kind of bunch who would obey traffic rules, but if you see again, its the same folks from this elite bunch who end up on the wrong side of the law and get away with it easily.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

General public's perception is that people who own cars like BMW will not follow any rules

Does it not match with reality ?

1999 BMW hit-and-run case: Victim's family gives up fight - India - Delhi - ibnlive

This guy was driving drunk, killed 6 people (One deliberately) and got only 2 years.

[born_free]

Note from Mod: There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the board experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by vinair

To a greater extent its not just perception but a reality too my friend. Yes, it is incorrect to generalize all high end/value car owners as silly and not the kind of bunch who would obey traffic rules, but if you see again, its the same folks from this elite bunch who end on the wrong side of the law and get away with it easily.

Had this been year 1990 or 2000, what you say holds water - because most of the German premium car customers were either large business owners, arms dealers or politicians. And they don't care much about laws and etiquette when driving. But now in 2012, the customer profile of a German car is whole lot different - you can see people in mainstream professions owning a German car.

But the media is still stuck in 1990, and news reports with headlines like these greatly influences the general public opinion.

Time for BMW/Merc/Audi to do some PR exercises?

[selfdrive]

I think it is do with accused in some of the earliest reported cases getting away scot free. Or almost scot free.
Somehow this must have built a perception that a 'BMW' driver is likelier to get away with things as he must either be connected enough or rich enough to get the necessary connections.

Another point is that most of the people who get involved in such accidents get carried away by the car. They end up assuming the car is so safe so it will take care of itself on the road. But any car is only as safe as the person who is steering it around. No wait, we dont steer cars here, we just aim them around.

Unfortunately nowadays this attitude of trusting a car more than one's own instincts is spreading to non BMW drivers too. Either that or they are just plain insensitive.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by vinair

To a greater extent its not just perception but a reality too my friend. Yes, it is incorrect to generalize all high end/value car owners as silly and not the kind of bunch who would obey traffic rules, but if you see again, its the same folks from this elite bunch who end up on the wrong side of the law and get away with it easily.

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Does it not match with reality ?

1999 BMW hit-and-run case: Victim's family gives up fight - India - Delhi - ibnlive

This guy was driving drunk, killed 6 people (One deliberately) and got only 2 years.

I completely agree that most of them try break the rules and get away with it,but my complain is that even if the driver of the high-end car is innocent he/she get bashed by the public.

[rajeev k]

That is simply because public opinion will be biased towards the one who is lesser by size, stature, worth or value.
If a car hits a bus then the bus driver and if a scooter rams into a car then the car driver and if a scooter rams a bicycle the scooterist and if this cycle hits a pedestrian then the cyclist will be the one who is faulted.

[esteem_lover]

Even someone running over sleeping people on a pavement with an old toyota was called "A man driving an imported car' mows down people. This is basically media sensationalism to make the article more attractive and interesting for the masses. Sometimes they do not even mention the brand/model of the cars involved.

P.S. Maybe this is one way of indirect advertising for BMW, anyone thought like that ?

[nik_kapur]

There is a bias and also a sense of sensationalism that can be achieved if one reports BMW'S and other luxury marques. (Poor BMW though, its them most of the times).

It may be true to an extent that someone driving a BMW (the ultimate driving machine as advertised) may be tempted to push the car a lot more than his Accord because he feels the car is safer, its built for speeds and he wants to feel the brilliance of its engineering. I for one would push a BMW and not a Japo because i would feel safer at speeds. (or maybe its just a mental thing). Also the indian psyche is that an expensive car must be really fast !! Why don't we just speak about the luxury and ride comfort the car offers? Often i have friends who's first question is, how fast does it go ? What Pickup Bro !! . Do you really blame the driver for showing off what his 50Lakhs can do under such circumstances ?

Overall the issue is that Indian roads aren't made for cars capable of crazy speeds and thats the bottom line. The Traffic and lack of road discipline of even jaywalkers is to blame.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Short story: One guy driving a BMW rammed into another car and there was a fatality. But how does the Indian media report the incident?

After collision with speeding BMW,...

Attachment 966563

Why does the Indian media have to mention that it was a BMW? And not just one, but every newspaper? Why don't we see these type of headlines?

Mahindra driven by a student kills 1
or
Speeding Maruti car rams into cab

What exactly are these papers trying to imply?

The print media is quite sober compared to the hysteria on TV. I saw a show once, one of those social evils of the day kind, where the anchor was asking an Auto Journo whether Indian roads were ready for the kind of cars sold by the germans. Barring a handful of variants, which barely sell, majority of German cars are 4 cylinder diesels, but she didn't let minor details get in the way of a good story.

The car crash in question involved an S320, I doubt you need any additional training to drive the car, barring an awareness that it is larger than most others. The anchor made it sound like the owner had taken an F1 car on a joyride, while happily ignoring the drunk driving aspect.

[manupshankar]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

General public's perception is that people who own cars like BMW will not follow any rules and in case of a crash always the faster or more expensive car is always blamed no matter who is responsible for the crash.

As the luxury segment cars manufactures emphasizes more on safety - even though the real intention is the safety of the people inside the vehicle only - the car comes with better control & better braking which by default makes this machine safer at higher speed when compared to other ‘normal’ vehicles. It also indicates that the cause of accidents involving these cars needs really needs some support from the driver like drinking, negligence (while in cruise), over speed (which should be far far far above the limits) or a combination of all.

[S2!!!]

@ Smartcat

There were approximately 1.05 Lakh people who lost their lives in 2011 in India due to road accidents. The Indians are...well...used to such accidental deaths and it may not really make an exciting headline on tv or in the news paper.

Where things get exciting is if some one rich, affluent or just someone you can point fingers is involved in an accident (a luxo-barge owner or a drunk teen or a celebrity are the right targets). The readers will open their eyes and ears wide to know all about the incident and the proceeding events - trials, cases, etc. This is the sad mind set of the people. I wouldn't blame the media entirely as this is what the people wish to read and this is exactly how they like it - sensationalised and hyped.